Krick v. City of Lawrenceburg
Larry Krick, a police officer for the City of Lawrenceburg, experienced chest pain and shortness of breath after a stressful incident in 1993 and was subsequently diagnosed with coronary artery disease. Krick sought workers' compensation benefits, claiming the disease arose from his employment. The trial court initially found in his favor, but the Special Workers' Compensation Panel reversed, a decision affirmed by the higher court. The court found that while a statutory presumption of causation for law enforcement officers applied, it was rebutted by competent medical evidence. Expert testimony indicated Krick's heart disease was primarily caused by non-work-related factors like smoking, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia, and the work incident only aggravated symptoms, not the underlying disease. Consequently, the court concluded that Krick failed to establish a causal connection between his employment and his coronary artery disease, thereby reversing the trial court's judgment and dismissing the case.