The state’s workers’ compensation commission will need to take a second look at a Homewood firefighter’s claim for coverage for post-traumatic stress disorder, after a state appeals court ruled legal precedent exists to support his claim and the commission was too hasty to toss his claims.
An arbitrator had found Lt. Scott Moran, a firefighter in suburban Homewood, “did not sustain an accidental injury that arose out of and in the course of his employment” when he claimed coverage for symptoms caused by PTSD, and her decision was upheld by the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission. Moran appealed, first to the circuit court of Cook County, then to the appellate court, which reversed the ruling. Moran is a 25-year veteran of the department. According to two psychologists who submitted testimony in the case, his PTSD can be traced to a house fire that took place on March 30, 2010. As the highest ranking officer first on the scene, Moran served as initial commander in charge of the firefighting effort, which involved multiple fire departments. He was preparing to enter the house with another firefighter to rescue a person reportedly trapped inside when a third firefighter, Brian Carey, offered to go in instead, leaving Moran outside to continue command of the scene. While Carey and the other firefighter w