Carter v. Crown Zellerbach Corp.

Claimant appeals from an order of the Workers’ Compensation Board, reversing the opinion and order of the referee. This is an on the job heart-exertion death case. The issue is compensability. The Board, in reversing the referee, found that claimant failed to meet the burden of proving both legal and medical causation. We review de novo on the record. ORS 656.298(6). We reverse.

Decedent was 52 years old with atherosclerotic heart disease, a prior myocardial infarction and other ailments. He was a long-time employe at a Crown Zellerbach Corporation (Crown) sawmill. In recent years and at the…