A landmark ruling in the Christchurch District Court has found that injuries caused by sneezing are not covered by ACC.
Aaron Shane Lovelace lodged a compensation claim in October 1995 after a violent sneeze sent him crashing to the floor. Doctors said the sneeze ruptured a disc in his spine.
ACC agreed to cover the cost of his injuries in June 1996, but revoked cover in May 1999, claiming the sneeze was not an accident.
Mr Lovelace went to court, but Judge Paul Barber said an accident as defined by the Accident Rehabilitation and Compensation Insurance Act involved the application of an external force.
While a sneeze might be caused by an external agent, the actual force involved was internally generated.
ACC spokesman Richard Ninness said he was unaware of other cases of injury from a sneeze.
"There's a thin boundary between accident and illness and sneezing is probably defined as an illness."
