Falt tire workers' comp

Diaz v. National Retail Transportation, Inc., No. A-3927-14T2 (N.J. Super. Ct. App. Div. 11/09/16, unpublished)

Ruling: In an unpublished decision, the New Jersey Superior Court, Appellate Division held that a mechanic was entitled to benefits for his injury.

What it means: In New Jersey, when a worker’s intoxication is the “natural or proximate cause” of an injury, benefits will not be provided. Courts have interpreted the intoxication defense to mean that the worker’s intoxication must be the sole cause of the accident.

Summary: A mechanic for National Retail Transportation was injured when he attempted to move a heavy metal lift that fell over on him. He said that the lift fell when it tilted to one side. The mechanic said that after the lift fell on him, he noticed that one of the tires on the lift was flat.

National conceded that a tire was deflated. The mechanic filed a claim for workers’ compensation benefits. National denied benefits and asserted the intoxication defense, arguing that the mechanic’s intoxication was the proximate cause of the accident.

The mechanic admitted that before going to work, he drank at least two eight-ounce glasses consisting of half whiskey and half ice water. National’s toxicologist opined that, based on the blood sample drawn from the mechanic after the accident, that he was intoxicated and impaired at the time of the accident.

The New Jersey Superior Court, Appellate Division held that the mechanic was entitled to benefits.

The court concluded that substantial credible evidence established that the flat tire may have caused the lift to fall, and therefore, intoxication was not established to be the sole cause of the accident.

The court found there was sufficient evidence that the flat tire may have also contributed to the accident. Without testimony eliminating the flat tire as a cause of the accident, the court found that National did not carry its burden to prove that the mechanic’s intoxication was the sole cause of the accident.

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