Statutory reform in Missouri requires that objective findings trump conflicting subjective findings. When a doctor concludes claimant can work based on FCE results but claimant state he can't, does the FCE "objective" findings control? ... Read More
A robber wearing a ski mask and carrying a box cutter demanded claimant turn over his employer's money. When the employer had only $1 on premises, the robber stole claimant's cell phone and fled. The robber dropped the cell phone but when claimant... Read More
On a dark and stormy Sunday night, a police chief fell on his driveway while getting into his truck to drive into town and check for storms. His job duties involved storm spotting by finding the highest ground to see if he could spot a tornado or any... Read More
Claimant worked at a Kansas City, Missouri hair salon and cut hair. He was at home with his two small children in April 2009 when another hair dresser asked him to cover his appointments. When he arrived at the salon, an unknown robber shot him in the... Read More
While playing golf at a charity event, a stray golf ball struck claimant in the forehead. His employer terminated him about 6 months later. Claimant states he was disabled due to problems with tinnitus, poor balance, memory loss, severe and frequent headaches... Read More
Noxious fumes and yellow smoke caused claimant's non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (multiple myelomas) and made him unemployable, according to a new decision from the Court of Appeals, which affirmed an award of PTD benefits. The award included safety... Read More
When is an accident not compensable because an injured worker was equally exposed to the hazard or risk outside of and unrelated to the employment? The issue will now go to the Missouri Supreme Court, based on a recent transfer by the Eastern District... Read More
A police chief who describes acute neck pain after wiping the inside window of his unmarked police car performed "integral" police work under Missouri law. Whiteley v City of Poplar Bluff , No. SD 31287 (Mo. App. Oct. 11, 2011), affirmed an... Read More
Claimant was injured in an office kitchen after making coffee and fell when she turned to put coffee grounds into the trash eventually resulting in surgery to her hip and pelvis. The Supreme Court in Johme v St. John's Mercy Healthcare, No. SC 92113... Read More
An employee acts in the course of her employment during an accident when she commutes on a regular route on a regular work day under a "special errand" exception to the going and coming rule. Defendant drove across a slick road in Cass County... Read More
A health-care worker who had a severe reaction to a flu shot in 2005 could collect worker’s compensation benefits even though the shot was not mandatory and not an “accident” as a matter of law. The employer did not require employees... Read More
A claimant must demonstrate not only that he had an "accident" but also an "injury." An injury is not compensable unless the accident was the prevailing factor in both the medical condition and disability. Claimant had an "accident"... Read More
Claimant lost his claim against the second injury fund when he failed to prove an accident that his alleged exposure to muriatic acid fumes caused a heart attack. Poarch v Treasurer of the State of Missouri , 2012 Mo. App. Lexis 592 (May 1, 2012). The... Read More
Claimant sustained catastrophic injuries from a single car pre-dawn accident in 2008 on a gravel country road when his car went off the road. The parties stipulated that the 30-year old claimant was unemployable but disputed whether his accident arose... Read More
After claimant returned to work to unrestricted duty following a knee surgery he reported multiple additional accidents from falling and each new claim added different body parts. The employer argued the second injury fund was liable for a PTD claim due... Read More