Gadalean v. Saif Corp. (In re Comp. of Gadalean)

**What Happened** Gadalean was injured during a pre-employment driving test with SAIF Corp. When he applied for workers' compensation benefits to cover his injury, SAIF denied his claim. Gadalean argued that he should be considered an employee and therefore entitled to workers' compensation coverage for the injury that occurred during the company's hiring process. **What the Court Decided** The Oregon Supreme Court ruled against Gadalean. The court determined that he was not legally considered a "worker" under Oregon's workers' compensation law at the time of his injury. Since the driving test happened before he was actually hired, there was no employment contract in place—either written or implied—that included payment for his time during the test. **Why This Matters for Workers** This ruling clarifies that job applicants may not be covered by workers' compensation if they're injured during pre-employment activities like interviews, tests, or assessments. Workers should understand that employment protections typically don't begin until there's an actual employment relationship with agreed-upon compensation. If you're injured during a job application process, you may need to rely on other forms of insurance coverage rather than workers' compensation benefits.