Willamette Poultry Co. v. Wilson

The issue in this workers’ compensation case is the extent of claimant’s disability. Employer seeks reversal of a Board order affirming the referee’s award of permanent total disability.

Claimant, a 41-year-old truck driver, suffered a lumbo-sacral strain while placing a pallet jack onto his truck. Back surgery, a laminectomy and diskectomy, was performed on October 13, 1979, two months after the accident. Dr. Tsai, the treating neurosurgeon, reported a satisfactory post-operative course. Claimant suffered aching below the incision, with some pain occasionally radiating down the upper portion…