Byerly v. Ppg Industries

CourtNorth Carolina Industrial Commission
DecidedAugust 27, 2003
DocketI.C. NOS. 139563 875077
StatusPublished

This text of Byerly v. Ppg Industries (Byerly v. Ppg Industries) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering North Carolina Industrial Commission primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Byerly v. Ppg Industries, (N.C. Super. Ct. 2003).

Opinion

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The undersigned have reviewed the prior Opinion and Award based upon the record of the proceedings before Deputy Commissioner Taylor. The appealing party has not shown good grounds to reconsider the evidence, receive further evidence, rehear the parties or their representatives, or amend the Opinion and Award except for minor modifications; therefore, the Full Commission AFFIRMS the Opinion and Award of the Deputy Commissioner.

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The Full Commission finds as fact and concludes as matters of law the following which were entered into by the parties in a Pre-Trial Agreement and at the hearing before the Deputy Commissioner as:

STIPULATIONS
1. The Industrial Commission has jurisdiction over the subject matter of this case, the parties are properly before the Commission and the parties were subject to and bound by the provisions of the North Carolina Workers' Compensation Act at all relevant times.

2. Defendant-employer was self-insured with Key Risk Management Services, Inc., serving as its third-party administrator.

3. An employer-employee relationship existed as of May 24, 1998 at the time plaintiff injured his neck and left arm. Defendant accepted liability for plaintiff's neck and left arm in I.C. File No. 875007 pursuant to a Form 60.

4. Plaintiff contends he suffered an injury by accident to his left foot and filed a claim under I.C. File No. 139563. Defendant has denied liability for this left foot injury. These matters were consolidated for decision at the deputy commissioner hearing.

5. Plaintiff's average weekly wage is $530.56.

6. The parties stipulated into evidence as Stipulated Exhibit 1, a packet of medical records.

7. The depositions of Dr. Walton Curl, Dr. Stephen Hsieh, Dr. A. Ritchie Lewis, Dr. Thomas S. Meloy, Dr. Alfred Rhyne, and Ms. Margie Trent, P.A. are a part of the evidentiary record in this case.

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Based on the evidence of record and the findings of fact found by the Deputy Commissioner, the Full Commission finds as follows:

FINDINGS OF FACT
1. At the time of the deputy commissioner hearing in this matter, plaintiff was thirty-six years old. Plaintiff has obtained a GED. Prior to working for defendant-employer, plaintiff was a case handler for approximately two years. Plaintiff then went to work for defendant-employer in 1984, but was laid off in 1985. Plaintiff returned to work with defendant-employer in 1985 as a rack stripper, a creeler, a glass winder, and a sliver handler. In 1995, plaintiff transferred to the buff shop. Plaintiff also worked in bobbin salvage and as a forklift and pallet jack operator.

2. On May 24, 1998, while working in the buff shop, plaintiff began to feel soreness in his shoulders and noticed some swelling. Plaintiff was restricted to no use of his left shoulder and arm until he could be seen by Dr. Hunter Strader, PPG's company physician.

3. Plaintiff saw Dr. Strader on June 9, 1998, complaining of left trapezius pain. On this date, plaintiff told Dr. Strader that there was nothing unusual about his work the day he began to suffer left shoulder and left trapezius pain. Plaintiff made no left foot pain complaints at this visit.

4. After plaintiff continued to experience pain, Dr. Strader referred plaintiff to Dr. Karl Bolstad in June 1998. Dr. Bolstad did not believe plaintiff's back pain was a workers' compensation problem, but thought plaintiff might be suffering from some type of muscle spasm.

5. Defendant accepted plaintiff's left shoulder and neck claim on a Form 60, Employer's Admission of Employee's Right to Compensation. Plaintiff remained at work, but was instructed not to continue to perform buffing as of June 1998. Over the next several months, plaintiff remained in the buff shop but was not performing any type of buffing, which would ordinarily require plaintiff to lean into a standing buffer to polish various pieces of equipment.

6. Plaintiff saw Dr. Christopher Nagy from June 30, 1998 through November 1998. Plaintiff complained of left foot pain to Dr. Nagy. Plaintiff saw Dr. Strader at PPG during this same time period yet did not list any complaint of left foot pain to him or anyone else at PPG during this time period.

7. Dr. Nagy ordered an MRI of plaintiff's spine which revealed a disc spur at C6-7. Plaintiff's disc spur was not impinging on the disc and there was no disc herniation. Plaintiff was subsequently referred to Dr. John Wilson for a neurological evaluation. Meanwhile, plaintiff continued to remain at work.

8. On October 7, 1998, plaintiff presented to Dr. Wilson with full range of motion of his neck without any pain. Dr. Wilson assessed plaintiff with "muscular related pain without any clear evidence on MRI of any nerve root or neurostructural impairment." Dr. Wilson released plaintiff to return to work full duty.

9. Plaintiff continued to work in the buff shop without missing any time. On December 8, 1998, plaintiff saw his family physician, Dr. Randy Long. Plaintiff told Dr. Long that he had experienced foot pain "for the last two months." Based upon this report, the genesis of plaintiff's foot pain began in October 1998, four months after he had last performed any buffing in the buff shop.

10. Plaintiff was referred to the Rowan Regional Medical Center for a trigger point injection by Dr. Kevin Speight. The injection failed to provide plaintiff with any relief. Plaintiff was then referred to physical therapy. Plaintiff continued to work at PPG throughout his treatment with Dr. Speight.

11. In an effort to evaluate plaintiff's continued pain complaints, PPG referred plaintiff for a functional capacity evaluation. The FCE of plaintiff revealed possible symptom magnification and disability exaggeration behaviors. The FCE also indicated plaintiff gave "a very poor effort not necessarily related to pain." Plaintiff was then placed in the sliver handler position, something which plaintiff believed he could perform.

12. In August 1999, plaintiff's pain complaints continued and he was referred to the Functional Restoration Program at Wake Forest University Baptist Hospital. Plaintiff verbalized a great deal of anger and distrust during his program interview. Plaintiff gave complaints of left hand and arm pain that increased with use, but did not mention his left foot or any pain associated with the foot. During the rehabilitation interview, plaintiff expressed distrust of the medical system and of physical therapy in general. Plaintiff refused to discontinue any medication if accepted into the program. Plaintiff indicated he would not lift more than he felt comfortable during any testing to be done. As a result of these positions, plaintiff was denied admittance into the program.

13. Plaintiff continued to complain that something had to be wrong with him, despite the lack of objective findings and despite the fact that he had lost no time from work. Plaintiff requested a second opinion and was referred to Dr. Walton Curl in November 1999. For the first time, plaintiff complained to a physician that he had injured not only his neck in May 1998, but his left foot as well. Dr. Curl diagnosed plaintiff with a "chronic cervical strain." There was no evidence of muscle spasms in November 1999 when plaintiff saw Dr. Curl.

14. Dr. Curl again referred plaintiff to the functional restoration program at Baptist Hospital. Plaintiff saw Dr. Spillman, who noted that plaintiff was "angry with his employer" and "demonstrated" resistance to compliance with the program. For instance, plaintiff refused to sign any forms.

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Bluebook (online)
Byerly v. Ppg Industries, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/byerly-v-ppg-industries-ncworkcompcom-2003.