Bradley v. Arnold Lege Alligator Farm

625 So. 2d 591, 1993 La. App. LEXIS 2961, 1993 WL 394620
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedOctober 6, 1993
Docket92-1472
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 625 So. 2d 591 (Bradley v. Arnold Lege Alligator Farm) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bradley v. Arnold Lege Alligator Farm, 625 So. 2d 591, 1993 La. App. LEXIS 2961, 1993 WL 394620 (La. Ct. App. 1993).

Opinion

625 So.2d 591 (1993)

Kenneth BRADLEY, Plaintiff-Appellee,
v.
ARNOLD LEGE ALLIGATOR FARM, Defendant-Appellant.

No. 92-1472.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Third Circuit.

October 6, 1993.

*593 Raymond Charles Vinet, Sr., Baton Rouge, for Kenneth Bradley.

Paul Joseph Hebert, Kevin Wade Trahan, Abbeville, for Arnold Lege Alligator Farm.

Before STOKER, LABORDE and YELVERTON, JJ.

STOKER, Judge.

This worker's compensation case arises from an accident which occurred on January 29, 1990, in which Kenneth Carl Bradley was injured in the course and scope of his employment with Arnold Lege Alligator Farm. The factual issues of injury and causation are not disputed. We are presented in this appeal with legal issues as to the appropriate type of benefits to be awarded and a factual issue as to whether the employer was arbitrary and capricious in its failure to guarantee and pay medical expenses. We reverse and remand.

FACTS

Bradley was employed by Arnold Lege Alligator Farm, (ALAF).[1] One of his job duties was to grind the meat to feed the alligators. On January 29, 1990, Bradley, then nineteen years old, was cleaning the grinder when the tip of his glove was pulled into the auger system. As a result, Bradley lost his right hand and his right forearm to just below the elbow. The accident was witnessed by a co-employee, Clay Guidry. Peggy Lege, Arnold Lege's wife, came upon the scene immediately after the accident and called an ambulance. Bradley was transported to Lafayette General Hospital, where he was stabilized. The defendant, ALAF, was self-insured. Upon learning from Peggy Lege that there was no insurance, Lafayette General Hospital transferred Bradley to University Medical Center, a State hospital.

Following the accident, ALAF continued to pay Bradley's full weekly salary of $300 per week through December 1990. In January 1991, ALAF reduced the payments to $200 per week on the advice of its accountant. ALAF was still paying plaintiff $200 per week at the time of trial. ALAF has not paid or guaranteed payment of any of Bradley's extensive medical expenses beyond the initial $900 emergency room bill at Lafayette General Hospital. ALAF claims that plaintiff never made a demand on it for payment of medical expenses and related travel expenses. At some point, Bradley's father's health insurer, Panhandle Eastern Insurance Co., agreed to pay 80% of Bradley's medical expenses and Bradley's father, Kenneth R. Bradley, attempted to pay the balance. The health insurance with Panhandle Eastern was obtained through Kenneth R. Bradley's employer, Trunkline Gas Co. At the time of trial there were still outstanding medical bills which were due.

Eventually, Bradley was fitted with two prostheses, a myoelectric arm for cosmetic purposes and a mechanical arm (a hook) for a greater range of use. Bradley received training in the use of his myoelectric prosthesis, but little in the use of the mechanical prosthesis. Also, his stump remained hypersensitive.

Subsequently, Bradley was offered part time work with Nicky Boudreaux, a local farmer. Bradley performed his duties without a prosthesis. For one month, Boudreaux paid Bradley $15 per day, six days a week, to drive a boat during crawfishing season. For one week (seven days) Boudreaux employed Bradley to work as a painter's helper for $40 per day. However, Bradley was not required to climb a ladder. Finally, Boudreaux paid Bradley $100 to drive a rice cart for about six days. Bradley is also able to drive a truck or a tractor if it has power steering and an automatic transmission.

ACTION BEFORE THE HEARING OFFICER

Bradley filed a petition for worker's compensation benefits and penalties on January *594 8, 1991. The hearing took place on September 5, 1991. The hearing officer found Bradley to be temporarily totally disabled and awarded him benefits of $200.01 per week from the date of loss to the date claimant is able to engage in gainful occupation for wages or self-employment. ALAF was ordered to pay all medical expenses, the costs of rehabilitation treatment, and all related travel expenses. ALAF was further ordered to reimburse Panhandle Eastern for all medical expenses it had paid. Finally, the hearing officer found that ALAF was arbitrary and capricious in failing to guarantee payment of Bradley's medical bills, and in failing to timely pay Bradley's medical expenses and related travel expenses, and awarded Bradley $5000 attorney fees.

ASSIGNMENTS OF ERROR

ALAF appeals this judgment, contending the hearing officer erred in awarding temporary total disability benefits rather than permanent partial disability benefits pursuant to the schedule of specific loss provisions. Under the latter provision, plaintiff would be limited to 150 weeks of compensation. ALAF also argues the hearing officer erred in finding it was arbitrary and capricious and in awarding attorney fees to Bradley.

APPROPRIATE BENEFITS

ALAF alleges on appeal that the hearing officer erred in classifying Bradley as temporarily totally disabled and awarding benefits under LSA-R.S. 23:1221(1), instead of classifying him as permanently partially disabled and awarding benefits under the specific loss schedule of LSA-R.S. 23:1221(4). The hearing officer gave no reasons for judgment. Therefore we do not know whether she gave consideration to permanent partial disability benefits.

For injuries cognizable under the partial disabilities provision, LSA-R.S. 23:1221(4), the situation may result in an injured worker being qualified for compensation under both the specific loss schedule and the total and partial disability provisions. The worker may not recover under both, but may recover under whichever provision affords greater compensation. The claimant should have the benefit of the more favorable remedy. Jacks v. Banister Pipelines America, 418 So.2d 524 (La.1982) and Lang Pham v. Delta Petroleum Co., Inc., 503 So.2d 149 (La.App. 5th Cir.1987). See also, Austin v. Howard Discount Stores, 569 So.2d 659 at 664, n. 4 (La.App.2d Cir.1990).

We will commence with a discussion of the provisions providing for permanent partial disability compensation because that is what the employer contends is applicable to Bradley. Following that discussion we consider the provision for temporary total disability. As we conclude that the evidence shows compensation under the temporary total disability provisions must be limited, at least to the point when Bradley began earning some income, we must consider the possible applicability of supplemental earnings benefits. Our considerations lead us to conclude that this case must be remanded for the purpose of gathering further evidence before a decision can be made as to the proper choice of benefits.

PERMANENT PARTIAL DISABILITY

We agree with appellant's contention that Bradley qualifies for permanent partial disability benefits under LSA-R.S. 23:1221(4)(e) and (m), which are set forth below:

"(4) Permanent partial disability. In the following cases, compensation shall be solely for anatomical loss of use or amputation and shall be as follows:
* * * * * *
"(e) For the loss of a hand, sixty-six and two-thirds percent of wages during one hundred fifty weeks.
* * * * * *
"(m) Amputation between the elbow and the wrist shall be considered as equivalent to the loss of a hand and amputation between the knee and the ankle shall be equivalent to the loss of a foot."

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
625 So. 2d 591, 1993 La. App. LEXIS 2961, 1993 WL 394620, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bradley-v-arnold-lege-alligator-farm-lactapp-1993.