A CareerBuilder online survey, conducted in August and September 2011 with 2,696 U.S. HR professionals and hiring managers and 4,384 full-time U.S. workers, unearthed the following unusual reasons for taking a sick day:

• Bats got into the employee’s hair.
• A refrigerator fell on the employee.
• A bucket filled with water crashed through the ceiling of a bowling alley and hit the employee on the head.
• A deer bit the employee while he was hunting.
• The employee fell out of bed and broke his nose.
• The employee hurt his back chasing a beaver.
• The employee had to go to the hospital after accidentally drinking anti-freeze.
• The employee got his toe caught in a vent cover.
• The employee caught a cold from a puppy.
• The employee got sick from eating too much at a party.
• The employee developed a headache from attending too many garage sales.