WPC\ F {Qd >r!JP䖂a  t ֣ s:վoۊPj%j5-uk^SOM~v}@G]$C=R5Ӽ r7YJU(;o ٴV֕ ܟB г0V ٲ1CɊ/v,A3BKv      loser,sp.j.,deliveredtheopinionofthecourt,inwhichbirch,j.,and_cantrell_,sp.j.,joined. n ThomasH.PeeblesandCarolineThomas_Trost_,Columbia,Tennessee,fortheappellant,Saturn N Corporation. > GaryR._Gober_ԀandStephenW.Elliott,Nashville,Tennessee,fortheappellee,TerenceA.Johnson.    MEMORANDUMOPINION    X  Thisworkers'compensationappealhasbeenreferredtotheSpecialWorkers'Compensation !  AppealsPaneloftheSupremeCourtinaccordancewithTenn.CodeAnn.506225(e)(3)for ~"! hearingandreportingtotheSupremeCourtoffindingsoffactandconclusionsoflaw.Asdiscussed n#" below,thepanelhasconcludedthejudgmentshouldbeaffirmed. ^$#  N% $ In1993,theemployeeorclaimant,Johnson,developedrightcarpaltunnelsyndromefrom >&!% repetitiveworkatSaturn.CorrectivesurgerywasperformedbyDr.David_Gaw_.Hisclaimwas .'~"& settledin1995andhecontinuedworkingforSaturn,whileexperiencingseverepaininhisleftarm (n#' andresidualpaininhisrightarm.InAugustof1995,hewasassignedaselfpacedjobusingapower )^$( screwdrivertoinsertascrewintoaboreinpowersteeringbrackets,thenremovethescrew.Some )N%) ofthescrewsweredefective.Heperformedthetaskseveralhundredtimesperday. *>&*  +.'+ Whenascrewwasdefective,thescrewdriverwouldjam,causingbotharmstotwist.The ,(, claimantestimatedthiswouldhappentwohundredtimesaday,eachtimetwistingandshockinghis -)- _arms.Hedescribedthefeelingsas"tinglingsensationsgoinginbothhands,electricalshocksgoing  upanddownmyarmandnumbnessinbothelbows."Afterthefirsttime,he"gotthejerking  feeling"inhisneck,hestartedusinghislefthandtooperatethescrewdriver.Hetoldhissupervisor,  SteveHunter,"everyday"thattheworkwascausingseverepainandthathebelieveditviolatedhis  medicalrestrictions,whichheunderstoodtoprohibitfrequentgrippingandtheuseofvibrating p powertools.Mr.Huntertoldhimtodohisworkorbefired. `   P  Theclaimantalsoreportedhispaintoanothersupervisor,LaVadaWilliams,andtonurses @  atSaturn'sInitialCareFacility.ThenursesmadeanotationofhiscomplaintonAugust18,1995. 0  TheyalsoreferredhimtotheMiddleTennesseeBoneandJointClinic,wherehesawDr.Douglas  p  Wilburn,whoadvisedhimtorefrainfromthecontinualuseofpowertools.Whenhereturnedto `  work,hewasassignedthesamejob.Atafollowupappointment,Dr.MichaelMuhadiagnoseda P  radiculopathy,flareupofrightcarpaltunnelsyndromeandleftcarpaltunnelsyndrome,fromnerve @  conductionstudyresults.AnMRIrevealedaherniatedcervicaldisc,whichtheclaimantalso 0  reportedtoLaVadaWilliamsandpersonnelattheInitialCareFacility.Dr.Muhareferredhimto   Dr.FrederickWade,whoperformedacervicaldiskectomyandfusionatC56onDecember12,  1995.HereturnedtoworkatSaturninMarch,1996andwasplacedondisabilityinJune,1996.  ThiscivilactionwascommencedinNovember,1996.    Theabovefactswereincludedinthetestimonyoftheclaimant,whomthechancellor  expresslyfoundtobecredible.Wherethetrialjudgehasseenandheardthewitnesses,especially p ifcredibilityandweighttobegivenoraltestimonyareinvolved,considerabledeferencemustbe ` accordedthosecircumstancesonreview,McCalebv.SaturnCorp.,910S.W.2d412(Tenn.1995), P becauseitisthetrialcourtwhichhadtheopportunitytoobservethewitnesssdemeanorandhear @ thetestimony.Longv.TriConInd.,Ltd.,996S.W.2d173(Tenn.1999). 0   p Immediatelyupontheoccurrenceofaninjury,orassoonthereafterasisreasonableand ` practicable,aninjuredemployeemust,unlesstheemployerhasactualknowledgeoftheaccident, P givewrittennoticeoftheinjurytohisemployer.Tenn.CodeAnn.506201.Itissignificantthat @ writtennoticeisunnecessaryinthosesituationswheretheemployerhasactualknowledgeofthe 0 injury.Rainesv.ShelbyWilliamsInd.,Inc.,814S.W.2d346(Tenn.1991).Theevidencefailsto   preponderateagainstthetrialcourtsfindingthatSaturnhadactualknowledgeoftheclaimants ! injury. "   #! Tobeeligibleforworkerscompensationbenefits,anemployeemustsufferaninjuryby $" accidentarisingoutofandinthecourseofemploymentwhichcauseseitherdisablementordeath. % # Tenn.CodeAnn.506102(12).Aninjuryarisesoutofonesemploymentwhenthereisapparent p&!$ totherationalmind,uponaconsiderationofallthecircumstances,acausalconnectionbetweenthe `'"% conditionsunderwhichtheworkisrequiredtobeperformedandtheresultinginjury.Finkv. P(#& Caudle,856S.W.2d952(Tenn.1993). @)$'  0*%( Here,theemployercontendstheinjurydidnotariseoutoftheemploymentbecausethe  +p&) employeesoperatingsurgeon,Dr.Wade,testifiedthatuseofthescrewdriverdidnot_produce ,`'* enoughtorquetocausetheinjury,inhisopinion.Tohaveacceptedthisargument,thetrialjudge  wouldhavehadtodisregardthetestimonyofDr._Wilburn_,whoalsotreatedtheclaimant,andDr.  David_Gaw_,whoexaminedandevaluatedhim.    Drs._Wilburn_Ԁand_Gaw_Ԁopinedthattheclaimantsinjuriescouldhavebeencausedbythe p repetitivegrippingofhiswork.Moreover,Dr.Wadebecameequivocalwhencrossexaminedabout `  thenatureoftheclaimantswork.Whereequivocalmedicalevidenceissupportedbyother P  evidence,includingthecredibletestimonyoftheemployee,aninferenceofcausationmaybedrawn @  bythetrialjudge.See_Tindall_Ԁv._Waring_ԀParkAssoc.,725S.W.2d935(Tenn.1987).Additionally, 0  itiswithinthediscretionofthetrialjudgetoconcludethattheopinionofcertainexpertsshouldbe  p  acceptedoverthatofotherexpertsandthatitcontainsthemoreprobableexplanation.Hinsonv. `  WalMartStores,Inc.,654S.W.2d675,6767(Tenn.1983).Forthosereasons,theevidencefails P  topreponderateagainstthetrialcourtsfindingofcausation. @   0  Foralloftheabovereasons,thejudgmentofthetrialcourtisaffirmedandthecause   remandedtotheChanceryCourtforDavidsonCounty.Costsonappealaretaxedtotheappellant.           p #LXX# X6 XXL  ` LXX  @@7 7 INTHESUPREMECOURTOFTENNESSEE  SPECIALWORKERSCOMPENSATIONAPPEALSPANEL  #XXL'# LXXTERENCEA.JOHNSONv.SATURNCORPORATION#XXL(#  8 @@ ChanceryCourtforDavidsonCounty  @ @@No.963616III  0 @@*AV) ` dE<` A   No.M199901377_WC_ԄR3CVFiledAugust21,2000   AV) ` dE<` A        LXX#XXL*#*  JUDGMENT LXX#XXLd+# n   LXX#XXL+#LXX#XXL ,#XXXX  ThiscaseisbeforetheCourtupontheentirerecord,includingtheorderofreferraltothe N SpecialWorkersCompensationAppealsPanel,andthePanelsMemorandumOpinionsettingforth : itsfindingsoffactandconclusionsoflaw,whichareincorporatedhereinbyreference. &v   Whereupon,itappearstotheCourtthattheMemorandumOpinionofthePanelshouldbe N acceptedandapproved;and :   Itis,therefore,orderedthatthePanelsfindingsoffactandconclusionsoflawareadopted  andaffirmed,andthedecisionofthePanelismadethejudgmentoftheCourt.    Costswillbepaidbytheappellant,forwhichexecutionmayissueifnecessary.    ITISSOORDERED. ^!     `     h     PER_CURIAM_ %^ $   #XXXXL,#