Judy Ann Walker v. Kingston Warren Corporation and Hartford Casualty Insurance Company

This workers' compensation appeal has been referred to the Special Workers' Compensation Appeals Panel of the Supreme Court in accordance with Tenn. Code Ann. _ 5-6-225(e)(3) for hearing and reporting to the Supreme Court of findings of fact and conclusions of law. The trial court awarded plaintiff, Judy Ann Walker, 56% permanent disability benefits to the body as a whole. In ruling on the issues, the court found plaintiff had sustained two ruptured discs and held the first injury was compensable but the second injury was not work-related. The employer, Kingston Warren Corporation, has appealed insisting the trial court was in error in holding the first ruptured disc was work-related and also raising a notice question regarding the first injury. The employee also appeals arguing the award for the first injury should be increased and that the second injury was work-related. We have carefully examined the record and must conclude the evidence does not preponderate against the findings of the trial court. Plaintiff was 5 years of age and had been working for Kingston several years. She was assigned to new work duties about two weeks before the day in question. The new job required her to operate a molding machine. She stated the machine was new and it was difficult to open and close and it involved a great deal of movement of her arms to operate it correctly. She testified that on Friday, April 26, 1996, while working at the machine, she began to experience pain in her back; she started perspiring and became nauseated. She testified she finished the work shift and was not feeling any better as she left work; that she thought she had a kidney infection as she had these same symptoms before with an infection of this nature. Plaintiff testified that upon reaching her home, she could not get out of the car and she sounded the horn until her husband came out and assisted her into the house. At this time she said she was having severe muscle spasm along with back and leg pain. On Monday, April 29, 1996, she stated she called the company nurse and told her she was sick and that she had started having a backache at work but thought she just had a kidney infection. Sometime later she applied for short- term disability insurance benefits and indicated on the application the event was not work- related. 2