Prisoners Entitled to Workers’ Compensation Benefits, Mississippi High Court Rules

A former utility worker who lost his hands when he was shocked by power lines can receive workers’ compensation, even though officials argued he tried to hurt himself to avoid a homicide investigation, the Mississippi Supreme Court has ruled. Lonnie Smith pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the homicide case and is now serving a 12-year prison sentence. Smith, a former alderman in Ripley, Miss., was injured in April 2010 while working in a bucket-lift truck for the Tippah Electric Power Association.