Softball injury work related?

Dottie

The employees at one of our properties have gotten together and joined a softball league. From what I gather, all of the members of the team are our employees. A week or so ago, there was a bad accident wherein one of our employees hit a ball that hit another one of our employees in the face, causing some serious damage. The injured employee had to have reconstructive surgery to repair the damaged bone. So far, I have taken the stance that this was not in the scope of employment, it was not on our property, and, therefore, we bear no responsibility. This occurred in the state of Ohio. Any advice?

Down_the_Middle

Unless Ohio is much different from some other states AND unless the employees were EXPECTED BY MANAGEMENT to play on the team, I would not think this type of injury is compensable under a w/comp situation.

System

Every state has a different standard for what's work-related, and it always depends on the specific facts of the situation. You probably should talk to an Ohio lawyer. If you don't have one, you could contact the lawyers who write Ohio Employment Law Letter:
[url]http://www.hrhero.com/findanattorney.shtml[/url]

Good luck.

James Sokolowski
Senior Editor
M. Lee Smith Publishers