Court Rules Heart Attack Caused by Boss Illness is Work Injury
The Nazareth Regional Labor Court ruled that a heart attack suffered by a 59-year-old factory worker in Kibbutz Beit HaShita after learning of his employer's terminal illness constitutes a recognized work injury.
The Regional Labor Court in Nof HaGalil-Nazareth has accepted a lawsuit filed by a 59-year-old factory worker from Kibbutz Beit HaShita against the National Insurance Institute, ruling that a myocardial infarction he suffered on March 4, 2024, is recognized as a work injury.
The plaintiff has been employed at the factory since 1994. In the month leading up to the incident, after the factory owner fell ill, the worker was required to work overtime and perform tasks well beyond his regular duties.
Chronology of the Incident
On the day of the event, the worker arrived at the factory to find that four employees had failed to show up, forcing him to cover their shifts. At approximately 10:00 AM, he received a phone call informing him that the factory owner was terminally ill. According to court findings, the plaintiff began screaming and crying, felt unwell, and left for his home. About three hours later, around 1:00 PM, he suffered a myocardial infarction and was evacuated to HaEmek Medical Center in Afula.
Medical Expert Opinions
The court appointed a medical expert, cardiologist Prof. Walter Markiewicz, who determined that with a probability exceeding 50%, there was a causal link between the extraordinary workplace stress and the heart attack. The expert noted that while the plaintiff had significant pre-existing risk factors—including smoking two packs a day for 40 years, a family history of heart disease, hyperlipidemia, and inflammatory arthritis—the acute stress was the primary trigger.
The National Insurance Institute argued that the expert opinion was unreliable and failed to properly weigh the plaintiff's chronic risk factors. The court rejected these claims, stating:
"The temporal proximity between the extraordinary event at work and the subsequent myocardial infarction, combined with the absence of prior cardiac symptoms, carries greater weight than the pre-existing risk factors."
Psychological Impact and Ruling
The plaintiff's mental health was also assessed during the proceedings. A psychiatric expert determined that the worker suffers from an adjustment disorder with depressive and anxious features, which developed as a direct result of the cardiac event. The expert ruled that the heart attack had a significant impact on his mental health impairment, valued at over 20%.
The court adopted both expert opinions and ruled in favor of the plaintiff. The National Insurance Institute was ordered to pay the plaintiff 7,500 NIS in legal expenses within 30 days.
