Elderly employees at certain companies are given job positions and duties that reflect their abilities related to their age and health. For one elderly employee at a California Walmart, performing the duty of checking a receipt to prevent theft led to a work injury. The 78-year-old employee is still recovering from the incident, which was all caught on tape.
The employee was at one of the exits to the store. She noticed a man trying to leave the mega-store with a computer in his arms. The computer still had an anti-theft device wrapped around it, which alerted the employee to a potential problem. She attempted to verify the purchase of the item by requesting his receipt before the man left the store.
The employee is seen on video trying to check to see if the man had a receipt for the item. The man darted around her and pushed her to the ground. The man then left the store with the item and reportedly made his getaway in a Mercedes Benz with no visible license plates.
The California worker suffered a hip injury as a result of falling to the ground. The recovery for such a work injury can be extensive and require ongoing medical care. That kind of injury for a 78-year-old may also mean the worker is unable to return to work. Anyone in California who suffers a similar work injury is usually entitled to workers’ compensation benefits to help ensure he or she gets the medical care and lost wages needed to avoid financial difficulties due to the work injury.
Source: CBS News, “Police seek robber who pushed elderly Walmart worker in Los Angeles-area store“, Dec. 24, 2014