Screams, abandonment and heart attack: Mekorot employee defeats the National Insurance Institute

The Labor Court ruled that a heart attack suffered by a regional manager at Mekorot will be recognized as a work accident, despite the National Insurance Institute's refusal. The expert established a causal link between a heated argument during a contractors' tour and the cardiac event.

The Nazareth Regional Labor Court ruled that a heart attack suffered by a regional manager at Mekorot will be recognized as a work accident, contrary to the position of the National Insurance Institute. In August 2021, during a professional tour, the manager (in his 50s) discovered that only three contractors were participating in the tender and argued with those present about the 'contractor bank' method. He left the tour in an unusual step, and after returning to his office felt chest pain, was taken to Ziv Hospital and underwent emergency catheterization. The court-appointed expert, cardiologist Prof. Shmuel Gottlieb, established a causal link exceeding 50% between the argument and the cardiac event, despite the employee suffering from diabetes, overweight, smoking and high lipid levels. Judge Revital Turner accepted the position, rejected the National Insurance Institute's claims and ruled in favor of the employee, along with payment of 4,000 shekels in legal costs.