In Matter of Booker v. Intermagnetics Gen. Corp. , Martha Booker -- an assembly line worker at Intermagnetics General Corp.'s factory -- suffered a traumatic head injury while at work when she fainted and struck her head on the floor.
A coworker testified that their work area was quite warm when he heard Booker gasp and collapse. After her head and torso hit the ground she began to "convulse violently." Booker's husband, who also worked at the facility, noticed blood flowing from his wife's ear and later witnessed her having a seizure in the ambulance. (Hospital records showed she suffered a "sudden syncopal event" that caused her to collapse and severely injure her head.)
Over time, Booker's condition worsened and required multiple surgeries. Intermagnetics' medical expert opined the fall was "due to significant metabolic acidosis that derived from, among other things, claimant's prior alcohol and substance abuse."
When the New York State Workers' Compensation Board found Booker's injury to be employment related, Intermagnetics appealed to the Appellate Division, Third Department.
Even though Booker's seizure could have been caused by a number of non-work related factors (such as prior alcohol/drug use, "dehydration, malnutrition, and vomiting"), the AD3 saw those alternatives as speculative and insufficient to refute the statutory presumption that an "unwitnessed or unexplained accident" which occurs at work is employment related.
This time, the AD3 went by the Booker.
To download a copy of the Appellate Division's decision, please use this link: Matter of Booker v. Intermagnetics Gen. Corp.