Flight attendant’s injury on shuttle bus ruled work-related

A Pennsylvania appeals court ruled Thursday in favor of a US Airways flight attendant who claimed her slip and fall on a shuttle bus transporting her between a Philadelphia International Airport terminal and an employee parking lot was work-related.

On Jan. 23, 2015, the flight attendant was trying to place her luggage on the racks on a shuttle bus after parking in a city-owned lot. On the bus, she stepped in water on the floor, causing her right foot to slide out from underneath her. Her left knee buckled, causing her to fall backwards, crushing her left foot under her. She also felt something rip in her left foot and needed assistance getting to a seat, according to court documents in US Airways Inc. v. Workers’ Compensation Appeal Board.

A three-judge Commonwealth Court panel unanimously rejected arguments posed by US Airways that the incident did not take place on the airline’s property and that the shuttlebus was part of the flight attendant’s commute to work, according to court documents.

The airline argued that it also did not own the shuttle bus and did not require employees to park in the lot. It asked that the appeals court review a Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board order from April 2016 that the flight attendant “sustained injuries in the course and scope of her employment,” documents state.

The ruling found that her commute ended at the parking lot and work began on the shuttle: “As part of doing business with the airport, Employer understood that the airport would transport Employer’s employees who drove to work. Thus, Employer also understood that, in order to arrive at their work area to start their shift, employees who drive to work invariably board the shuttle bus after their commute to the airport.”