Bellow v. Bellow

At 1 p.m. on Monday, September 13, 1976, an ordinary Page 446 workday, Jack Benson collapsed and fell to the floor while at work cleaning a disc with a steel brush and kerosene. Artificial resuscitation failed to revive him, and he died shortly after being taken to a hospital. No autopsy was performed, and the precise cause of his death remained uncertain throughout this litigation. His widow brought a claim for workmens compensation. The arbitrator concluded that the injury was compensable, but the Industrial Commission reversed, finding no causal connection between Bensons employment and his death. The circuit court of Cook County, hearing the case on writ of certiorari, reversed the decision of the Industrial Commission and reinstated the arbitrators award. The Chicago board of education, Bensons employer, appealed to this court pursuant to Rule 302(a)(2) (73 Ill.2d R. 302(a)(2)).