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A pilot who was injured in a crash 59 years ago has filed for workers’ compensation. The agency charged with making a decision in the case says it’s considering the case.

Len Fisher was spraying a field of crops from a plane flying over the town of Neepawa, Manitoba, Canada, on June 23, 1953, when he hit a telephone wire and crashed the aircraft.

He shattered both ankles and was in the hospital for eight months.

Now, Fisher, 91, says he wants to get what’s owed to him.

“I wasn’t even aware there was such a thing,” Fisher told The Star.

Fisher’s bills are piling up. A friend recently encouraged him to file a claim.

To prove his case, Fisher has gathered photos of the crash, a copy of a newspaper story the day after and his hospital bill.

Fisher says he received reduced wages for the eight months he was out of work.

The pilot, who was a flight instructor in WWII, retired in 1983.

The Workers’ Compensation Board of Manitoba is trying to confirm that the aviation company Fisher worked for was covered by the board in 1953. That’s just the first step in the process.

Canada’s Workers’ Compensation Act says claims must be filed within one year of an incident.

An official told The Star, “In exceptional circumstances we can expand that time frame.”

Tags: crop spraying, injured 60 years ago, plane crash, Workers' comp