Wallace Saunders Austin Brown and Enochs Revenue and Competitors

Friday, June 8, 2018, the Kansas Supreme Court decided Atkins v. Webcon and signaled an important change for determining whether accidents that occur while workers are out of town for employment-related purposes are compensable. The relevant facts of the case are that the claimant and others were required to travel and stay in Enid, Oklahoma on a construction project. They took a company vehicle and their accommodations were provided by the employer. The hotel in which claimant and other co-workers were staying, though, was without a hotel bar. Claimant ventured across the street and went to a hotel that did have a hotel bar. He stayed until past two in the morning before attempting to cross the street to his hotel. Unfortunately, he was struck by a car driven by an intoxicated driver and sustained severe injuries