Peterson v. Eugene F. Burrill Lumber

In Grable v. Weyerhaeuser Co., 291 Or 387, 631 P2d 768 (1981), a worker suffered an on-the-job back injury and his employer accepted the claim. After the employee returned to work, he reinjured his back at home and made a claim against his employer, claiming that the worsening of his back problems resulted from the on-the-job injury. We held, under ORS 656.273(1), that if the worker establishes that the on-the-job injury is a material contributing cause of the worsened condition, the employer is liable for the payment of compensation benefits.

In the case at bar, the claimant sustained an…