Workers' Compensation
Listed below is McConnaughhay, Coonrod, Pope, Weaver & Stern, P.A.'s workers' compensation case law database. The database dates back until 1971 and includes over 5500 workers' compensation court decisions.
To view the case summaries, select one of the general topics listed below.
Mangold v. Rainforest Golf Sports Center
21 FLW D1362-Revised. See 2l FLW D411
Claimant injured in the course and scope of his
employment. However, he did not receive medical
treatment as he was unable to obtain authorization from
the employer/carrier. The employer refused
authorization of any treatment, refused to file a
Notice of Injury, or to report the claim to the
carrier. As a result, the claimant suffered emotional
stress and financial hardship. Thereafter, he suffered
a fatal heart attack.
The JCC concluded that the claimant failed to prove
that his work related injury was the major contributing
cause of the heart attack. The claimant had a history
of heart disease and the judge concluded that the
workplace injury was not the major contributing cause
of the resulting heart attack but one of many factors
contributing to the heart attack.
Prior to the 1994 changes in the Workers' Compensation
Act, there must have been a showing only that there was
a causal connection between the workplace accident and
the subsequent injury. However, in 1994, the law was
amended to state that the injury must be the major
contributing cause of the resulting condition. The
court determine that the 1994 amendments created a more
stringent evidentiary standard than that which was
required for injuries prior to January 1, 1994. Since
there was no medical evidence in this case that the
claimant's workplace injury was the major contributing
cause of his resulting heart attack, the claim for
benefits which was denied by the JCC was affirmed on
appeal.
