The 1st District Court of Appeal in Tallahassee has upheld a lower court's ruling that an illegal alien working in Florida is entitled to workers' compensation when injured on the job.

Luis Aragon, who illegally crossed the border into the U.S. 11 years ago when he was 16, was working at HDV Construction Systems, Inc. in Jacksonville when he fell 30 feet and injured his foot and arm in September 2007.

When he was awarded permanent total disability (PTD) benefits from the Judge of Compensation Claims, HDV and its insurer, Gallagher Bassett Services, Inc., resisted, saying that because Aragon was illegally working he was not entitled to PTD.

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