Opinion ID: 1909264
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Unexplained Falls

Text: Where the cause of a fall is entirely unknown, but the fall occurs in the course of employment, most courts allow compensation. The theory of compensability seems to rest on a strong inference amounting to a presumption that the injury would not have occurred except for some condition, risk, or hazard of the employment, and therefore arose out of the employment. It falls upon the employer to rebut the inference and explain the fall. Mailman's Case, 118 Me. 172, 106 A. 606. The same presumption arises and the same result is reached in the case of unexplained deaths which occur in the course of employment. Moriarty's Case, 126 Me. 358, 138 A. 555; Westman's Case, 118 Me. 133, 106 A. 532; see Larson, supra, page 101.