Crisp v. Southco., Inc.

738 S.E.2d 835, 401 S.C. 627, 2013 WL 812505, 2013 S.C. LEXIS 32
CourtSupreme Court of South Carolina
DecidedMarch 6, 2013
DocketAppellate Case No. 2010-180906; No. 27230
StatusPublished
Cited by22 cases

This text of 738 S.E.2d 835 (Crisp v. Southco., Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of South Carolina primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Crisp v. Southco., Inc., 738 S.E.2d 835, 401 S.C. 627, 2013 WL 812505, 2013 S.C. LEXIS 32 (S.C. 2013).

Opinions

Chief Justice TOAL.

Michael D. Crisp (Petitioner) petitioned this Court for a writ of certiorari to review the court of appeals’ decision reversing the circuit court’s finding that the Appellate Panel of the Workers’ Compensation Commission (the Commission) [631]*631erroneously determined that Petitioner suffered a compensable brain injury and physical brain damage as a result of an injury by accident while working for Respondent SouthCo., Incorporated (Employer). We reverse the decision of the court of appeals, and remand this action to the Commission for further consideration of whether Petitioner sustained physical brain damage, as contemplated under section 42-9-10(c) of the Workers’ Compensation Act (the Act), which would entitle him to benefits for life.

Facts/Procedural Background

Petitioner1 worked for Employer hydra-seeding grass and performing odd construction jobs. On March 10, 2004, Petitioner and other workers were installing silt fencing to combat ground erosion. This task involved installing fence poles into the ground using the bucket of a Bobcat earthmover. On this particular day, Petitioner was holding a pole while another worker operated the Bobcat. As Petitioner bent down to reach for a pole, the bucket of the Bobcat fell on Petitioner, covering him.2 Petitioner stated he remembered running towards a truck at the jobsite, noticing that his right hand was broken and bleeding. Petitioner’s co-workers also alerted him to a gash on the back of his head that was also bleeding. Petitioner was taken to the emergency room.

At the emergency room, Petitioner was treated for abrasions and bruises to the back of the head and neck and a complex fracture in his right hand. There is no mention of a brain injury in Petitioner’s hospital records.

Petitioner required surgery to his right hand. Orthopedist James Essman performed the surgery and continued to treat Petitioner’s hand injury. Dr. Essman’s notes do not reflect any post-operative complaints regarding any brain injury or symptoms.3

[632]*632On March 23, 2004, Petitioner was treated for back pain, neck pain, and nausea by his family doctor, Dr. Hunter Leigh. Dr. Leigh noted that Petitioner complained of “headaches.” On April 16, 2004, Dr. John Klekamp, an orthopedic surgeon, also evaluated Petitioner and diagnosed him with cervical strain, lumbar strain, and a fracture of the right hand. At his appointment on June 6, 2004, Dr. Klekamp noted that Petitioner was “neurologically intact,” but, in his notes following a July 7, 2004, appointment, stated Petitioner still suffered from “intermittent headaches.”

On August 12, September 2, and September 23, 2004, Dr. Kevin Kopera, a physician with the Center for Health and Occupational Evaluation, evaluated Petitioner and diagnosed him with chronic cervical strain, chronic lumbar strain, and a broken right hand. During the course of his evaluation, Dr. Kopera noted that Petitioner had “no cognitive deficits.” However, after treating him on September 23, 2004, Dr. Kopera noted,

One issue raised was [Petitioner] continues to have headaches .... [Petitioner’s] wife questioned why he has not undergone MRI imaging of his head due to his persistent headaches. He did sustain a blow to the head in terms of his work injury and I guess this was not considered by prior evaluating physicians and we discussed this at some length today.

Therefore, Dr. Kopera diagnosed Petitioner with chronic cervical strain, chronic lumbar strain, and chronic headaches. In addition, Dr. Kopera stated “[Petitioner] appears neurologically intact but due to his persistent headaches it may be prudent to obtain an MRI scan of the brain to complete a thorough evaluation.” The MRI scan of Petitioner’s brain showed no abnormalities. After completing a Functional Capacity Evaluation, Dr. Kopera released Petitioner to return to work with restrictions, and noted Petitioner “reported] feeling de[633]*633pressed related to his current condition and this will take some adjustment.”4

On April 12-13, 2005, Dr. Moss, a clinical psychologist, performed a neuropsychological evaluation on Petitioner at the request of Petitioner’s attorney. Dr. Moss noted:

On the basis of the current examination, there are clear indications of deficits in verbal memory, attention, problem solving, and inhibition tied to his work injury. There are indications that he has likely experienced personality changes as a result of his injury ... [Petitioner] is experiencing psychological distress from his injuries as well. The exacerbation of obsessive-compulsive tendencies can also be associated with brain injuries involving the orbito-frontal area. This is often affected in head injury cases due to the irregular shape of the skull and olfaction is often affected since the olfactory bulbs are there. The current findings would be consistent with a frontal lobe injury.

Based on his examination, Dr. Moss diagnosed Petitioner with Cognitive Disorder [not otherwise specified], probable personality change due to head injury, obsessive compulsive disorder, traumatic brain injury, and poly-substance abuse5 in full sustained remission. Dr. Moss further opined that Petitioner could benefit from a brain injury program.

On May 24, 2006, Dr. Thomas Collings, a neurologist, conducted an independent medical evaluation on Petitioner. Dr. Collings diagnosed Petitioner with a traumatic brain injury/closed head injury, defining a closed head injury as “trauma to the brain in a global way as opposed to ... a focal area of the brain ... causing] symptoms in ... higher competent motions.” Based on his in-office examination of Petitioner, Dr. Collings expressed some reservation with regard to his [634]*634diagnosis, but he stated that the neuropsychological examination was the “best information to support that there’s ... significant change between this pre-and-post condition,” as it was a better indicator of brain injury than his office examination. Dr. Collings also expressed some hesitation in his diagnosis with respect to Petitioner’s headaches, testifying that he would have difficulty finding any evidence to support a finding of physical brain injury had he not relied on Dr. Moss’s findings. However, Dr. Collings ultimately concluded that Petitioner sustained a brain injury.

On November 15 and 28, 2005, Dr. David Price, a clinical psychologist, conducted a neuropsychological evaluation on Petitioner at the request of defense counsel. Dr. Price opined that Petitioner did not sustain a traumatic brain injury nor was there any objective medical evidence of a brain abnormality, such as an abnormal CT scan, MRI, or EEG. Dr. Price diagnosed Petitioner with pain disorder associated with psychological factors and a general medical condition, adjustment disorder with depressed mood, obsessive compulsive disorder, antisocial personality disorder, partner relational problem, and phase of life problem.

On March 6, 2006, nearly two years after his injury, Dr. Moss opined that Petitioner “sustained physical brain damage as a result of his work injury of [sic] March 10, 2004.”

At his deposition, Petitioner testified he began experiencing problems with his memory and difficulties mentally processing information, concentrating on more than one task, and keeping up with daily tasks in January 2005.6

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
738 S.E.2d 835, 401 S.C. 627, 2013 WL 812505, 2013 S.C. LEXIS 32, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/crisp-v-southco-inc-sc-2013.