A workers’ compensation claimant cannot collect benefits for an injury he sustained while jumping a flight of stairs on his way to lunch because his actions were “premeditated,” “extreme” and “inherently high risk,” the Commonwealth Court has ruled.
The decision, reached by a 2-1 panel, made clear a distinction between the facts found in the case, Penn State University v. WCAB (Smith) , and a recent Commonwealth Court decision that allowed for a claimant to collect benefits after he attempted to dunk on a basketball net — a move the court described as “spontaneous” and “whimsical” — while on a delivery job.
