Jersey City Man Injured by 1,500 Pounds of Pineapples

A 39-year-old warehouse worker in Jersey City was hospitalized on May 22, 2013, after 1,500 pounds of pineapples fell on him. While it would not be fun to have 1,500 pounds of anything fall on you, hard and spiky pineapples are no doubt one of the least pleasant forms of fruit to have fall on you.

Details of the accident are somewhat skimpy. The worker was reportedly taken to the hospital conscious, although no further details of his condition or recovery have been reported. Details on the cause of the accident also have not as yet been provided to the public.

The worker is certainly entitled to have workers’ compensation take care of his medical expenses and compensate him for time lost from work.

New Jersey law requires that all employers carry workers’ compensation insurance. Which is a good thing for employees. The bad thing for employees, however, is that in exchange for the workers’ compensation coverage they give up the right to sue their employer for negligence, which conceivably could lead to a much larger settlement than an employee would receive through workers’ comp.

Just because workers’ compensation insurance coverage is mandatory does not automatically mean that an employee injured on the job will have an easy time getting everything he or she has coming to him. Employers will often dispute a workers’ comp claim, fearing that their premiums will go up if too many employees collect workers’ comp settlements. Employers may claim that the employee wasn’t really injured that badly, or that the injury didn’t happen on the job, or that the employee doesn’t really need time off from work. Resolving such disputes generally requires the help of a lawyer.

If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident, whether at work or elsewhere, contact an experienced Teaneck personal injury attorney at the Law Offices of Jeffrey S. Hasson, P.C.