Case Law Database

DALE HENGEN vs. WILLIAM FRANKEL PLUMBING, STATE COMPENSATION INSURANCE FUND

This case involves a worker who sustained an industrial head injury and subsequent seizure, followed by death approximately 1.5 years later. While the initial injury and temporary disability were found to be industrial, the cause of death was contested, with potential contributing factors including binge drinking and the prior head trauma. The Appeals Board found insufficient medical evidence to definitively link the death to the industrial injury and therefore rescinded the prior decision. The matter is remanded for further development of the medical record to determine the causal factors of death, possibly through a neurology AME or QME.