Opinion ID: 2425267
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: the second injury

Text: The second accident occurred on July 10, 1988, when in the course and scope of his employment Plaintiff fell from a scaffolding approximately seven to eight feet injuring his right wrist and hip. He was rushed again to Baptist Hospital where he was seen and treated by Dr. Daniel Phillips. This injury resulted in surgery to Plaintiff's wrist which required a bone graft from his hip. He remained in the hospital for five days following his surgery. Dr. Phillips testified that Plaintiff had a 20-25 percent impairment of the right upper extremity, which translated to a 15 percent impairment to the body as a whole. Dr. John Lamb, the evaluating physician, testified that Plaintiff had between 25 and 30 percent impairment of his right upper extremity, which included both the forearm and the wrist, based on the traumatic arthritis as well as the deformity as a result of the fracture. Dr. Lamb placed this disability rating at 15 to 18 percent to the body as a whole. Dr. Phillips released Plaintiff to return to work on January 4, 1989, without any restrictions. Dr. Phillips last saw Plaintiff on April 27, 1989, at which time he evaluated him and made a permanent medical impairment rating and released him from active care. Dr. Phillips stated that, when I released him from care, I made no global restrictions to activities, but simply advised him to resume activities as tolerated and as his pain permitted. I think that he had a full healing of the bone injury at the time of my last evaluation and would have no absolute contraindictions to resuming any activity other than limitations of pain. Dr. Phillips further stated that the hip and wrist had both healed completely. The parties stipulated that Plaintiff suffered a second injury on July 10, 1988, in the course of his employment. The parties further stipulated that Plaintiff sustained temporary total disability from July 11, 1988, to at least April 28, 1989, for which 45 weeks the Plaintiff was compensated in full by the Defendant, National Union, in the amount of $10,395.00. Plaintiff also received payment of disability benefits for 35 weeks from April 29, 1989, to December 30, 1989, in the amount of $8,085.00. The Defendant, National Union, also paid the medicals totaling $15,949.00. The Chancellor found that Plaintiff suffered a 35 percent disability to his right arm and awarded Plaintiff $16,170.00 for permanent partial disability to the arm. He further found that Plaintiff reached his maximum medical improvement on April 27, 1989, and that the Defendant, National Union, should be granted a credit of $8,085.00 in overpayments of temporary total disability which had been previously paid to Plaintiff. The Chancellor also found that Defendant, National Union, should be responsible for all lifetime medical treatments and benefits for these two injuries.