Transport Insurance Co. v. Campbell
Jimmie Q. Campbell, a long-haul truck driver, sought workers' compensation benefits after sustaining a head injury on October 12, 1973, which he claimed led to a subsequent stroke and left-side paralysis. A jury initially awarded him total and permanent disability benefits. The Transport Insurance Company appealed, contending that there was no medical evidence linking the head blow to the stroke (hemiplegia). Medical experts—Dr. Lutz (treating physician), Dr. Prahar (neurosurgeon), and Dr. Cover (internal medicine specialist)—all testified that, in reasonable medical probability, the stroke was caused by hypertension, not the minor head trauma, despite acknowledging a remote possibility. The appellate court found no sufficient medical testimony to establish a causal relationship between the blow and the hemiplegia. Consequently, the judgment was reversed, and rendered in favor of the appellant, Transport Insurance Company, citing insufficient evidence to support the jury's finding of causation.