Wilson v. Conagra Foods Lamb Weston
Annotate this CaseClaimant Amanda Wilson filed a complaint under the Worker’s Compensation Act to obtain benefits for a back injury that she alleged was caused or aggravated in the Spring of 2011. On February 15, 2008, Claimant had visited an emergency room in a hospital in Gilbert, Arizona, complaining that for one year she had back pain and right leg radiculopathy with a recent flare-up. On October 4, 2010, Claimant sought additional treatment for her low-back pain and right-leg sciatica at a health clinic in Twin Falls. On February 7, 2011, Claimant began working for Employer Conagra Foods Lamb Weston in Twin Falls. She had previously worked at Employer’s premises as an employee of a temp agency, performing general manual labor, including shoveling potatoes. On April 5, 2011, Claimant visited a nurse practitioner because of back pain. Claimant described bilateral sciatic pain radiating to her heel that had begun six months earlier. On April 6, 2011, Claimant sought medical care at a hospital emergency room in Twin Falls. She complained of increasing low-back pain over the prior three weeks, which initially started while shoveling potatoes while working for Employer. On April 8, 2011, Employer learned from the hospital and physician of Claimant’s trip to the emergency room regarding a work injury. Employer immediately suspended Claimant pending further investigation of whether she had violated its safety policies (to notify the Plant Manager of any injury, "regardless of how minor it may be at the time"). Employer contacted the emergency-room physician, and he was adamant that Claimant had reported to him that she was injured at work and that his notes so reflected. On April 13, 2011, Claimant visited another physician because of low-back pain and numbness in her legs. Employer terminated Claimant on April 18, 2011, for misconduct by failing to report an on-the-job injury in violation of the employee handbook. Claimant filed for unemployment compensation, but her claim was denied on the ground that her knowing violation of the policy constituted misconduct in connection with her employment. Claimant then applied for workers' compensation benefits. The matter was heard before a referee, who submitted proposed findings of fact, conclusions of law, and recommended order. The Industrial Commission declined to adopt the referee’s recommendation and issued its own findings of fact, conclusions of law, and order, finding that Claimant had failed to prove that she suffered an injury caused by an accident arising out of and in the course of her employment. Claimant appealed, but finding no reversible error in the Commission's decision, the Supreme Court affirmed.
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