No one wants to be injured on the job. Unfortunately, practically every career has its risks that could put workers in harm’s way. For police officers, those risks are often high, and they can even put their lives on the line in the course of their work-related duties. It is also possible for some confusion with firearms to lead to an officer needing workers’ compensation.
It was recently reported that a police officer in California suffered injuries after being shot on the job. Apparently, the shot was considered friendly fire, meaning that another officer fired the shot that hit the injured officer. It was unclear what prompted the discharge of a firearm as the officers were responding to a potentially suicidal individual. Officers received calls about the distressed person and arrived at the scene to find a man holding a pair of scissors.
There was no mention of whether the person attempted to harm himself or an officer. Nonetheless, shots were fired, and a female officer was wounded. She was transported to an area hospital with injuries not considered to be life-threatening and had been released from the hospital at the time of the report. The incident was still under investigation.
Suffering a gunshot wound in the line of duty is a serious injury, no matter the circumstances under which it occurred. This California officer may need time away from work in order to focus on recovering, and she may need financial assistance to handle medical bills and lost wages. Fortunately, she will likely be able to qualify for workers’ compensation to help cover those expenses.