Split Court Interprets 'Accident' under 2005 Reforms, Awards Benefits

The Missouri Western District Court of Appeals, interpreting for the first time the definition of "accident" under 2005 reform legislation, ruled in a split decision that a worker who injured his shoulder while pulling himself up onto a truck was entitled to benefits. The appellate court also affirmed a Workers' Compensation Commission decision to award benefits to the same worker for a separate knee injury suffered when he stepped on a frozen dirt clod, rejecting the employer's arguments that compensation for such everyday injuries was barred by the 2005 changes to the law,...