Posted on 06/04/2010 1:09:04 PM PDT by epithermal
HELENA, Mont. (AP) — A Montana judge says it's not a worker's fault he got mauled by a grizzly bear at a tourist attraction, even if he smoked marijuana before trying to feed the animal.
Brock Hopkins acknowledged smoking pot before arriving to work at Great Bear Adventures on Nov. 2, 2007. When he entered the bear's pen, he was attacked and had to be hospitalized.
The owner of the attraction near Glacier National Park says Hopkins was a volunteer and that his use of marijuana caused the accident.
But Judge James Jeremiah Shea of the state Workers' Compensation Court ruled last month that Hopkins is eligible for benefits.
Shea found that Hopkins was paid, and therefore he's an employee. The judge also concluded Hopkins' use of marijuana was not the main cause of the attack.
Should have given the pot to the bear, mellow him out a little.
So the bear was anti drugs?
“So your honor dude... it was like... a dude bear... like....wow, dude.... I thought it was like....dude... surreal...like...dude?”
“Dude... can I, like get my...like check now?”
Why would pot have caused the accident? Was the bear stoned?
It IS his fault that he thought "feeding a bear" encompassed more than just presenting his soon-to-be-corpse to the bear.
hilarious story.
I’d have written the bear a cheque.
Stupid as a sorce of income.
The bear thought he was bogarting that joint.
In a Jan. 10, 2008 statement to the Montana Department of Labor and Industry attached to the motion to reconsider, Kilpatrick described his reaction to finding the marijuana pipe outside the bear den the morning after the attack: “I became very very angry because I then knew what had happened. In my opinion Brock could not resist one last time of harassing the bear with his habit of blowing smoke in their faces for God only knows what reason and in direct defiance of my telling him NOT to disturb them!!!”
Apparently the bear didn’t like the quality of the dope.
He should at least get the Treadwell Trophy for the attempt.
Having had some experience with Workmen’s Comp I would say that 99% of people who claim it, get it. It almost always goes agains the employer.
Sure it is. He got stoned. He opened up the bear’s pen. The bear got a contact high. The bear got the munchies. The bear munched on him. It’s his fault.
Maybe he was wearing his lucky pork chop around his neck? This is the sort of dude that would inspire me to pour honey all over his backpack....
Where is a mauled Dan Akroyed doing a PSA not to feed the bears by holding a marshmallow in your mouth and sticking your face out?
“Dude... can I, like get my...like check now?”
“my high is wearing off and I need a dime bag”
It’s all fun and games until someone gets high and tries to feed the bears. It’s like a Country Bear Jambaroo!!
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