Andrews, Torey v. Yates Services, LLC

2017 TN WC 51
CourtTennessee Court of Workers' Compensation Claims
DecidedMarch 10, 2017
Docket2016-05-0854
StatusPublished

This text of 2017 TN WC 51 (Andrews, Torey v. Yates Services, LLC) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Tennessee Court of Workers' Compensation Claims primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Andrews, Torey v. Yates Services, LLC, 2017 TN WC 51 (Tenn. Super. Ct. 2017).

Opinion

TENNESSEE BUREAU OF WORKERS’ COMPENSATION IN THE COURT OF WORKERS’ COMPENSATION CLAIMS AT MURFREESBORO

TOREY ANDREWS, ) Docket No. 2016-05-0854 Employee, ) v. ) State File No. 58300-2016 YATES SERVICES, LLC, ) Employer, ) Judge Dale Tipps And ) TRAVELERS INDEM. CO. ) Insurance Carrier. ) )

EXPEDITED HEARING ORDER GRANTING BENEFITS

This matter came before the undersigned workers’ compensation judge on February 28, 2017, on the Request for Expedited Hearing filed by Torey Andrews. The present focus of this case is whether Mr. Andrews is entitled to medical and temporary disability benefits for his alleged back injury. The central legal issue is whether Mr. Andrews is likely to establish at a hearing on the merits he suffered an injury arising primarily out of and in the course and scope of his employment. For the reasons set forth below, the Court holds Mr. Andrews is likely to meet this burden and is entitled to the requested medical and temporary disability benefits.

History of Claim

Mr. Andrews began working as a Yates employee on the assembly line at Nissan in February 2015. Although he often experienced soreness from his work, he never had any serious back problems or injuries until July 21, 2016. On that day, Mr. Andrews was installing glass windows in car doors as they came down the line. He testified this work required twisting, bending, and stooping. As he worked, Mr. Andrews began having pain in his lower back. He initially thought it was just ordinary soreness, but the pain grew worse through the rest of his shift. He reported to his supervisor the next day that his symptoms had progressed to sharp pains. Yates provided Mr. Andrews a panel of physicians, from which he selected the onsite clinic, Premise Health.

1 Records from Premise show that Mr. Andrews reported the onset of severe back pain on July 21. Nurse Practitioner Robert Dickinson examined Mr. Andrews and diagnosed dorsalgia, which he felt was “likely work-related.” He prescribed Advil and Tylenol and returned Mr. Andrews to work with bending and stooping restrictions. Mr. Andrews returned to Premise several times over the next few weeks with complaints of continuing, and sometimes worsening, symptoms. He usually saw Mr. Dickinson, but also treated once with Nurse Practitioner Candace Humes and once with Dr. Terri Walker, all of whom continued physical therapy and work restrictions.

Mr. Dickinson eventually ordered a lumbar MRI. The MRI report indicated normal findings at all levels except L5-S1, which showed a “left paracentral posterior disc herniation of the L5-S11 disc with signal changes suggesting an annular tear. The herniating disc abuts the thecal sac anteriorly in the left as well as the left S1 root sleeve which demonstrates minimal deformity.” The report also noted that the disc “demonstrates partial dessication.” At Mr. Andrew’s next visit, Mr. Dickinson reviewed the MRI report and noted, “Degenerative/idiopathic changes noted on MRI suggestive that this is not a primarily work related event.”

On September 8, Mr. Andrew saw Dr. Gilbert Woodall at Premise for the first time. Dr. Woodall reviewed the MRI report and examined Mr. Andrews before assessing, “Discogenic pain and S1 radiculopathy of insidious idiopathic onset – not primarily work related.” He prescribed a steroid dosepak and continued Mr. Andrews’ restrictions.

Yates filed a Notice of Denial of Mr. Andrews’ claim on September 12. It gave the basis of denial as, “Claim is denied as ATP opined that condition was not primarily work-related.”

A week after his claim was denied, Mr. Andrews began treating with Dr. James Johnson at Elite Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Center. Dr. Johnson conducted a physical examination and reviewed the MRI before diagnosing a herniated disc and lumbosacral radiculitis. He noted, “Acute L5-S1 disc herniation clearly work related and not degenerative in this healthy 26 year old.” He ordered a steroid dosepak and physical therapy.

Mr. Andrews returned to Dr. Johnson on November 2 and reported some improvement, but still had constant pain, as well as numbness and tingling in his leg. Dr. Johnson noted that a neurosurgical second opinion “agreed that this was not degenerative and was likely work related but also agreed that surgery was not indicated at this point.” He ordered an intralaminar epidural steroid injection. Mr. Andrews returned after the injection, which he reported only gave him pain relief for one week. Dr. Johnson ordered a specifically targeted transforaminal steroid injection.

2 Dr. Michael Moran performed the second opinion evaluation referenced by Dr. Johnson. He felt Mr. Andrews’ symptoms probably stemmed from L5-S1. However, because the disc protrusion did not severely compress the S1 nerve root, and because the radicular symptoms were minor, Dr. Moran did not feel surgery was necessary at that time. He did not address causation in his office note.

Both Dr. Johnson and Dr. Woodall gave deposition testimony. When asked about causation, Dr. Johnson testified that Mr. Andrews’ disc herniation was acute and “100% causal from his work.” He gave several reasons why he did not believe the MRI was consistent with degenerative disc disease. First, he stated that the likelihood of degenerative disc disease in a twenty-six-year-old is “slim to none.” Second, only the L5-S1 level was affected – all the other levels were normal. Dr. Johnson noted that, if someone had early degenerative disc disease, it would affect multiple levels. In addition, he testified that the MRI showed signs of inflammation and an annular tear, which is indicative of an acute tear in the lining of the disc.

Dr. Woodall testified that the lack of degeneration at other levels was not significant, as the L5-S1 degenerative disc disease could be the result of a prior injury. He felt Mr. Andrews’ back injury and complaints were not primarily work related, but were:

Primarily due to an annular tear that was likely experienced many years before through some sort of fall or bicycle accident or sports injury that spent many years desiccating where it finally gave way. It happened to be at work when it did. So work can give its one, two, five percent contribution to it. But by and large, most of it is degenerative from a prior annular tear.

Mr. Andrews testified that Yates provided light-duty work for him until January 10, 2017, at which time he had to take medical leave because of his temporary medical restrictions. He seeks payment of temporary disability benefits beginning from that date. Mr. Andrews also requests reimbursement of $669.23 in out-of-pocket medical expenses for his health insurance co-payments, and payment of $2,774.55 in medical bills paid by his health insurance carrier, Blue Cross Blue Shield.

Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law

The following legal principles govern this case. To prove a compensable injury, Mr. Andrews must show that his alleged injury arose primarily out of and in the course and scope of his employment. Tenn. Code Ann. § 50-6-102(14) (2016). To do so, he must show his injury was primarily caused by an incident, or specific set of incidents, identifiable by time and place of occurrence. Id. at § 50-6-102(14)(A). Further, he must show, “to a reasonable degree of medical certainty that it contributed more than fifty

3 percent (50%) in causing the . . . disablement or need for medical treatment, considering all causes.” Id. at § 50-6-102(14)(C). “Shown to a reasonable degree of medical certainty” means that, in the opinion of the treating physician, it is more likely than not considering all causes as opposed to speculation or possibility. Id. at § 50-6-102(14)(D).

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2017 TN WC 51, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/andrews-torey-v-yates-services-llc-tennworkcompcl-2017.