Illinois Legislation Aims to Curb Pay for Non-Work Accidents

Legislation in the Illinois General Assembly could clarify whether employers must pay injury claims if employees are hurt on the way to work.

Lee Enterprises Newspapers in Illinois reports the measure is sponsored by Lebanon Republican state Sen. Kyle McCarter. It mirrors a recent Supreme Court decision on a workers’ compensation claim.

The case involved a Springfield man who took a temporary job at a power plant near the Quad Cities. He rented a hotel room near the job site and was severely injured in a car crash on the way to work.

The Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission ruled the man eligible for work-injury payments. But the Supreme Court decreed he was not actively on the job during the commute.