Opinion ID: 2513951
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Testimony presented to the Board

Text: The Board first heard testimony from Dennis Bradbury, who noted that his wife complained of stomach pains about two weeks before her death. He testified that he spoke with her after she returned to work on Wednesday, June 16, and that she told him she had not slept well the night before. He described a note his wife had written that Wednesday, which was found among her personal belongings after she died. According to Dennis Bradbury, his wife indicated in the note that she was in so much pain she could not sleep that night. This note was admitted into evidence. Robert Klemke, the head cook who worked on Linda Bradbury's shift, described to the Board some of Bradbury's duties as a bull cook. The testimony that Klemke and others gave concerning Bradbury's work duties and how she performed them is significant because Dennis Bradbury's theory was that the physical labor his wife performed inflicted trauma upon her abdomen, resulting in the cyst's rupture. Klemke explained that a bull cook is responsible for cold food preparation and basic cleanup. Klemke testified that when Bradbury started work at 5:30 a.m., she first prepared breakfast by putting out fruit and by stocking milk, juice, and water. Klemke added that in addition to breakfast preparation, Bradbury did some general cleaning including washing baking pans that were soaking in the sink. He noted that because of Bradbury's size, five feet two inches, she had to lean over the sink to reach the pans. Klemke testified that after Bradbury finished in the dining area, she loaded ice, milk, fruit, juice, and water into a truck to drive to the break rooms. She would then stock the break rooms with those items. Klemke testified that he had seen her bump into things occasionally and that he witnessed Bradbury support objects on her hip and abdomen. In addition to Klemke, Claudia McLean testified in support of Bradbury's claim. McLean worked as a bull cook on the shift opposite Linda Bradbury. Because McLean and Bradbury generally shared the same duties, McLean prepared a list of morning duties Bradbury allegedly would have performed on the morning of her death. Two doctors, Dr. Gerald Roberts and Dr. David Anaise, testified in support of Bradbury's claim. Dr. Roberts is a gastroenterologist and internist and has never treated a patient with a hydatid cyst. He indicated that the cause of the rupture was most probably related to the work she was carrying out at her job as a bull cook, particularly in the two hours prior to her death on June 18, 1999. Dr. Roberts based his opinion upon Bradbury's medical records and medical articles about hydatid cysts. He specified that minor trauma, and even leaning over a deep sink, could conceivably cause a cyst to rupture. He expressed the opinion that spontaneous rupture of hydatid cysts is relatively rare and noted that Bradbury did fairly strong physical labor. He concluded that the cyst ruptured because something must have struck Bradbury's abdomen while she was working. Dr. David Anaise is a retired surgeon who now practices law. He has never treated a patient with a hydatid cyst. He testified that Bradbury's work activities in the two hours before her death would have put enough pressure on her abdomen to rupture the cyst. Dr. Anaise admitted that the only cases of traumatic rupture he had read about in the medical literature involved a blunt trauma or blow to the abdomen. Two physicians, Dr. Kenneth Flora and Dr. David Nelson, testified on behalf of Chugach Electric. Dr. Flora is a hepatologist whose subspecialty is the diagnosis and treatment of chronic liver disease. He is also a professor of medicine. In his practice, he has seen approximately ten patients with hydatid cysts. Dr. Flora gave the opinion that the cyst ruptured spontaneously and that Bradbury's work activities were not a substantial factor in her death. He eliminated lifting heavy objects as a cause of her cyst's rupture, explaining that from his reading of the literature, he believes that it requires significant force against the liver to rupture a cyst. He concluded that her cyst might have ruptured regardless of whether she was at work. Dr. Nelson is a professor of medicine and a hepatologist who has treated patients with hydatid cysts. He does not restrict his patients from lifting or working because he does not believe that these activities rupture cysts. Dr. Nelson explained that hydatid cysts can rupture spontaneously or from trauma, usually a blunt rapid blow, to the abdomen. Dr. Nelson indicated that Bradbury's cyst probably ruptured spontaneously.