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Carl Smid, a cardiac patient, fractured his wrist after falling over exercise equipment at St. Thomas Hospital during a cardiac rehabilitation program. He had waited in the exercise room and stepped backward without looking, tripping over movable stairs he was familiar with. The trial court granted summary judgment to the defendant, finding Smid voluntarily assumed the risk of falling. The appellate court affirmed the judgment, but under a 'duty' analysis as adopted in Perez v. McConkey, rather than the traditional defense of implied assumption of the risk. The court concluded that the hospital had no duty to protect the plaintiff from the consequences of his own careless action when he could have easily protected himself.
Smid v. St. Thomas Hospital is a workers' compensation case decided in Court of Appeals of Tennessee. This case addresses legal issues related to compensation claims, benefits, and court rulings.
It is commonly referenced in legal research involving workers' compensation laws in Court of Appeals of Tennessee.
Full Decision Text1 Pages
Carl Smid, a cardiac patient, fractured his wrist after falling over exercise equipment at St. Thomas Hospital during a cardiac rehabilitation program. He had waited in the exercise room and stepped backward without looking, tripping over movable stairs he was familiar with. The trial court granted summary judgment to the defendant, finding Smid voluntarily assumed the risk of falling. The appellate court affirmed the judgment, but under a 'duty' analysis as adopted in Perez v. McConkey, rather than the traditional defense of implied assumption of the risk. The court concluded that the hospital had no duty to protect the plaintiff from the consequences of his own careless action when he could have easily protected himself.
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