Ogden, Shawn v. McMinnville Tool & Die, Inc. , 2017 TN WC 210 ( 2017 )


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  •       TENNESSEE BUREAU OF WORKERS’ COMPENSATION CLAIMS
    IN THE COURT OF WORKERS’ COMPENSATION CLAIMS
    AT MURFREESBORO
    SHAWN OGDEN,                                  ) Docket No. 2016-05-1093
    Employee,                             )
    v.                                            )
    )
    McMINNVILLE TOOL & DIE, INC.,                 ) State File No. 11323-2015
    Employer,                             )
    And                                           )
    )
    FEDERATED MUT. INS. CO.,                      ) Judge Dale Tipps
    Carrier.                              )
    COMPENSATION HEARING ORDER
    This matter came before the undersigned Workers’ Compensation Judge on
    November 2, 2017, for a Compensation Hearing. The central legal issue is whether Mr.
    Ogden’s October 1, 2016 fall was a direct and natural result of his compensable injury or
    whether it was the result of an independent, intervening cause. For the reasons set forth
    below, the Court holds that Mr. Ogden established by a preponderance of the evidence
    that his October 1 fall is compensable. Accordingly, the Court concludes Mr. Ogden is
    entitled to medical benefits and permanent total disability benefits for the injuries arising
    out of that fall.
    History of Claim
    Stipulations
    The parties stipulated to the following: Mr. Ogden suffered a compensable injury
    to his right arm at McMinnville Tool & Die, Inc. (MTD) in February 2015. He
    subsequently developed complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) in the injured arm.
    MTD accepted that condition as compensable and provided benefits. Dr. Jeffrey
    Hazlewood assigned Mr. Ogden a 15% permanent impairment rating to the body as a
    result of the February accident. MTD is responsible for providing future treatment for
    the CRPS pursuant to Tennessee Code Annotated section 50-6-204.
    1
    Although MTD disputed the compensability of Mr. Ogden’s subsequent fall on
    October 1, it has provided medical care from February 1, 2017, through the present,
    including Mr. Ogden’s continuing inpatient treatment at the Shepard Center in Atlanta.
    The parties agree there is a gap in medical benefits from October 1 through February 1,
    but MTD stipulated that in the event the accident is determined to be compensable, it
    would be responsible for paying for all related medical care under the Tennessee
    Workers’ Compensation Medical Fee Schedule.
    MTD has paid all temporary disability benefits to which Mr. Odgen is entitled and
    continues to pay weekly benefits at the stipulated compensation rate of $290.80.
    Finally, the parties agreed that, if the Court finds the October 1 accident
    compensable, Mr. Ogden is permanently and totally disabled.
    Shawn Ogden
    Mr. Ogden submitted a written statement and testified at trial. 1 Because of the
    severity of his CRPS, he elected to undergo implantation of a spinal cord stimulator. Dr.
    Hung Yu surgically implanted this device in Mr. Ogden’s cervical spine on August 31,
    2016. After a couple of weeks of recovery in his bed at home, Mr. Ogden began walking
    around his house and doing some light chores, such as loading the dishwasher and
    sweeping.
    On at least one occasion, Mr. Ogden’s right leg gave way while he was walking
    inside his house, causing him to fall against the washing machine. He told his doctors he
    was having some problems walking and requested a cane, which he never received. Mr.
    Ogden was supposed to begin physical therapy, but had not yet begun it at the time of his
    October 1 fall.
    While he recuperated, Mr. Ogden spent some part of each day in his garage where
    he kept a chair and television. One reason for this was that he smoked cigarettes but did
    not smoke in the house. Until October 1, he never had any difficulties navigating the
    three stair steps into the garage, which he did several times per day. Mr. Ogden was
    unable to use the railing when descending because it was on the same side as his injured
    right hand.
    Mr. Ogden was home alone on the evening of October 1. He went about his
    normal activities, including a few trips to the garage. As the evening progressed, Mr.
    Ogden began suffering increased pain in his neck. It became so severe that he decided to
    1
    Mr. Ogden participated in the hearing by telephone. Although the written statement was unsigned, the
    parties stipulated to its admissibility.
    2
    call his girlfriend, Misty Gibson, to ask her to come home from work. He went to get his
    cell phone from the garage.
    When Mr. Ogden got to the bottom step in the garage, his right leg gave way,
    causing him to fall. He vehemently denied ever passing out or losing consciousness.
    When Mr. Ogden fell, he landed on the step on his buttocks, and his head hit the wall
    next to the steps. He crawled to get the phone and took it back into the house. Once
    inside, Mr. Ogden tried to stand up but fell down again onto his backside. He managed to
    get into a chair and call Ms. Gibson. She called 9-1-1 when she got home, and the EMTs
    arrived soon after.
    Mr. Ogden told the EMTs that he fell and could not walk. He did not tell them he
    passed out. They transported him to Unity Medical Center. He did not recall any
    hospital personnel interviewing him, but they gave him medication and eventually sent
    for a helicopter to transport him to Vanderbilt Medical Center. He told the aircrew he fell
    but did not tell them he passed out or lost consciousness. Once Mr. Ogden arrived at
    Vanderbilt, a neurosurgeon performed surgery to remove the spinal cord stimulator.
    On cross-examination, Mr. Ogden admitted he became more unstable on his feet
    over time and his knee would sometimes “give out.” At the time he requested the cane
    on September 9, these episodes occurred approximately once per week.
    Misty Gibson
    Misty Gibson lived with Mr. Ogden, accompanied him on his medical
    appointments, and helped him comply with the doctors’ instructions and prescriptions.
    Following the surgery, Mr. Ogden would move about the house, going to the sunroom to
    let the dogs out or to the garage to smoke.
    On October 1, Mr. Ogden called and told Ms. Gibson he had fallen. When she got
    home, Ms. Gibson found Mr. Ogden sitting in a chair and unable to hold his head up or
    move his legs. When the EMTs arrived, Ms. Gibson heard Mr. Ogden tell them he had
    not passed out or lost consciousness. After Mr. Ogden arrived at Unity Medical Center
    Ms. Gibson described Mr. Ogden as “loopy” and “out of it,” perhaps because of the pain
    medicine he received there.
    Tammy Lehman
    Tammy Lehman was Mr. Ogden’s Nurse Case Manager. She confirmed Mr.
    Ogden complained of leg weakness and unsteadiness after the spinal cord stimulator and
    requested a cane. Ms. Lehman was unaware of any specific physical limitations imposed
    on Mr. Ogden by his doctors at the time of his fall.
    3
    Kristen Smith
    Kristen Smith was the flight nurse who took care of Mr. Ogden on his helicopter
    flight to Vanderbilt. She took a history directly from Mr. Ogden and noted he “sustained
    syncopal episodes x2 tonight at home in which he fell down a set of stairs . . . His family
    states immediately after the fall, he regained consciousness but was paralyzed from the
    waist down. Family and patient states this paralysis has never happened before tonight.”
    Ms. Smith denied copying this information from another source and said she took this
    history directly from Mr. Ogden and his girlfriend. She also testified Mr. Ogden was
    alert and oriented when she talked to him.2
    Hung Yu, M.D.
    Dr. Yu performed Mr. Ogden’s spinal cord stimulator implant surgery and treated
    him after his October 1 fall. She acknowledged Mr. Ogden’s cardiac history and said his
    ongoing heart failure could prompt dizzy spells, shortness of breath, and difficulty with
    motor skills. However, Dr. Yu stated in her affidavit, “there is no medical evidence
    indicating a syncope episode contributed to [his] falls.” Instead, she wrote:
    It is my opinion Mr. Ogden’s falls of October 1, 2016, resulted from the
    transient expected post-operative weakness associated with the spinal cord
    stimulator surgery on or about August 31, 2016. It is more likely than not
    his current condition is related to his initial injury to his right upper
    extremity which arose during the course and scope of his employment with
    McMinnville Tool & Die.
    Dr. Yu based this opinion on her discussions with Mr. Ogden, in which he adamantly
    denied any loss of consciousness.
    On cross-examination, Dr. Yu testified she discussed the risks of spinal cord
    stimulator surgery with Mr. Ogden before she performed the operation. Specifically, Mr.
    Ogden should have been aware that the surgery could result in postoperative weakness in
    his legs that, coupled with his heart condition, could put him at greater risk of falling.
    Further, the implant in his neck could cause further damage if he were to fall. Dr. Yu
    agreed with counsel’s statement that Mr. Ogden should have “taken appropriate
    precautions of maneuvering from one place to another especially as it pertains to steps”
    and that, if he failed to do so, “it was either imprudent, ill-advised or a neglect aspect.”
    She further explained that this was “because we had also told him well before surgery
    that [he] really should get – pay more attention to [his] heart care.”
    2
    Vanderbilt’s emergency department records also mentioned syncope or loss of consciousness.
    However, the parties stipulated during the hearing that the source of that information was Ms. Smith’s
    notes, not Mr. Ogden. Vanderbilt emergency department simply “copied and pasted” its history from the
    Life Flight records.
    4
    Kimberly Terry, M.D.
    At MTD’s request to GENEX Services, Inc., Dr. Kimberly Terry performed a
    Physician Advisor Review of some of Mr. Ogden’s medical records from August 31,
    2016, through October 4, 2016. She concluded Mr. Ogden’s paralysis was the result of a
    syncopal episode that was more likely than not “due to [his] underlying heart disease.”
    Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law
    The following legal principles govern this case. Mr. Ogden has the burden of
    proof on all essential elements of his claim. Scott v. Integrity Staffing Solutions, 2015 TN
    Wrk. Comp. App. Bd. LEXIS 24, at *6 (Aug. 18, 2015). “[A]t a compensation hearing
    where the injured employee has arrived at a trial on the merits, the employee must
    establish by a preponderance of the evidence that he or she is, in fact, entitled to the
    requested benefits.” Willis v. All Staff, 2015 TN Wrk. Comp. App. Bd. LEXIS 42, at *18
    (Nov. 9, 2015); see also Tenn. Code Ann. § 50-6-239(c)(6) (2017) (“[T]he employee
    shall bear the burden of proving each and every element of the claim by a preponderance
    of the evidence.”).
    The Appeals Board discussed subsequent injuries in Lee v. W. Plastics, 2016 TN
    Wrk. Comp. App. Bd. LEXIS 53, at *6-7 (Oct. 20, 2016):
    In Tennessee, the general rule is that a “subsequent injury, whether in the
    form of an aggravation of the original injury or a new and distinct injury, is
    compensable if it is the ‘direct and natural result’ of a compensable injury.”
    Anderson v. Westfield Grp., 
    259 S.W.3d 690
    , 696 (Tenn. 2008). “The rule,
    commonly referred to as the direct and natural consequences rule, has been
    stated as: [w]hen the primary injury is shown to have arisen out of and in
    the course of employment, every natural consequence that flows from the
    injury likewise arises out of the employment.”
    Id. Therefore, “all the
           medical consequences and sequelae that flow from the primary injury are
    compensable.” Rogers v. Shaw, 
    813 S.W.2d 397
    , 400 (Tenn. 1991). “The
    rationale for the rule is that the original compensable injury is deemed the
    cause of the damage flowing from the subsequent injury-producing event.”
    
    Anderson, 259 S.W.3d at 697
    .
    Mr. Ogden asserted he is entitled to permanent total disability (PTD) benefits for
    the injuries he suffered in his fall on October 1, 2016. He contended this fall was the
    result of weakness in his leg caused by the recent insertion of the spinal cord stimulator.
    Therefore, his paralysis is a direct and natural consequence of the original, compensable
    injury.
    5
    MTD countered that Mr. Ogden is not entitled to PTD benefits because his fall
    was not a natural progression of his original injury or its treatment. First, it argued Mr.
    Ogden fell because he fainted or lost consciousness. Mr. Ogden’s paralysis is, therefore,
    unrelated to his work accident because the most likely cause of this syncopal episode was
    his pre-existing heart condition. MTD also contended Mr. Ogden’s use of the stairs was
    negligent. This negligence constituted an independent, intervening cause that broke the
    chain of causation between his work injury and his subsequent paralysis.
    Loss of Consciousness
    The medical records are somewhat contradictory as to whether Mr. Ogden fell
    because he lost consciousness. Ms. Smith, the flight nurse, noted that he suffered two
    syncopal episodes “in which he fell down a set of stairs.” The history at Unity Medical
    Center characterized the incident as a “slip and fall” and noted Mr. Ogden had no CT
    scan of his head “because he had no LOC.” His cardiology consult notes taken at
    Vanderbilt the day after his fall state, “At no time did he lose consciousness or have
    presyncope.”
    Medical records and the histories they contain are rarely perfect, and it can be
    difficult to resolve conflicting records. Ms. Smith’s records were detailed and
    professional, but they were not faultless. For instance, she noted that Mr. Ogden fell
    down a flight of stairs, which is not accurate, as the parties agreed that he was on the
    bottom of three steps when he fell. Some of her notations of the medications he received
    at Unity were also incorrect. Ms. Smith also noted Mr. Ogden had received
    Hydromorphone at Unity and agreed it could have affected his responsiveness.
    Presumably, her notation of syncope could be a documentation error or a
    miscommunication from Mr. Ogden caused by his medications or stress. This seems
    especially likely in view of the fact that neither the EMTs nor the first emergency room
    documented any loss of consciousness.
    Perhaps more importantly, Mr. Ogden’s own testimony is persuasive. He
    consistently and convincingly testified that he never lost consciousness. Although the
    Court could not observe Mr. Ogden while he testified by telephone, it listened carefully
    to his testimony and found him steady, forthcoming, reasonable, and honest, which
    characteristics, according to the Tennessee Supreme Court, are indicia of reliability. See
    Kelly v. Kelly, 
    445 S.W.3d 685
    , 694-695 (Tenn. 2014). On the whole, the evidence fails
    to support MTD’s claim that Mr. Ogden fell because of a loss of consciousness.3
    3
    MTD contended Mr. Ogden’s heart condition caused him to pass out, and it submitted numerous
    medical records establishing his history of coronary heart disease and quadruple bypass surgery. In view
    of the Court’s determination that Mr. Ogden did not fall because of a loss of consciousness, it will not
    summarize or discuss those records.
    6
    Independent Intervening Cause
    “However firmly implanted the principle may be that a subsequent injury is
    deemed to arise out of the employment if it flows from a compensable injury, the rule has
    a limit. That limit hinges on whether the subsequent injury is the result of independent
    intervening causes, such as the employee’s own conduct.” Bolden v. Lowe’s Home
    Centers, Inc., 2017 TN Wrk. Comp. App. Bd., LEXIS 28 at *7-8 (Apr. 21, 2017) (citing
    
    Anderson, 259 S.W.3d at 697
    ). In order for an employee’s actions to constitute an
    independent, intervening incident sufficient to break the chain of causation, there must be
    negligent, reckless, or intentional conduct on the part of the employee. For purposes of
    the intervening cause principle, an employee acts negligently when he fails to exercise
    reasonable care under the circumstances.
    Id. MTD contended Mr.
    Ogden should not have been using the stairs alone or without
    the use of the handrail. It cited Dr. Yu’s testimony that Mr. Ogden should have been
    aware of the possibility of postoperative weakness in his legs and should have “taken
    appropriate precautions of maneuvering from one place to another especially as it
    pertains to steps.” MTD relied on Dr. Yu’s agreement with its attorney that, if Mr.
    Ogden failed to take these appropriate precautions, “it was either imprudent, ill-advised
    or a neglect aspect.”
    MTD’s reliance on this testimony overlooks the fact that Dr. Yu went on to say
    that Mr. Ogden’s failure to take these precautions was imprudent “because we had also
    told him well before surgery that [he] really should get – pay more attention to [his] heart
    care.” This raises the question of whether Dr. Yu’s real concern was postoperative
    weakness or whether it was the possibility of a fall caused by other issues arising from
    Mr. Ogden’s cardiac problems. Further, Dr. Yu testified that Mr. Ogden was supposed to
    be active and walk at the time of his fall in order to avoid muscle atrophy. She said he
    had no specific instructions about using or not using stairs because “we do have to leave
    some things to people’s common sense.”
    A review of the cases the parties cited shows there is no bright-line test, and this
    issue is dependent on the facts of each case. MTD primarily relied on Bolden. Mr.
    Bolden suffered an aggravation of his compensable ankle injury while “pushing off” from
    rock to rock as he crossed a stream on a hike. The Appeals Board agreed with the trial
    court’s finding that Mr. Bolden’s need for additional treatment was not a direct and
    natural consequence of his work injury. The Board noted his activities did not violate
    any medical restrictions but found that he “nonetheless voluntarily engaged in non-work-
    related physical activities that presented a substantial risk to his healing left ankle.”
    Id. (Emphasis added.) The
    case of Carpenter v. Lear-Siegler Seating Corp., No. 03501-9201-CV-5, 1993
    Tenn. LEXIS 67 (Tenn. 1993) yielded a different result. Ms. Carpenter fell down some
    7
    stairs because of an unpredictable sudden numbness to her left leg that had occurred
    periodically since sustaining her back injury several months earlier. The Supreme Court
    upheld the trial court’s finding that Ms. Carpenter’s stairway fall and the resulting
    injuries were the natural and proximate consequence of the prior back injury.
    Carpenter is more closely analogous to Mr. Ogden’s situation. He was not
    engaged in some sort of unusual or strenuous activity but was merely moving about his
    home. This is distinguishable from Bolden, where the Board found the employee’s
    actions constituted a substantial risk to his healing ankle. The inquiry then, is not
    whether Mr. Ogden’s use of the steps constituted any risk at all, but whether it was a
    substantial risk. Admittedly, Mr. Ogden had already had some instances of problems
    with his leg, but so had the employee in Carpenter. The primary difference between the
    two situations was the timing of the fall. Ms. Carpenter’s fall occurred several months
    after her underlying injury, while Mr. Ogden fell one month after his surgery. The
    question then, is whether it was unreasonable for Mr. Ogden to navigate the stairs into his
    garage at that time.4
    The Court finds that Mr. Ogden’s actions did not constitute negligent, reckless, or
    intentional conduct. He was under no specific medical restrictions barring him from
    using the steps, but instead his medical providers encouraged him to walk and be as
    active as possible. In other words, Mr. Ogden was to use his best judgment as to which
    activities he felt he could perform safely and comfortably. He felt that going to the
    garage to retrieve his phone was reasonable, based on his mobility at the time of the
    accident, the fact that he had safely navigated the steps several times per day for several
    weeks since his surgery, and the somewhat pressing need to get the phone to call Ms.
    Gibson for help. Although using the steps presented some obvious risk, especially when
    Mr. Ogden could not use the railing, the Court cannot find that risk was unreasonable
    under the circumstances or that he was negligent in the way he evaluated the situation.
    Even if the Court found Mr. Ogden’s use of the steps negligent, that negligence
    would not necessarily constitute an independent, intervening cause of his injuries. That
    finding would require evidence that using the steps caused Mr. Ogden’s fall or caused
    additional injuries.
    MTD submitted no evidence that the steps caused Mr. Ogden to fall. Instead,
    other than the loss-of-consciousness argument, the only evidence regarding the cause of
    the accident is Mr. Ogden’s testimony that he fell because his leg gave way. This was the
    result of postoperative weakness, not his use of the steps, as evidenced by the fact that
    Mr. Ogden’s leg gave way on other occasions.
    4
    Dr. Yu’s testimony regarding what Mr. Ogden knew about the possibility of postoperative weakness in
    his legs is relevant to this inquiry. However, to the extent her testimony about whether his actions were
    “imprudent, ill-advised or a neglect aspect” may constitute a legal opinion on the question of negligence,
    the Court finds no foundation to suggest she is qualified to make that determination.
    8
    Regarding the mechanism of Mr. Ogden’s injuries, the Court notes that, unlike the
    employee in Carpenter, Mr. Ogden did not fall down a flight of stairs. He did not even
    fall off the steps he was using. Instead, he was on the last step before reaching the floor
    when his leg gave way. When Mr. Ogden fell, he landed on the step on his buttocks, and
    his head hit the wall next to the steps. No evidence suggests that the location of the fall
    actually caused the injury to Mr. Ogden’s neck. Would the same injury have occurred if
    he had fallen after reaching the garage floor or if he had fallen against the washing
    machine in the hallway again? The Court cannot simply assume a causal connection
    between the injury and falling on the bottom step.
    Without any proof the steps caused Mr. Ogden’s leg to buckle or caused additional
    injuries in his fall, the Court cannot find his use of the steps to be an intervening cause of
    his injuries. Instead, it must credit Dr. Yu’s opinion that, “his falls of October 1, 2016,
    resulted from the transient expected post-operative weakness associated with the spinal
    cord stimulator surgery on or about August 31, 2016.”5 This conclusion is supported by
    other proof, such as prior complaints of leg weakness, the request for a cane, and credible
    testimony from Mr. Ogden and Ms. Gibson.
    For these reasons, the Court finds that Mr. Odgen met his burden of proving that
    his fall of October 1 was a direct and natural consequence of his original, compensable
    injury. Thus, the injuries Mr. Ogden suffered in that fall arose primarily out of his
    employment with MTD.
    Per the parties’ stipulation, this finding means that Mr. Ogden is permanently and
    totally disabled under the Workers’ Compensation Law. He is, therefore, entitled to
    weekly benefits from July 15, 2017, the day after MMI,6 “until [he] is, by age, eligible for
    full benefits in the Old Age Insurance Benefit Program under the Social Security Act.”
    See Tenn. Code Ann. § 50-6-207(4)(A)(i).
    Before the Court can award an attorney fee in excess of $10,000.00, Tennessee
    Code Annotated section 50-6-226(a)(2)(C) requires specific findings of the factors in
    Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 8, Rule of Professional Conduct 1.5, which include:
    (1) the time and labor required, the novelty and difficulty of the
    questions involved, and the skill requisite to perform the legal service
    properly;
    5
    The Court finds Dr. Terry’s contrary opinion unpersuasive because she based it on the assumption that
    Mr. Ogden suffered a syncopal episode.
    6
    “Permanent disability benefits, whether total or partial, begin accruing on the date that the employee
    attains maximum medical improvement.” Smith v. U.S. Pipe & Foundry Co., 
    14 S.W.3d 739
    , 745 (Tenn.
    2000).
    9
    (2) the likelihood, if apparent to the client, that the acceptance of the
    particular employment will preclude other employment by the lawyer;
    (3) the fee customarily charged in the locality for similar legal
    services;
    (4) the amount involved and the results obtained;
    (5) the time limitations imposed by the client or by the
    circumstances;
    (6) the nature and length of the professional relationship with the
    client;
    (7) the experience, reputation, and ability of the lawyer or lawyers
    performing the services;
    (8) whether the fee is fixed or contingent;
    (9) prior advertisements or statements by the lawyer with respect to
    the fees the lawyer charges; and
    (10) whether the fee agreement is in writing.
    The Court finds this case required significant time and expertise on the part of Mr.
    Ogden’s counsel. A fee of twenty percent is both statutorily-authorized and customary in
    cases brought before this Court. Further, the amount is appropriate for successfully
    shepherding a complicated case through litigation, including detailed medical proof, as
    well as successfully negotiating temporary resumption of benefits after MTD denied the
    claim. All the applicable factors, including the experience and ability of Mr. Ogden’s
    attorney, militate in favor of the requested fee. Therefore, under Tennessee Code
    Annotated section 50-6-207(4)(A)(ii)(a) and section 50-6-207(4)(A)(iii), the Court
    commutes twenty percent of the first 450 weeks of permanent total disability benefits, or
    $26,172.00, for Mr. Ogden’s attorney’s fee.
    Additionally, Tennessee Code Annotated section 50-6-207(4)(A)(ii)(c) provides:
    After the total amount of the commuted lump sum is determined, the
    amount of the weekly disability benefit shall be recalculated to distribute
    the total remaining permanent total benefits in equal weekly installments
    beginning with the date of entry of the order and terminating on the date the
    employee’s disability benefits terminate pursuant to subdivision (4)(A)(i).
    Mr. Ogden will be eligible for full benefits in the Old Age Insurance Benefit
    Program on February 8, 2038. The period of July 14, 2017, to February 8, 2038, totals
    1,073.43 weeks, which at the agreed compensation rate of $290.80 would total PTD
    benefits of $312,153.44. Reducing that amount by the attorney fee of $26,172.00 yields
    an adjusted total benefit of $285,981.44, which divided by 1,073.43 weeks equals an
    adjusted weekly compensation rate of $266.42. MTD shall pay Mr. Ogden’s PTD
    disability benefits at this rate.
    10
    IT IS, THEREFORE, ORDERED as follows:
    1. MTD shall fulfill its statutory obligations for the provision of medical benefits in
    Tennessee Code Annotated section 50-6-204. This includes payment of any past
    medical expenses that are causally-related to the February 13, 2015, and October
    1, 2016 injuries. Mr. Ogden or the medical providers shall furnish medical bills to
    MTD or its workers’ compensation carrier.
    2. MTD shall continue to provide Mr. Ogden with medical treatment made
    reasonably necessary by the February 13, 2015, and October 1, 2016 injuries in
    accordance with Tennessee Code Annotated section 50-6-204.
    3. MTD shall pay Mr. Ogden permanent total disability benefits at the rate of
    $266.42 per week until he is eligible for full benefits under the Social Security Old
    Age Insurance Benefit Program.
    4. MTD shall pay Mr. Ogden a lump sum of $26,172.00, which his attorney is
    entitled to recover as a fee of twenty percent of his first 450 weeks of permanent
    total disability.
    5. Costs of $150.00 are assessed against MTD under Tennessee Compilation Rules
    and Regulations 0800-02-21-.07, to be paid within five days of this Order
    becoming final. Absent an appeal of this order, the order shall become final thirty
    days after issuance.
    6. MTD shall prepare and file a statistical data form within ten business days of the
    date of this Order, pursuant to Tennessee Code Annotated section 50-6-244.
    ENTERED THE 21st OF NOVEMBER, 2017
    _____________________________________
    Judge Dale Tipps
    Court of Workers’ Compensation Claims
    11
    APPENDIX
    Exhibits:
    1.   Indexed Medical Records
    2.   Transcript of Dr. Hung Yu’s deposition
    3.   Transcript of Shawn Ogden’s deposition
    4.   Photograph of surgical scar
    5.   Written statement of Shawn Ogden
    6.   Photographs of garage steps
    7.   Photograph of Shawn Ogden
    Technical Record:
    1.   Petition for Benefit Determination
    2.   Post-Discovery Dispute Certification Notice
    3.   Parties’ Exhibit and Witness Lists
    4.   Parties’ Pre-Compensation Hearing Statement
    5.   Parties’ Pretrial and Supplemental Briefs
    CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
    I hereby certify that a true and correct copy of the Order was sent to the following
    recipients by the following methods of service on the 21st day of November, 2017.
    Name                      Certified    Via       Service sent to:
    Mail       Email
    John Drake                             X         John.attorneymurfreesboro@gmail.com
    Brett Burrow                            X        bburrow@burrowlee.com
    ____________________________________
    PENNY SHRUM, COURT CLERK
    wc.courtclerk@tn.gov
    12
    

Document Info

Docket Number: 2016-05-1093

Citation Numbers: 2017 TN WC 210

Judges: Dale Tipps

Filed Date: 11/21/2017

Precedential Status: Precedential

Modified Date: 1/9/2021