Sikorski's Case

While serving as a chaperone for a Peabody High School (school) ski club trip, Karen Sikorski (employee), a mathematics teacher at the school, was injured in a skiing accident. She sought workers’ compensation coverage for her medical expenses. Her employer, the city of Peabody (city), a self-insurer, *478contends that her injury is noncompensable because it occurred while she participated voluntarily in a recreational activity. See G. L. c. 152, § 1 (7A).1 The reviewing board of the Department of Industrial Accidents (board), in a divided decision, awarded benefits to the employee, concluding…