Randall v. Pee Dee Electric Membership Corp.

CourtNorth Carolina Industrial Commission
DecidedOctober 12, 2011
DocketI.C. NO. 073445.
StatusPublished

This text of Randall v. Pee Dee Electric Membership Corp. (Randall v. Pee Dee Electric Membership Corp.) 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
Randall v. Pee Dee Electric Membership Corp., (N.C. Super. Ct. 2011).

Opinion

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The Full Commission has reviewed the prior Opinion and Award based upon the record of the proceedings before Deputy Commissioner Baddour and the briefs and oral arguments before the Full Commission. Regarding their appeal, defendants have not shown good ground to reconsider the evidence, receive further evidence, rehear the parties or their representatives, or amend the prior Opinion and Award. Regarding his appeal, plaintiff has in part shown good grounds to reconsider the evidence. Accordingly, the Full Commission MODIFIES IN PART the Opinion and Award of the Deputy Commissioner and enters the following Opinion and Award.

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ISSUES TO BE DETERMINED
1. Whether plaintiff is entitled to additional medical treatment for his compensable back and left leg conditions?

2. Whether plaintiff's psychological condition is compensable?

3. To what additional indemnity compensation, if any, is plaintiff entitled?

4. Whether plaintiff is entitled to attorney's fees pursuant to N.C. Gen. Stat. § 97-88.1.?

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DEPOSITIONS
1. The deposition of Dr. Joseph R. Mazzaglia has been admitted into the record.

2. The deposition of Dr. Alfred L. Rhyne, III has been admitted into the record.

3. The deposition of Dr. Karla de Beck has been admitted into the record.

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EXHIBITS
1. A Pre-Trial Agreement, which was admitted into the record and marked as Stipulated Exhibit (1).

2. An Indexed Set of Paginated Exhibits, which was admitted into the record and marked as Stipulated Exhibit (2).

3. Plaintiff's Performance Reviews, which were admitted into the record and collectively marked as Defendants' Exhibit (1).

4. Time Line and Notes created by Ms. Kim Williams, which were admitted into the record and collectively marked as Defendants' Exhibit (2). *Page 3

5. Payroll Records, which were admitted into the record and collectively marked as Defendants' Exhibit (3).

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The undersigned finds as fact and concludes as matters of law the following, which were entered into by the parties as:

STIPULATIONS
1. All parties are properly before the Industrial Commission, and the Industrial Commission has jurisdiction of the parties and of the subject matter.

2. All parties are subject to and bound by the North Carolina Workers' Compensation Act.

3. All parties have been properly designated and there is no question as to misjoinder or nonjoinder of parties.

4. The Carrier on the risk is Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company.

5. Plaintiff sustained an admittedly compensable injury by accident on 10 August 1990 arising out of and in the course and scope of his employment.

6. An employment relationship existed between plaintiff-employee and defendant-employer on 10 August 1990.

7. Plaintiff's average weekly wage is $496.53, yielding a compensation rate of $331.04.

8. An Opinion and Award was entered by Deputy Commissioner Kim Ledford [formerly Cramer] on 27 June 2001.

9. An Order of Consent Amendment to the Opinion and Award was entered by Deputy Commissioner Ledford on 21 December 2006. *Page 4

10. Plaintiff filed an Industrial Commission Form 33 Request for Hearing on 31 July 2009 citing "Defendants have refused to pay for medical treatment pay for TTD benefits effective 21 March 2008 where Plaintiff is totally permanently disabled as a result of a burn amputation."

11. Defendants filed an Industrial Commission Form 33R on 4 August 2009 citing "The parties are unable to agree as to whether Plaintiff is entitled to wage loss benefits for his compensable injuries unrelated to his psychological condition which Plaintiff alleges is causally related to such injuries."

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Based upon the foregoing Stipulations, and the preponderance of the evidence in view of the entire record, the Full Commission enters the following:

FINDINGS OF FACT
1. As of the date of the hearing before the Full Commission, plaintiff was forty-six (46) years of age with his date of birth being 13 April 1965. Plaintiff is a high school graduate.

2. Plaintiff began working for defendant-employer as a lineman on 6 February 1985 when he was nineteen (19) years of age. In that capacity, plaintiff's duties included setting poles, framing poles, changing out poles and hanging transformers.

3. On 10 August 1990, plaintiff sustained an admittedly compensable injury by accident arising out of and in the course of his employment with defendant-employer when his left shoulder touched a live power line. Following his injury plaintiff was transported by EMS to Anson Community Hospital. From there, plaintiff was then transported to the North Carolina Jaycee Burn Center. *Page 5

4. Touching the live wire caused plaintiff's shirt to catch fire and burn over twenty-seven percent of his body. Plaintiff underwent multiple surgeries, including the amputation of his right leg above the knee and various debridement procedures to his left shoulder, his right leg and his right groin. Plaintiff was discharged just over a month after being admitted to the Burn Center and was then referred to Carolinas Rehabilitation in Charlotte to be fitted with a prosthetic leg.

5. Plaintiff underwent a Functional Capacity Evaluation, or FCE, on 17 April 1991 and demonstrated the ability to work at a medium-duty level. Additionally, it was noted that plaintiff put forth a maximal effort during the evaluation. It was also noted that plaintiff was unable to return to his former position with defendant-employer as a lineman. Dr. H. D. Peterson, Director of the Burn Center and Professor of Surgery, advised that plaintiff would be limited in his mobility and heavy lifting because of his injuries, and would not be able to climb poles. Nevertheless, plaintiff was initially allowed to attempt a trial return to work for defendant-employer in June 1991.

6. At hearing, Ms. Kim Williams testified on behalf of defendant-employer. Ms. Williams has been employed by defendant-employer for twenty-three (23) years and has been the director of human resources since 1994. Ms. Williams was aware of plaintiff's physical and work restrictions from the time he first returned to work in November 1991. When he did so, plaintiff initially returned as an assistant crew leader, which is similar to being a lineman. That job has heavy lifting requirements associated with it, at times requiring a worker to lift fifty to one hundred (50-100) pounds. As such, the assistant crew leader job was outside of plaintiff's FCE restrictions. However, plaintiff clearly wanted to continue to work as a lineman, and defendant-employer made modifications to the job in order to assist plaintiff in this regard. *Page 6

7. On 8 October 1991, Dr. Peterson wrote defendant-carrier in response to its inquiry as to whether plaintiff's care should be transferred to Charlotte and whether plaintiff had reached maximum medical improvement. In his correspondence of that date, Dr.

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Bluebook (online)
Randall v. Pee Dee Electric Membership Corp., Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/randall-v-pee-dee-electric-membership-corp-ncworkcompcom-2011.