Opinion ID: 1968488
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Chief Lamphier's injuries.

Text: Chief Lamphier, who is fifty-five years old, joined the DCFD in 1964, at the age of 22. He was subsequently promoted to Battalion Chief. At the time of the hearing before the Board, he had served as a firefighter for more than thirty years. The record discloses that during his long career, Chief Lamphier suffered several work-related injuries to his neck. We outline them in chronological order. On September 23, 1971, while Chief Lamphier was on duty, the springs of the door of a fire truck malfunctioned and struck Lamphier on the head, knocking him unconscious. When he regained consciousness at the hospital, medical personnel told him that they suspected that his neck was broken. Lamphier was immobilized, placed in a neck brace, and tied to the bed. Although it was subsequently ascertained that Chief Lamphier's neck was not broken, he continued to report soreness for some time. Chief Lamphier remained in the hospital for two nights, but he was released after he had been examined by a neurosurgeon. He missed one week of work. On June 27, 1985, Chief Lamphier was on duty when a ceiling collapsed on him. He suffered injuries to his neck and shoulders. He was placed on sick leave, and resumed duty one week later, on July 4, 1985. On April 2, 1993, Chief Lamphier fell while on duty. He injured his neck and right shoulder. He was treated and placed on sick leave. He returned to light duty on May 3, 1993, and to full duty six days later. On April 11, 1994, Chief Lamphier was injured when he fell down an unlighted staircase while responding to a call. He aggravated his neck condition and injured his right shoulder. He has been unable to return to work since this incident. [1] Chief Lamphier also suffered serious injuries in an off-duty automobile accident which occurred on November 10, 1979. Although the Board was hampered in the evaluation of this incident by the unavailability of some relevant records, it appears that Chief Lamphier suffered a fractured skull, a cerebral concussion, and possible intra-cranial bleeding. As a result of this accident, Chief Lamphier was on sick leave for two months and five days, and subsequently on light-duty for some undisclosed additional period of time.