Dude, Where’s My Arm?

File this one under bad trips, the Montana Supreme Court ruled a Montana man is entitled to receive workers compensation insurance benefits after being mauled while feeding bears at an adventure park…….after smoking pot. Yep, the man got high before he stepped into a bear pen to feed the omnivores. Shouldn’t he be chillin’ on the couch be playing Madden or something instead?

The court ruled that the man was an employee who had been compensated and was “within the scope of his employment” while working at the park. His impairment wasn’t a “major factor” in his mauling since there wasn’t specific evidence about his level of impairment . Also acknowledged was the fact that grizzlies are “equal opportunity maulers.”

Some notable analogies from the judge: “when a grizzly bear is sighted on a trail in Glacier National Park, the trail is closed to all hikers, not just the hikers who may have recently smoked marijuana.” And, the owner “installed multiple electrified fence lines at the bear park to separate the grizzly bears from all customers, not just the customers who may have recently smoked marijuana.

On the flip side of the story, the park owner claimed the man was really a volunteer. It was discovered that the adventure park didn’t even carry worker’s compensation insurance.

Really? You own an adventure park with wild animals and don’t carry workers compensation insurance? I don’t know who’s more foolish, the guy getting high before feeding bears, or the owner of an adventure park, with a bear pen, who doesn’t carry workers compensation insurance?

Luckily for the baked bear feeder, he was able to recover some of his medical expenses stemming from the attack.

I’m not advocating smoking marijuana, but if you choose to, don’t step into a cage to feed wild animals! What a buzz kill.

–JK

Source – KXLU – Helena, MT