Claim of Cyr v. Bero Construction Corp.
The case concerned an appeal from the Workers' Compensation Board regarding a truck driver, Mr. Cyr, who died in 1975 from an abdominal aortic aneurysm rupture. The Board had affirmed that the aneurysm and its rupture were causally related to an industrial accident Mr. Cyr suffered in 1965. The employer and its carrier appealed, contending that the medical opinion supporting causal relation, specifically from Dr. Rizzuto, lacked sufficient certainty. The court, referencing legal precedents like Matott v Ward, clarified that expert medical testimony must signify a probability supported by a rational basis, not necessarily 'reasonable medical certainty.' Upon reviewing Dr. Rizzuto's testimony, the court found it met this standard, confirming the causal relationship, and thus affirmed the Board's decisions.