I recently came across a few past workers’ comp cases in Ohio that the employers had lost. This may not seem like a big deal, until you find out that, in that part of the country, workers’ comp claims have been awarded in the strangest of circumstances, and it is hard for an employer to win a case.

But earlier this year, the system finally caught up with a man who was receiving disability benefits from a workplace injury, but who was caught working on his roof. He was sentenced to 10 days in jail last week.

Let’s take a look at some of those past lost claims.

1. Three employees were caught stealing paint from a body shop. They were all fired, and within a week they filed for workers’ comp. One said he hurt his back, one said he hurt his knee, and the other said he had carpel tunnel. The company hired private investigators who caught these men working on their trucks in their garages, but yet all three men won their claims.

2. An employee suspiciously crashed his semi truck, got injured, and filed a claim. The employer asked that he give a hair sample, as was company policy for DOT accidents. The worker failed the drug test, but was still awarded his claim. The hearing commission is said to have called the employer a “terrorist” for asking for this employee’s hair sample.

3. A factory worker got injured on the job and was unable to carry out the tasks of the job. The employer was to pay disability until she found another job. So apparently this worker, with her high school diploma and factory experience, applied for jobs that she was not qualified for—airline pilot, accountant, chemist, nurse, and HR director. (This reminds me of the movie Catch Me if you Can ...). She never got any of these jobs, of course, but it is said that the hearing commission applauded her for “trying”.

4. A woman said she got her vagina caught on a conveyor belt as she was bending over to close it. She was awarded a claim, plus psychological care as she could no longer have sex in her favorite position.

Do you have any out-of-this-world workers’ comp stories that you would like to share? Do you think that the system is too lax when it comes to workers' comp?