Opinion ID: 2077841
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Wheeler v. Hartt Transportation Systems, Inc.

Text: [¶ 5] Donald Wheeler suffered a work-related hip injury on November 6, 1996, while employed by Hartt Transportation. Wheeler had numerous injuries prior to his 1996 work injury, including: (1) a gunshot wound in his hand during his military service in Vietnam; (2) a knee injury in 1972 from walking on hard floors; (3) a ruptured-disc back injury in 1974; [1] (4) a knee injury while employed by Bekins Moving & Storage in 1994; (5) a crush injury to his thumb while employed by Hartt in 1995; and (6) a serious head injury while employed by Hartt in 1995. [¶ 6] Hartt voluntarily paid Wheeler partial incapacity benefits following the 1996 hip injury. In 1999 Hartt filed a petition to determine the extent of permanent impairment and to establish that Wheeler's permanent whole body impairment did not exceed 11.8%. [¶ 7] The hearing officer found that Wheeler suffers a 10% whole body permanent impairment related solely to his 1996 work-related injury. The hearing officer found that there was no evidence of a causal connection between Wheeler's previous injuries and the 1996 injury. The hearing officer concluded, however, that Wheeler has a 17% whole body impairment based on a combination of the back injury, a preexisting knee condition, and a preexisting thumb crush injury.