Nabisco Brands, Inc. v. Industrial Com'n

• Decision Date: 12 August 1994
• Docket Number: No. 1-93-2970WC,1-93-2970WC
• Citation: 266 Ill.App.3d 1103,204 Ill.Dec. 354,641 N.E.2d 578
• Parties: , 204 Ill.Dec. 354 NABISCO BRANDS, INC., Appellant, v. The INDUSTRIAL COMMISSION, et al. (John J. Prendergast, Jr., Appellee).
• Court: United States Appellate Court of Illinois

Page 578

641 N.E.2d 578

266 Ill.App.3d 1103, 204 Ill.Dec. 354

NABISCO BRANDS, INC., Appellant, v. The INDUSTRIAL COMMISSION, et al. (John J. Prendergast, Jr. Appellee).

No. 1-93-2970WC.

Appellate Court of Illinois,

First District,

Industrial Commission Division.

Aug. 12, 1994.

Rehearing Denied Oct. 18, 1994.

Seyfarth, Shaw, Fairweather & Geraldson, Chicago (Robert Maciorowski and Marya Savich, of counsel), for appellant.

McNeela & Griffin, Ltd., Chicago (Cornelius F. Riordan and Michael A. Alesia, of counsel), for appellee.

Justice RARICK delivered the opinion of the court:

Claimant, John J. Prendergast, Jr., sought benefits pursuant to the Workers' Compensation Act (Act) (Ill.Rev.Stat.1987, ch. 48, par. 138.1 et seq.) for injuries to his back allegedly sustained on April 2, 1987, while working for Nabisco Brands, Inc., employer. The arbitrator concluded claimant had proved his injuries arose out of and in the course of his employment, and accordingly, awarded him temporary total disability benefits for a period of 20 5/7 weeks and medical and surgical expenses totalling approximately $13,758. On review, the Industrial Commission (Commission) reversed the decision of the arbitrator determining that claimant failed to prove he was exposed to a risk greater than the general public when the accident occurred. The circuit court of Cook County, however, reversed the Commission and remanded the matter for further proceedings finding the Commission's determination was, as a matter of law, against the manifest weight of the evidence. After hearing the case on remand, two of the three member panel of Commissioners affirmed and adopted the decision of the arbitrator. This time, the circuit court confirmed the Commission's decision. Employer appeals from both circuit court decisions and from the Commission's second decision. Employer argues the findings that claimant proved the accidental injuries he sustained on April 2, 1987, arose out of his employment and that his condition of ill-being is causally related to the accident are against the manifest weight of the evidence. Employer also contends the findings that claimant had not exceeded his choice of medical providers and that the medical and surgical expenses incurred were reasonable and necessary are against the manifest weight of the evidence. Employer further asserts in its reply brief that claimant's brief was not timely filed and therefore should not be considered. We affirm.

On April 2, 1987, claimant, a maintenance machinist, was working on the bake floor at employer's plant. As part of his duties, claimant needed to leave the bake floor to retrieve bakery knives from the tool crib. Claimant retrieved three steel-plated knives measuring 39"' x 6"' which together weighed some 50 pounds. As he returned from the tool crib by descending a flight of stairs, claimant fell flat on the stairway, landing on his elbows and dropping the knives on his chest. Claimant testified that as he turned down the landing to go down the second set of stairs, his feet went out from him. He did not know if anything was on the stairs at the time of his fall. Claimant immediately experienced pain in his neck and back and was taken by ambulance to Christ Hospital. After being treated at the emergency room, he was released.

Between April 2, 1987, and October 5, 1989, claimant was seen by at least seven physicians and one chiropractor for the injuries he sustained in the accident. The first two doctors were part-time staff physicians at employer's plant. They diagnosed a sprain and recommended physical therapy. Claimant next saw Dr. Marshall Matz at employer's request. Dr. Matz also concluded claimant's complaints were minor in nature being consistent with a mild musculoskeletal injury, either a sprain or strain. Claimant, however, continued to experience pain in his neck and back, sometimes radiating into his shoulders, when extending his arms, looking up and down, playing golf, swimming or water skiing. Claimant then went to a series of doctors of his own choosing and their referrals, concluding with Dr. George Miz.

An MRI taken in November 1987 revealed a possible herniated disc at C5-C6. On October 5, 1988, claimant underwent an anterior cervical discectomy and fusion. Claimant returned to light duty work on February 27, 1989, and was released by Dr. Miz to return to full duty work on April 10, 1989. All of the doctors agreed claimant sustained an injury to his cervical spine as a result of the April 2, 1987, accident. They disagree, however, as to the extent of that injury.

We begin with employer's contention that claimant's brief should not be considered on appeal because it was untimely filed. As this contention has been raised by reply brief only, and not by any formal motion to strike, we choose to ignore employer's request.

Turning to the merits, we initially point out that an employee bears the burden of proof to establish the elements of his right to compensation. (Board of Trustees of University of Illinois v. Industrial Comm'n (1969), 44 Ill.2d 207, 214, 254 N.E.2d 522, 526; Hansel & Gretel Day Care Center v. Industrial Comm'n (1991), 215 Ill.App.3d 284, 294, 158 Ill.Dec. 851, 858, 574 N.E.2d 1244, 1251.) In order for accidental injuries to be compensable under the Act, a claimant must show such injuries arose out of and in the course of his or her employment. (Caterpillar Tractor Co. v. Industrial Comm'n (1989), 129 Ill.2d 52, 57, 133 Ill.Dec. 454, 456, 541 N.E.2d 665, 667; Hammel v. Industrial Comm'n (1993), 253 Ill.App.3d 900, 902, 193 Ill.Dec. 201, 203, 626 N.E.2d 234, 236; Lubin Management Co. v. Industrial Comm'n (1990), 200 Ill.App.3d 432, 435, 146 Ill.Dec. 226, 228, 558 N.E.2d 189, 191.) For an injury to arise out of one's employment, it must have an origin in some risk connected with or incidental to the employment so that there is a causal connection between the employment and the injury. (Lubin, 200 Ill.App.3d at 435, 146 Ill.Dec. at 228, 558 N.E.2d at 191; Hopkins v. Industrial Comm'n (1990), 196 Ill.App.3d 347, 350, 143 Ill.Dec. 25, 26-27, 553 N.E.2d 732, 733-34.) Typically, an injury arises out of one's employment if, at the time of the occurrence, the employee was performing acts he or she was instructed to perform by the employer, acts which he or she had a common law or statutory duty to perform, or acts which the employee might reasonably be expected to perform incident to his or her assigned duties. (Caterpillar Tractor, 129 Ill.2d at 58, 133 Ill.Dec. at 456, 541 N.E.2d at 667; Hopkins, 196 Ill.App.3d at 350, 143 Ill.Dec. at 27, 553 N.E.2d at 734.) An injury which results from a hazard to which the employee would have been equally exposed apart from the employment or a risk purely personal to the employee, however, is not compensable. (Caterpillar Tractor, 129 Ill.2d at 59, 133 Ill.Dec. at 456, 541 N.E.2d at 667; Orsini v. Industrial Comm'n (1987), 117 Ill.2d 38, 45, 109 Ill.Dec. 166, 169-70, 509 N.E.2d 1005, 1008-09.) An idiopathic fall, resulting from an internal, personal origin, is just such an accident. (Elliot v. Industrial Comm'n (1987), 153 Ill.App.3d 238, 242, 106 Ill.Dec. 271, 274, 505 N.E.2d 1062, 1065; Oldham v. Industrial Comm'n (1985), 139 Ill.App.3d 594, 596, 93 Ill.Dec. 868, 870, 487 N.E.2d 693, 695.) Unexplained falls, resulting from a neutral origin, on the other hand, are compensable. (See Chicago Tribune Co. v. Industrial Comm'n (1985), 136 Ill.App.3d 260, 263-64, 91 Ill.Dec. 45, 47, 483 N.E.2d 327, 329.) Idiopathic falls may be compensable, however, if the employment significantly contributed to the injury by placing the employee in a position increasing the dangerous effects of the fall. (Elliot, 153 Ill.App.3d at 244, 106 Ill.Dec. at 275-76, 505 N.E.2d at 1066- 67.) Under any of these standards, claimant's accident here clearly was compensable, notwithstanding the Commission's original determination to the contrary.

In this instance, claimant slipped on employer's stairs while carrying bakery knives. Claimant was performing an act he was required to do in fulfilling the duties of his employment. It is true there was no evidence of the stairs being defective or of anything being on the stairs to cause claimant's fall. It is also true the act of walking down stairs at employer's place of business by itself does not establish a risk greater than those faced outside the work place. (See Elliot, 153 Ill.App.3d at 244, 106 Ill.Dec. at 276, 505 N.E.2d at 1067.) And, the need to walk down stairs certainly is not unique to claimant's employment. What was unique, however, was the need to carry...