Workers comp does not cover it PTSD for Kansas’ first responders

Kansas is one of a shrinking minority of states that doesn’t extend workers’ compensation for post-traumatic stress to first responders. Only 12 states don’t offer at least some type of coverage, according to a January 2020 report by workers’ compensation law firm Gerber & Holder. But the toll of mental injuries can sometimes outweigh physical ones. Kansas City Star

COVID-19 liability protections in Georgia set for one-year extension

COVID-19 liability protections for Georgia businesses and hospitals are set to be extended into the summer of 2022. The liability protections, which passed late in last year’s pandemic-interrupted legislative session, took effect in August and were set to expire in mid-July of this year. A new bill extends the protections sunset to July 14, 2022 in order to protect businesses and healthcare facilities from lawsuits brought by people who contract COVID-19 other than in cases of egregious negligence or recklessness. Augusta Chronicle

Georgia appeals court reverses $8M award for stuntman’s death

The Georgia Court of Appeals has reversed an $8 million award for the family of a 33-year-old stuntman who fell to his death, finding the state’s Workers’ Compensation Act barred recovery in the personal injury claim. The stuntman died in a 20-plus-foot fall from a balcony while filming a fight scene for The Walking Dead. His family alleges a lack of appropriate safety measures caused him to miss his mark on a safety pad catcher system, striking the ground. Courtroom View Network

Asphyxiation leads to employer guilty plea

The death of an employee who was asphyxiated while cleaning oil sludge from inside a railroad tanker car has led to his employer pleading guilty to a federal criminal charge. Bloomberg Law [may require registration]