Court of Appeals Upholds North Carolina Principal’s Workers’ Comp

The North Carolina Court of Appeals has upheld a decision awarding workers’ compensation to a middle school principal shot in the face in 2009.

The court ruled Tuesday that former Fairmont Middle School Principal James Hunt’s injuries were work-related.

Hunt was hit by a shotgun blast in April 2009 by someone in a pickup truck who pulled alongside his Jeep Cherokee. His mouth and nose were shattered.

The state Industrial Commission, which handles worker’s compensation cases, ruled in Hunt’s favor in December 2010, ordering the school system to pay him $781 a week plus medical costs. The school district appealed the case to the appellate court.

The judges said Hunt was talking on a school-owned cell phone to one of his employees about school issues when he was shot.