Wilda G. Mccarty v. Fast Food Merchandisers, et al.

This workers' compensation appeal has been referred to the Special Workers' Compensation Appeals Panel of the Supreme Court in accordance with TENN. CODE ANN. _ 5-6-225(e)(3) for hearing and reporting to the Supreme Court of findings of fact and conclusions of law. The plaintiff sustained a work-related injury to her right arm, and the trial court found she suffered a 33% vocational disability to the right arm as a result of the injury or 16.5% to the body as a whole. See Thompson v. Leon Russell Enterprises, 834 S.W.2d 927 (Tenn. 1992). The plaintiff had been injured in a non-work-related car accident in 1978, and she had injured her back in a work-related accident in January of 1991. The injury to the plaintiff's back resulted in a court-approved workers' compensation award of 36.5% permanent partial disability to the body as a whole. The injury to the plaintiff's right arm, the January 1991 injury to the plaintiff's back and the injury received in the 1978 automobile accident combined resulted in the plaintiff being found permanently and totally disabled. The trial court held under the provisions of T.C.A. _ 5-6-28(a), the plaintiff was to be compensated by the employer for the 16.5% whole body disability as a result of the injury to her arm on July 1991 and by the Second Injury Fund for 83.5% whole body disability. Because of the plaintiff's low rate of pay, the trial court, applying T.C.A. _ 5-6-27(4)(A), found the plaintiff to be entitled to receive payment for 55 weeks rather than 4 weeks, the permanent total disability benefits normally applicable. The trial judge assessed all of this extra 15 weeks to the Second Injury Fund. Our standard of review is de novo on the record, accompanied by the presumption that the trial court's findings of fact are correct, unless the preponderance of the evidence is otherwise. T.C.A. _ 5-6-225(e)(2). Where the issue is one of law, our standard of review is de novo without a presumption of correctness. Bradshaw v. Old Republic Ins. Co., 922 S.W.2d 53, 53 (Tenn. 1996). 2