Zbytniuk v. Abf Freight Sys.

CourtNorth Carolina Industrial Commission
DecidedSeptember 23, 2003
DocketI.C. NO. 844352
StatusPublished

This text of Zbytniuk v. Abf Freight Sys. (Zbytniuk v. Abf Freight Sys.) 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
Zbytniuk v. Abf Freight Sys., (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 Glenn and the briefs and arguments of the parties. The appealing party has not shown good ground to reconsider the evidence, rehear the parties or their representatives or amend the Opinion and Award, except for modifications regarding temporary partial disability compensation and sanctions.

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The Full Commission finds as facts and concludes as matters of law the following, which were entered into by the parties at the hearing and following, and in a Pre-Trial Agreement admitted into evidence as

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

2. At all times relevant to this claim, an employer-employee relationship existed between Daniel Zbytniuk and ABF Freight Systems, Inc. (formerly Cardinal Freight Carriers).

3. Plaintiff sustained an injury by accident on May 13, 1997 while in the course and scope of his employment with defendant-employer.

4. On May 13, 1997, the average weekly wage of the plaintiff was $852.92, yielding a compensation rate of $512.00 per week.

5. Pursuant to a Form 21 executed by the parties on June 25, 1998, temporary total disability benefits were paid to the plaintiff from June 13, 1997 through September 17, 1997.

6. The entire contents of the North Carolina Industrial Commission file are entered into evidence, specifically including, but not limited to, all completed North Carolina Industrial Commission forms, without further identification or proof.

7. The parties stipulated into evidence plaintiff's medical records including medical records from the following: Pinehurst Surgical Clinic; Moore Regional Hospital, Pinehurst Rehabilitation Center; Mark E. Brenner, M.D.; Sandhills Center for Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, Substance Abuse Services; John Umstead Hospital; Pinehurst Neurology; First Health Pain Management Clinic; David H. Williams, Ph.D; First Health Family Care Center; First Health of the Carolinas Behavioral Unit; David Ruck, M.D.; Duke University Medical Center; Dr. Laurence Higgins.

8. At all relevant times herein, defendant-employer was an approved self-insured for workers' compensation.

9. The depositions and records of David Harold Williams, Ph.D., Verne G. Schmickley, Ph.D. and Dr. Mark E. Brenner have been received into evidence.

10. The issues for decision by the Commission at this time are whether the plaintiff's current conditions are related to his original compensable injury and to what further benefits and/or medical treatment plaintiff is entitled as a result of his May 13, 1997 compensable injury.

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Based upon all the competent evidence of record, the Full Commission makes the following:

FINDINGS OF FACT
1. At the time of the hearing before the deputy commissioner, plaintiff was a 41-year old male. Plaintiff's educational background consists of a GED, a partial semester of college level courses, and a certificate from truck driving school. Plaintiff has been working full-time as a long haul truck driver since the age of twenty-one up until the date of the injury on May 13, 1997, at which time he was almost 37 years old.

2. Plaintiff began working for defendant-employer on January 9, 1992 as a long haul truck driver.

3. On May 13, 1997, plaintiff sustained a compensable injury to his right knee arising out of and in the course of his employment with the defendant-employer while removing a pin from the bed of one of his trucks in Atlanta, Georgia. Prior to May 13, 1997, plaintiff had no history of significant right knee or psychological problems.

4. Although in pain, plaintiff was able to drive back to North Carolina following the accident. Plaintiff initially sought treatment at the Moore Regional Hospital Emergency Department. On May 26, 1997, plaintiff presented to Ward S. Oakley, M.D. After attempts at conservative treatment failed, Dr. Oakley performed arthroscopic knee surgery on June 19, 1997, when he determined that plaintiff did not have a medial meniscus tear, but diagnosed patellar chondromylacia of the right knee.

5. As a result of his knee problems, plaintiff was unable to work during the period from June 17, 1997 to September 17, 1997, during which time plaintiff was paid temporary total disability compensation pursuant to a Form 21 agreement. Then he was released to return to work without restrictions. Plaintiff in fact returned to work for defendant-employer on September 17, 1997. Thereafter, Dr. Oakley rated plaintiff as having a 5% permanent partial disability of the right leg and pursuant to a Form 26 defendant paid plaintiff compensation for the 5% permanent partial disability of his right knee.

6. Plaintiff returned to work and continued to work in his same pre-injury job at the same pre-injury wages for five months from September 17, 1997 until February 27, 1998 when he voluntarily quit. Plaintiff left defendant-employer to begin work for Ronnie Ring Pinestraw in March 1998 where he continued to work through the remaining ten months of 1998, and all of 1999, except for two months and until late October 2000. Plaintiff's job at Ronnie Ring Pinestraw was essentially the same as his pre-injury job. Plaintiff drove tractor-trailer trucks of varying sizes for four to five hours a day. He also maintained the trucks and worked in the office.

7. Following the administration of a series of cortisone shots, plaintiff was referred in March 1999 by Dr. Oakley to Mark Brenner, M.D., plaintiff's current authorized treating physician. Following a period of conservative treatment during which time plaintiff's complaints of pain continued, Dr. Brenner recommended a second arthroscopic right knee surgery to remove softened cartilage behind plaintiff's kneecap and to treat synovitis in the knee.

8. The second arthroscopic knee surgery, which was necessitated because of the compensable knee injury, was performed by Dr. Brenner on August 2, 1999. As a consequence of surgery, plaintiff was unable to work and earn wages from July 19, 1999 until September 13, 1999, at which time, Dr. Brenner released plaintiff to return to full duty work with no restrictions. In fact, plaintiff immediately returned to work for Ronnie Ring Pinestraw.

9. In December 1999, plaintiff also began working for Pate Derby Trucking in addition to continuing his employment with Ronnie Ring Pinestraw working a total of sixteen hours a day. Plaintiff worked for Pate Derby Trucking until March 2000 when he left for reasons unrelated to his knee.

10. From August 30, 1999, when plaintiff last saw Dr. Brenner, until May 3, 2000 plaintiff did not seek medical treatment for his right knee pain. However, plaintiff returned to Dr. Brenner on May 3, 2000 because after an initial period of improvement he was continuing to have right knee pain. At this time, Dr. Brenner agreed that plaintiff's knee condition was deteriorating. At his deposition in February 27, 2002, Dr. Brenner issued in retrospect plaintiff an increased permanent partial rating of 12% of the leg. He also stated that he would have imposed restrictions at that time if he had been asked. However, these restrictions were given in hindsight and are not consistent with contemporaneous medical records as well as plaintiff's activities.

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Zbytniuk v. Abf Freight Sys., Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/zbytniuk-v-abf-freight-sys-ncworkcompcom-2003.