Findings of fact made or adopted by the WCAC are conclusive on appeal, absent fraud, if there is any competent evidence in the record to support them, but a decision of the WCAC is subject to reversal if the WCAC operated within the wrong legal framework or its decision was based on erroneous legal reasoning. In the event of physical or mental incapacity of the employee, the notice and claim shall be made within 2 years from the time the injured employee is not physically or mentally incapacitated from making the claim. The first step in ascertaining such intent is to focus on the language in the statute itself. If the statutory language is certain and unambiguous, judicial construction is neither required nor permitted, and courts must apply the statute as written. Where the meaning of statutory language is not clear, judicial construction becomes necessary.
Courts are to accord statutory words their ordinary and generally accepted meaning.
Moreover, when courts interpret a particular phrase in a statute, they must, whenever possible, construe the phrase in such a way that the interpretation does not conflict with, or deny effect to, other portions of the statute. She does not claim that she was unable to understand that her son's death was causing her emotional distress. Nor does she claim that she was unable to understand her legal rights. She testified that her husband pursued a civil action in connection with her son's death but that she refused to participate in the action. This testimony demonstrates that plaintiff was aware of the possibility of workman's compensation recovery for this tragic accident and chose consciously to forego it for a time because of her guilt.