Opinion ID: 1427838
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: Nature of Industrial Accident

Text: On the morning of November 12, 1980 Claimant was traveling to his work position within the mine on a device known as a mine skip. The cable which pulled the skip broke, and Claimant fell approximately 170 feet, sustaining multiple injuries. Claimant was transported to Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane for treatment, where he remained until December 23, 1980.
Upon examination, Claimant was found to have suffered the following injuries: 1) Bursting type fracture of the T-10 vertebrae, which was displaced; 2) Fracture of the left femur midshaft; 3) Compound fracture of the right tibia and fibula; 4) Fracture of the left hemopelvis including the sacroiliac joint; 5) Nasal fracture; 6) Deep wound of the left buttock approximately four inches deep and three inches wide.
The nasal fracture, the fractures of the right leg bones and the buttock wound were all treated the day of the accident. Claimant was held in skeletal traction, and on November 24, 1980, Harrington instrumentation was performed on the vertebral fracture. This process involved the insertion of rods with hooks on either side of the spine, and a spinal fusion was performed.