Insufficient Evidence that Worker Was Attacked by a Bear

A worker claimed that he was bitten by a bear as he fell from a vehicle at work. In addition to sustaining a concussion, back injury and sprained ankle, he got an infection on his ankle he claimed was from the bear bite. But the Appeals Commission rejected his claim. The early reports immediately following the compensable incident make no mention of a bear attack. Three doctors’ reports all described the mechanism of injury as falling down stairs from a vehicle and don’t mention of any injury resembling an animal bite, such as puncture wounds to the right ankle. In addition, photographs of the worker’s foot and his shoe don’t support a conclusion that he had been attacked by a bear [2016-0457 (Re), [2017] CanLII 3118 (AB WCAC), Jan. 12, 2017].