No Benefits for Worker who Fell While Using Makeshift Path to Employee Parking Lot

The Illinois Appellate Court upheld the denial of benefits to a worker injured while traversing a makeshift path to the employee parking lot instead of using the paved sidewalk provided by his employer. Case: Rodriguez v. IWCC (Ford Motor Co.), No. 24L50120, 01/16/2026, unpublished. Facts: Daniel Rodriguez worked for the Ford Motor Co. at its plant in Chicago. The plant had a parking lot for employees, and a concrete sidewalk, built and maintained by Ford, extended from the parking lot to a pedestrian bridge. This sidewalk was the dedicated walkway between the parking lot and the plant. The...