No Laughing Matter: Practical Joke Results in $970,000 Workplace Injury Settlement

Horseplay Led to Recovery For VNJ Client

A 51-year-old man was injured after a workplace prank went wrong in Jackson County, Missouri. The injured worker will receive nearly a million dollars in settlement money.

How the Workplace Injury Happened

Attorney Brett Votava of Votava Nantz & Johnson said the man was hurt while descending from the top of a cement mixer after spraying it down to clean the equipment. However, a co-worker had apparently flipped the ladder up as a practical joke. 

The worker did not notice the ladder and tumbled several feet to the ground, resulting in a rotator cuff tear, ACL and PCL tears in the right knee, a meniscus tear in the left knee, and L4/5 disc herniation in the lumbar spine. Some of these injuries required surgery.

Disputes In the Workplace Injury Case

Votava said the workplace accident case went to mediation with a number of parties involved in the case. There was dispute over who the employer of the co-worker was, noting that one of the defendants had been sold since the accident.

The defense argued that the man’s injuries also had a degenerative component and made a comparative fault argument that he should have looked below him while attempting to descend the ladder.

Workplace Accident Case Outcome

Votava said he hopes the case is a lesson about worker safety.

“Practical jokes can cause a lot more harm than you might think,” he said. “It might seem like a funny thing to do at the time, but they can result in significant injuries.”

In this case, a practical joke also resulted in $970,000 awarded to the victim.

Because of the nature of the settlement, party names are confidential.

Were You Injured At Work?

If you were hurt while on the job and think you may have a case, contact Votava Nantz & Johnson for a free consultation by phone at (816) 895-8800 or by sending us an email.