Court Opinion

ID: 9735696
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 18:28:10.248897+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:27:00.977511
License: Public Domain

JUSTICE MORAN, dissenting: I disagree with the majority’s conclusion that because decedent’s trip to his home to pick up his son was reasonable it therefore arose out of and in the course of his employment. The mere fact that one is an outside employee does not ipso facto bring all of his reasonable activities within the course of employment. “Employees whose work entails travel away from the employer’s premises are held in the majority of jurisdiction [sic] to be within the course of their employment continuously during the trip, except when a distinct department on a personal errand is shown.” 1A A. Larson, Workmen’s Compensation sec. 25.00 (1982). Picking up his son to go Christmas shopping was not in the course of the decedent’s business; rather, it was part of his own personal affairs. “When an employee deviates from his business route by taking a side-trip that is clearly identifiable as such, he is unquestionably beyond the course of his employment while going away from the business route and toward the personal objective ***.” 1A A. Larson, Workmen’s Compensation sec. 19.31 (1982). The evidence showed, and both the arbitrator and the Commission found, decedent had turned off the closest, direct route to Red Haw and headed toward his home. As such, decedent was on a personal side-trip at the time of his accident and was therefore not in the course of his employment. For this reason, I would affirm the denial of compensation. RYAN, C.J., joins in this dissent.