Hamilton v. Life Care Center

This workers' compensation appeal has been referred to the Special Workers' Compensation Appeals Panel of the Supreme Court in accordance with Tenn. Code Ann. section 5-6-225(e)(3) for hearing and reporting of findings of fact and conclusions of law. In this appeal, the employer, Life Care Center, insists the evidence preponderates against the trial court's finding that the injury to the employee or claimant, Hamilton, is permanent or, alternatively, that the award of permanent partial disability benefits is excessive. As discussed below, the panel has concluded the judgment should be affirmed. It is undisputed that, on September 15, 1993, the claimant slipped on a wet floor and fell backward, hitting the back of her head on a hard floor, while working for the employer. After a trial, the trial judge awarded permanent partial disability benefits based on forty percent to the body as a whole. The extent of an injured worker's disability is an issue of fact. Jaske v. Murray Ohio Mfg. Co., 75 S.W.2d 15 (Tenn. 1988). Thus, appellate review is de novo upon the record of the trial court, accompanied by a presumption of correctness of the findings of fact, unless the preponderance of the evidence is otherwise. Tenn. Code Ann. section 5-6-225(e)(2). The claimant was forty-five years old at the time of her injury, with a high school education. She worked for Life Care Center as a nurse's assistant and had a second job as a greeter for Wal-Mart. Her work for Life Care required some heavy lifting and other strenuous work, whereas her work as a greeter for Wal-Mart was not very strenuous. She has never before made a claim for an injury to her head or neck. On the day of the accident, it had been raining heavily. As the claimant entered the building to attend classes for obtaining certification as a nurse's aide, her feet suddenly went out from under her and she fell, striking the back of her head on the tile floor. According to her testimony, accredited by the findings 2