Lynch v. Crane

CourtNorth Carolina Industrial Commission
DecidedNovember 4, 2008
DocketI.C. NO. 533424.
StatusPublished

This text of Lynch v. Crane (Lynch v. Crane) 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
Lynch v. Crane, (N.C. Super. Ct. 2008).

Opinions

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Upon review of the competent evidence of record, with reference to the errors assigned, and finding good grounds to receive further evidence, the Full Commission, upon reconsideration of the evidence, reverses the Opinion and Award of the Deputy Commissioner, and enters the following Opinion and Award.

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PLAINTIFF'S MOTION TO STRIKE DEFENDANT-APPELLEE'S BRIEF
Prior to the hearing of this matter before the Full Commission, Plaintiff filed a Motion seeking to strike from the record the Full Commission brief submitted by counsel for Taylor *Page 2 Crane, Inc. and St. Paul Travelers (hereinafter referred to as "Defendants"), for failure to file Defendants' Full Commission brief within 25 days of service of Plaintiff's brief, pursuant to North Carolina Industrial Commission Rule 701(4). After careful consideration of the written and oral arguments of counsel, Plaintiff's Motion is hereby DENIED.

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The Full Commission finds as fact and concludes as matters of law the following, which the parties entered into in their Pre-trial Agreement and at the hearing as:

STIPULATIONS
1. The parties are properly before the North Carolina Industrial Commission, and the North Carolina Industrial Commission has jurisdiction of the parties and of the subject matter of these proceedings. The parties are subject to the North Carolina Workers' Compensation Act. The parties are correctly designated, and there is no question as to the mis-joinder or the non-joinder of any party.

2. An employment relationship existed between the parties at all times relevant to these proceedings.

3. St. Paul Travelers (hereinafter referred to as "Defendant-Carrier") provided workers' compensation insurance coverage for Taylor Crane, Inc. (hereinafter referred to as "Defendant-Employer") at all times relevant to these proceedings.

4. Plaintiff's average weekly wage is $293.23, yielding a compensation rate of $195.50 per week.

5. The parties stipulated that all Industrial Commission forms and filings, motions, and associated exhibits, heretofore filed in this case, are admitted into evidence in this matter.

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ISSUES
The issues for determination are:

1. Whether Plaintiff sustained a compensable injury by accident, as defined by the North Carolina Workers' Compensation Act?

2. Whether Plaintiffs are entitled to benefits under the North Carolina Workers' Compensation Act?

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Based upon the competent and the credible evidence of record, as well as any reasonable inferences that may be drawn therefrom, the Full Commission makes the following:

FINDINGS OF FACT
1. At the time of the hearing before the Deputy Commissioner, Plaintiff was 42 years old. He began working for Defendant-Employer in June 2004 as a general laborer. Defendant-Employer is in the steel erecting business. Plaintiff's job duties generally consisted of setting steel columns, bolting beams, landing bar joists, placing stick bridging into bar joist during welding, and the like.

2. On December 28, 2004, Plaintiff and his co-worker, Mr. Nathan Claude Hall, were working on top of a steel frame building at Bemis Industries in Lenoir, North Carolina installing steel skylight frames. Plaintiff was working approximately 50 feet off of the ground. He was wearing a hard hat, but he did not tie himself off with a lanyard and safety lines. Plaintiff would generally position the steel frame while sitting on the bar joist, with his legs wrapped around the bar joist, as well as in the steel webbing underneath.

3. Plaintiff and Mr. Hall previously installed some skylight frames on the Bemis site, and were waiting for the crane operator to swing the crane arm with a skylight opening over to *Page 4 them, so that they could position it. At the time, the crane was in a blind spot, such that the crane operator, Mr. Dale Von Jackson, could not see the position of Plaintiff in relation to the steel frame being held by the crane. As the steel frame was being lowered, Plaintiff noticed that it was being lowered above his head and Mr. Hall's head. When the steel frame stopped approximately six (6) inches above Plaintiff's head, he attempted to get the radio operator, Mr. Darryl Lee Poor, to communicate to the crane operator, Mr. Jackson, to boom the crane up so that the load would not come down on his head or on Mr. Hall's head. Mr. Poor did not comply with Plaintiff's request, even after several requests. Plaintiff then heard the crane "rev" up, and within seconds, the crane lowered the steel frame onto Plaintiff's head. The steel frame remained on Plaintiff's head, pushing him downward and backward, at the same time, for approximately 15 to 20 seconds. While the beam was on Plaintiff's head, he felt what he described as "crunching" and "squishing" sounds in his neck, as well as pain in his neck. Plaintiff estimated the weight of the steel frame to be approximately 100 pounds to 150 pounds, not including the weight of the crane's cable and ball. Plaintiff was unable to move from his position, and so he attempted to push the steel frame away with his hand, since he was afraid that the frame would fall onto his lap, or onto Mr. Hall or Mr. Poor.

4. Eventually, Plaintiff was able to push the steel frame off of him. After Plaintiff and his co-workers lowered the steel frame into place, Plaintiff came down off of the roof. He told his supervisor, which was the crane operator, Mr. Jackson, what happened, but did not inquire about filing an accident report at the time.

5. Mr. Hall was the only other employee working on top of the building frame with Plaintiff on December 28, 2004. Mr. Hall was sitting on the same steel frame as Plaintiff, between nine (9) and 10 feet away from Plaintiff, facing him. At the time of Plaintiff's work *Page 5 accident, Mr. Hall testified that he knew the steel frame that the crane was holding above his head and Plaintiff's head was coming nearer to them because he heard the crane "rev." As such, Mr. Hall was looking at the steel frame that the crane was holding, but was also pulling his welding lead over at the same time, so that as soon as the frame landed he could weld it down. When Mr. Hall heard Plaintiff say, "[w]hoa, whoa, whoa, boom up, boom up . . . ," he looked directly at Plaintiff, and observed the steel frame that the crane was holding jerk a little bit as Plaintiff pushed it off of him. Mr. Hall saw the steel frame a split second after Plaintiff pushed it off of his head. Mr. Hall further testified that the description of the accident that Plaintiff gave was accurate, based upon what he observed. About 10 minutes after the accident, Mr. Hall and Plaintiff went on a break, at which time Plaintiff told Mr. Hall that he felt like he "strained a muscle in his neck . . . "as a result of the "accident with the roof frame," that just occurred.

6. Although Defendants produced witnesses who testified that they did not observe Plaintiff's head make contact with the steel frame that the crane was holding, this testimony does not mean that the accident did not, in fact, occur, as Plaintiff and Mr. Hall stated that it did.

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Bluebook (online)
Lynch v. Crane, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lynch-v-crane-ncworkcompcom-2008.