Locklear v. Liberty Life Insurance Company

CourtNorth Carolina Industrial Commission
DecidedJanuary 19, 1996
DocketI.C. No. 284988
StatusPublished

This text of Locklear v. Liberty Life Insurance Company (Locklear v. Liberty Life Insurance Company) 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
Locklear v. Liberty Life Insurance Company, (N.C. Super. Ct. 1996).

Opinion

The Full Commission finds as fact and concludes as matters of law the following, which were entered into by the parties in an Industrial Commission Form 21, Agreement for Compensation for Disability, approved by the Industrial Commission on 18 February 1993, in a Pre-Trial Agreement, and by post-hearing agreement as:

STIPULATIONS

1. On 25 November 1992, the date of plaintiff's injury, the parties were subject to and bound by the provisions of the North Carolina Workers' Compensation Act.

2. An employment relationship existed between plaintiff and defendant on 25 November 1992.

3. Defendant was a duly qualified self-insured employer.

4. On 25 November 1992, plaintiff sustained an injury by accident arising out of and in the course of his employment with defendant.

5. Plaintiff's average weekly wage was $403.00.

6. As a result of his injury by accident, plaintiff was temporarily totally disabled from 26 November 1992 through 3 March 1993. During this period of temporary total disability, plaintiff received compensation at the rate of $268.68 per week.

7. From 24 July 1992 until 25 November 1992, plaintiff earned gross wages totaling $8,137.95.

8. Copies Industrial Commission Forms 21, 22, and 24 are stipulated into evidence.

9. A set of medical records, discovery responses and copies on Industrial Commission forms, received by the Industrial Commission on 15 February 1995 and marked as plaintiff's Exhibits Numbers One through Fifteen, are stipulated into evidence.

10. Sets of plaintiff's medical records from Robeson County EMS, Southeastern General Hospital, Lumberton Surgical Associates, W.R. Caviness, D.D.S., Steven Fredette, D.D.S., S. Owen Smith, D.D.S., Pinehurst Surgical Clinic, Lumberton Chiropractic Center, Maxton Medical Services, Lumberton Radiological Associates, Moore Regional Hospital, and Scotland Memorial Hospital, received by the Industrial Commission on 12 June 1995, are stipulated into evidence.

11. A one page medical report from Dr. John Ellis, received by the Industrial Commission on 14 June 1995, is stipulated into evidence.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Based upon all of the competent evidence in the record, the Full Commission rejects the findings made by the Deputy Commissioner and makes the following:

FINDINGS OF FACT

1. At the time of the hearing, plaintiff was forty-six years old, married, and had a high school education. Plaintiff's work history included a variety of positions in the construction industry. In addition, he had worked as an insurance salesman from 20 September 1979 until 4 July 1986.

2. Plaintiff began working for defendant on 24 July 1992 as a life insurance salesman. In this position, plaintiff traveled in an automobile making door-to-door premium collections and life insurance policy sales. Plaintiff worked between eight and ten hours per day. Plaintiff spent approximately two hours per day in his office. The remainder of his work days was spent making door-to-door calls on existing and potential clients. Plaintiff made between twenty and thirty such calls each day.

3. On 25 November 1995, plaintiff sustained an injury by accident arising out of and in the course of his employment when he was involved in an automobile collision.

4. Plaintiff was transported by ambulance to Southeastern General Hospital in Lumberton, where he received treatment in the emergency room and was admitted for further care. Plaintiff's treating physician in the hospital was Dr. Fredrik Tolin, who diagnosed and treated multiple facial lacerations, left rib fractures of 5, 6 and 7, alveolar ridge fracture of the lower jaw, left bymalleolar fracture, non-displaced distal phalanx fracture of the right index finger and ankle fracture. Plaintiff also complained of back and left shoulder pain in the hospital, and he lost two teeth in the wreck. Plaintiff testified that he felt back pain on the date of the wreck and reported this to hospital personnel. The hospital records confirm that Mr. Locklear complained of back and shoulder pain on November 25 and 29.

5. During his hospitalization, Mr. Locklear was heavily medicated with Morphine, Percocet and Demerol for pain from his multiple injuries. He testified these medications helped alleviate his back pain. The back pain did not resolve itself as Plaintiff's other injuries began to heal, and he reported it to Dr. Fax, who was treating him for his fractured ankle, on January 6, 1993. Dr. Fax's testimony illustrates he was unaware of Plaintiff's prior back symptomatology as first reported in the hospital on the date of injury. Doctor Fax testified he did not read the nurses' notes, which is where back pain is documented in Plaintiff's hospital records. Doctor Fax further admitted he did not treat Mr. Locklear for his back symptoms and never even examined Plaintiff's back. Although Dr. Fax said in his deposition he thought it unlikely Plaintiff's back pain was associated with his work injury, he admitted his opinion might be different if there were complaints of back pain while Plaintiff was in the hospital. The doctor also testified the medications Plaintiff was taking might mask some of his pain.

6. After a six day hospital stay, Plaintiff was discharged and began treatment with Oral Surgeon Robert Caviness for closed reduction of fractures. Dr. Caviness began treatment of Mr. Locklear on December 1, 1992 by wiring his jaw closed. Mr. Locklear remained on a liquid diet for approximately seven weeks, until the wiring was removed on January 19, 1993.

7. Following his discharge from the hospital, Plaintiff was treated by Dr. Nicholas Fax for his broken ankle and fractured finger. Plaintiff mentioned his back pain to Dr. Fax during his second office visit with him on January 6, 1993. Dr. Fax did no physical examination of Plaintiff's back and said he did not think the pain resulted from the wreck. The doctor felt Plaintiff's back pain was related to previous back fractures. Dr. Fax released Plaintiff to return to work without restriction on February 3, 1993, despite Plaintiff's continued complaints of back pain and expressed fear of driving while on medications which made him drowsy.

8. Plaintiff discussed the opinions of Dr. Fax with his rehabilitation nurse and requested a second opinion evaluation on January 19, February 5 and February 9, 1993. Defendants denied authorization for the second opinion evaluation. Plaintiff also discussed his inability to return to work with his nurse, who told him Dr. Fax would need to evaluate him further but who was unable to secure approval for another evaluation from Defendants. Plaintiff also discussed the return to work order with Jimmy Adams, an employee of Defendant employer, and informed him he was unable to work. Shortly thereafter, Plaintiff was fired for failing to return to work, and a Form 24 was filed and approved.

9. Plaintiff continued with dental care, although the treatment eventually terminated when Dentists Smith and Fredette refused to abide by the Industrial Commission's fee schedule. Plaintiff was provided with some dental prosthetics, and he declined to have permanent implants.

10. Plaintiff continued to have back pain, and because he was unable to obtain approval for any treatment from Defendants he directed his own medical care. He first saw John Ellis, M.D, who diagnosed cervical and lumbar strains causally related to the work-related wreck of November 25, 1992. Dr. Ellis treated Plaintiff conservatively and recommended he return to work on April 14, 1993.

11. Following treatment with other providers, Dr.

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Bluebook (online)
Locklear v. Liberty Life Insurance Company, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/locklear-v-liberty-life-insurance-company-ncworkcompcom-1996.