WPC5 A'_l奁I9o+)0^4U][w19MϢUխ2gE]<;{O>a}d@f&,AEP8ru/~En|*Ni鈵Dek}N2*m$TJT)ct>d'i P!_pv@%@ķ#裈|_Kc1C, /V V/la CWD2}*;-_ǚe C7bЀ1v0Ū޴`ݬ+s!C$1ؽ]a"YMu;OT9v=, 'V)U B> %U .rk& 0 n. 0r N wN 4j J~ AQ U:@SJ            %  /U:999s 09 0 0DUU D/ B B D3\  `*Times New RomanTT"AArialTT'    0 .    a .)XXXXXX   8  <( ` hp x (#X<  @    1  A      ?+ ` hp x (#` X?(e2.$  !XXXXXX   3|x\  `*Times New RomanTTC\  P6QP"AArialTTomanTTXXaptQXp\  `*Times New RomanTT^\  P6QP\  `*Times New RomanTTXXP\  P6QXP(J$XXXxXXX  Ӏ V  Ӏyk&(ldchH4 @ !4"XXXXXX   X XXX XX    Ad FILEDX X  April7,1999CecilW.CrowsonAppellateCourtClerkdA  !"#%C<< C,kAZ"Arial Regularc:\office\wpwin\template\jo.wpt @ !4"XXXXXX   X XXX XX    Ad FILEDX X  April7,1999CecilW.CrowsonAppellateCourtClerkdA i1i2i3i4i5i6i7i8i9i10i11,cAZ"Arial RegularLevel 1Level 2Level 3Level 4Level 5(f34$  !XXXXXX   (f34$  !XXXXXX   ($$   1  ''' dxd dP Pd&&&&'dxd  !XXXXXX   TR[A'3'A' Legal3'T8  &    <( ` hp x (#X<XX'  INTHESUPREMECOURTOFTENNESSEE  r (<,(j 8` `@E@` 8ttxPx  rSPECIALWORKERS'COMPENSATIONAPPEALSPANELATNASHVILLE(January19,1999Session)  ?+ ` hp x (#` X?GERALDDEWAYNESHARP,  ) p LAWRENCECIRCUIT    `     h     ) ` PlaintiffAppellant,    ) p Hon.RobertL.Jones,    `     h     ) p Judge.   v. `     h     ) 4  `     h     ) p No.01S019802CH00030 J SHARPTRANSPORT,INC.,    ) `  `     h     ) ` DefendantAppellee.    ) < ForAppellant:   h      p ForAppellee:  DavidD.Peluso   h      p ElaineM.Youngblood & Hohenwald,Tennessee h      p Nashville,Tennessee  <   <( ` hp x (#X<MEMORANDUMOPINION D%  MembersofPanel: *&# AdolphoA.Birch,Jr.,AssociateJusticeJamesL.Weatherford,SeniorJudgeJoeC.Loser,Jr.,SpecialJudge  ?+ ` hp x (#` X?  <( ` hp x (#X<  ?+ ` hp x (#` X?:L62   AFFIRMED   h      p      x  Loser,  Judge  {  <( ` hp x (#X<MEMORANDUMOPINION'    ?+ ` hp x (#` X? ` Thisworkers'compensationappealhasbeenreferredtotheSpecialWorkers'CompensationAppealsPaneloftheSupremeCourtinaccordancewithTenn.CodeAnn.section506225(e)(3)forhearingandreportingoffindingsoffactandconclusionsoflaw.Fairlystated,theissueiswhethertheemployee'sincreasedpermanentmedicalimpairmentwascausallyrelatedtoaninjuryoccurringinOctober,1994.Asdiscussedbelow,thepanelhasconcludedthejudgmentshouldbeaffirmed.  { `  ` Theactionwasinitiatedbytheemployeeorclaimant,GeraldDeWayneSharp,torecoverworkers'compensationbenefitsforaninjuryallegedtohaveoccurredonOctober19,1994.AfteratrialonthemeritsonJanuary16,1998,thetrialjudgefoundthattheclaimanthad"failedtoestablishbyapreponderanceoftheevidencethattheOctober,1994,onthejobincidentboreanycausalrelationshiptothebacksurgeryperformedontheplaintiffinJune,1995"and"thatthepreponderanceoftheevidenceestablishesthattheplaintiff'sbackcondition,includingtheJune,1995surgery,arealltheresultofapriorbackinjuryoccurringin1990,andarenottheresultoftheonthejobincidentofOctober,1994."Accordingly,theclaimwasdisallowed.Appellatereviewisdenovoupontherecordofthetrialcourt,accompaniedbyapresumptionof  p correctnessofthefindingsoffact,unlessthepreponderanceoftheevidenceisotherwise.Tenn.CodeAnn.section506225(e)(2). `  ` InAprilof1990,whileworkingforadifferentemployer,theclaimantfellfromaloadingdockandinjuredhisback.CorrectivediscsurgerywasperformedbyDoctorWilburn,whocontinuedtofollowtheprogressofhisrecovery.Thepainfromtheinjurypersistedand,inJanuaryof1991,thepainbecamesharperandradiatedintothelowerrightleg.XraysinJuneofthesameyearrevealednarrowinganddegenerativechangesatthesurgicalsite.Dr.WilburndiagnosedpostlaminectomysyndromewithnerverootirritationandinDecember,1991,thedoctorassignedanimpairmentratingoffifteenpercenttothebodyfromtheinjuryandconsequentsurgery.OnDecember20,1991,hewasawardedpermanentpartialdisabilitybenefitsbasedonthirtytwopercenttothebodyasawholeandlifetimemedicalbenefits. `  ` InOctoberof1992,theclaimantbeganworkingforthepresentemployer,SharpTransport,Inc.Sixteenmonthslater,headvisedDr.Wilburnthathehadexperiencedintermittentsymptomssincethe1990surgeryandfairlyconstantlowbackacheaswellassharppainintherighthipandcrampingintherightcalf.Dr.Wilburnadvisedhimnottodriveatruck.InSeptemberof1994,theclaimantrelatedtothedoctorincreasingpainoverthepastcoupleofweeksinhislowbackandhip,aswellasbehindhisrightkneeandintohisrightcalf.Medicaltreatmentwasprovidedbythepreviousemployer'sinsurer. `  ` AnMRIrevealedarthritisintheareaoftheearliersurgeryandbroad F830 baseddiscprotrusion.Dr.Wilburnattributedthechangestothe1990surgeryandnotedtheclaimantmayhaveaggravatedhisbackonOctober19,1994,butthathedidnothaveanewinjury.InJuneof1995,additionalsurgerywasperformedtorelieverecurrentpainfromtheearlierinjury.Againtheformeremployer'sinsurerpaidthemedicalexpensesuponreceiptofthesurgeon'sreport.Followingthesurgery,Dr.Wilburnincreasedhismedicalimpairmentratingbytwopercent. `  ` Unlessadmittedbytheemployer,theemployeeorclaimanthastheburdenofproving,bycompetentevidence,everyessentialelementofhisclaim.Osterv.Yates,845S.W.2d215(Tenn.1992).Theclaimantmustprovethat   heisanemployee,thathesufferedaninjurybyaccident,andthatsuchinjurybyaccidentaroseoutofandinthecourseofhisemploymentbytheemployer.Inordertoestablishthataninjurywasonearisingoutoftheemployment,thecauseoftheinjurymustbeproved.Hillv.RoyalIns.Co.,937S.W.2d873 4 (Tenn.1996).Inallbutthemostobviouscases,causationandpermanencymayonlybeestablishedthroughexpertmedicaltestimony.Thomasv.AetnaLife ` andCas.Ins.Co.,812S.W.2d278(Tenn.1991).XX'   &v  `  ` 'XX  Theemployertakestheemployeewithallpreexistingconditions,and ,| cannotescapeliabilitywhentheemployee,uponsufferingaworkrelatedinjury,incursdisabilityfargreaterthanifhehadnothadthepreexistingconditions;Kellermanv.FoodLion,Inc.,929S.W.2d333(Tenn.1996);butifwork n aggravatesapreexistingconditionmerelybyincreasingpain,thereisnoinjurybyaccident.Sweatv.SuperiorIndustries,Inc.,966S.W.2d31,32(Tenn.  1998).Tobecompensable,thepreexistingconditionmustbeadvanced,theremustbeanatomicalchangeinthepreexistingcondition,ortheemploymentmustcauseanactualprogressionoftheunderlyingdisease.Id. !,  `  ` Fortheabovereasons,theevidencefailstopreponderateagainstthetrialjudge'sfindings.Thejudgmentofthetrialcourtisaffirmed.Costsonappealaretaxedtotheplaintiff.  rA  <( ` hp x (#X<_______________________________  rA  ӀJoeC.Loser,Jr.,SpecialJudge  ?+ ` hp x (#` X?CONCUR:_________________________________AdolphoA.Birch,Jr.,AssociateJustice_________________________________JamesL.Weatherford,SeniorJudge0`  x (#X0  7+3/   TR[A' Legal[A'A' LegalA' LegalT@ T INTHESUPREMEOFTENNESSEE@  'TATNASHVILLE %  GERALDDEWAYNESHARP%&@%%-T}  %  LAWRENCECIRCUIT%&  n @%%-T}  No.Below%  764395%B' 4   ` Plaintiff/Appell%  ant%'@%%-T} J        r(<,(j 8` `@E@a ` 8ttxPx`  r  @%%-T}  Hon.%  RobertL.Jones%( `  vs.@TT-TH%%-T} v  @%%-T}@%%-T}  No.%  01S019802CH00030%[)   %  SHARPTRANSPORT,INC.%)@%%-T}   @%%-T} ` Defendant/Appell%  ee%.*@%%-T}  %  AFFIRMED%n* 4 @SS&TJUDGMENTORDER &v  ` ThiscaseisbeforetheCourtupontheentirerecord,includingthe h orderofreferraltotheSpecialWorkersCompensationAppealsPanel,andthePanelsMemorandumOpinionsettingforthitsfindingsoffactandconclusionsoflaw,whichareincorporatedhereinbyreference. ` Whereupon,itappearstotheCourtthattheMemorandumOpinionofthePanelshouldbeacceptedandapproved;and ` Itis,therefore,orderedthatthePanelsfindingsoffactandconclusionsoflawareadoptedandaffirmed,andthedecisionofthePanelismadethejudgmentoftheCourt. ` Costswillbepaidby%  plaintiff/appellant%-,forwhichexecutionmayissueifnecessary. ` ITISSOORDEREDon%  April7,1999%.. `        x   (# PERCURIAM 61.  `