Frederick S. Freibott was recently successful in arguing that his client should be compensated for an injury she sustained to her thumb while working as a cook. The client sustained an injury called a “trigger thumb” after she had been chopping meat for a cheese steak. She developed a mass on a tendon in her thumb which caused her thumb to get stuck when she attempted to extend it. The thumb became very painful and ultimately required surgery. The employer in this case denied that the “trigger thumb” injury was related to any activity associated with work. The Claimant’s surgeon testified that the thumb injury was clearly related to her work activities. The doctor hired by the employer’s insurance company did not believe the surgeon’s findings at the time of surgery and testified that the Claimant suffered from a large cell tumor on her thumb that was, in no way, related to a work injury. The Industrial Accident Board found the defense doctor not credible and relied upon the testimony of the Claimant’s treating surgeon. The Industrial Accident Board awarded a period of total disability; the reimbursement of medical expenses; payment of an attorney’s fee; and the reimbursment of the Claimant’s medical expert fees. (Johnson v. Allen Family Foods, Hearing No. 1343997, Date of decision March 9, 2010.)
Related posts