Cochrane v. William Penn Hotel

Opinion by

Mr. Justice Stern,

This is a review of a decision of the Superior Court affirming an award under the Workmen’s Compensation Act to the widow of an employee who met with a fatal accident in the course of his employment. The defense presented by the insurance earner was that decedent’s employment was casual in character and not in the regular course of the employer’s business.

In April, 1936, the William Penn Hotel of Altoona hired Cochrane, the decedent, to do some carpenter work necessary for the remodeling of the hotel lobby and the construction of an elevator hatch. The project was…