No legal file was established for this hearing. The Claim for Compensation and the Employer’s Answer were placed in evidence as exhibits.
The facts concerning Claimant’s fall are not contested in this hearing. The cause of Claimant’s fall, however, is contested, and whether or not Claimant’s incident constituted an accident under the law is contested.
JoAnn Cooper, claimant herein, testified on her own behalf. Claimant testified that she is 48 years of age at the date of hearing, married with one child, age 14. Claimant graduated from high school and has attended one college class. Claimant has been a hospital unit secretary since 1986 having worked as such in intensive care units, cardiac units and for the present employer. Claimant was certified as a health unit coordinator in 1989.
Claimant was initially employed by Employer in October 2005. Claimant worked from time to time in various departments of the Employer in cardiac care, medical care, and surgical care. Claimant’s job tasks involved handling patient charts, monitoring telemetry signals for monitors as well as keeping the medical supply room stocked, as well as, taking doctors’ orders from charts for patient care.
On October 30, 2007, Claimant arrived at work, entered the front door of the hospital, and proceeded to the second floor of the hospital where she was scheduled to work that day. To reach the second floor, Claimant used an elevator located in the interior portion of the hospital. Claimant testified that she was carrying her purse and a lunch bag in her arms as she entered the elevator headed for the second floor. Claimant testified that she arrived at the hospital a little after 7:00 a.m. on October 30, 2007, for a shift that ran from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Claimant rode the elevator to the second floor. She testified that when she arrived at the second floor she attempted to exit the elevator, still carrying her purse and her lunch bag in her arms. No one else was on the elevator,
and no one was around the elevator door on the second floor that she recalls. Claimant testified that as she exited the elevator her foot stuck at the door threshold, and the top of her body kept moving forward causing her to spin onto her left side falling to the floor of the hospital corridor. Claimant testified that she fell onto her buttocks, her left side and her head. Other employees of the Employer came to Claimant's aid as she was lying on the floor of the corridor. Eventually, Claimant was loaded onto a gurney and taken to the emergency room of the hospital.
While in the emergency room, Claimant was administered x-rays which did not indicate any fractures from the fall. Later the same day, Claimant was discharged from the emergency room for follow-up with Dr. Jordan on October 31, 2007.
Claimant testified concerning her office visit for treatment with Dr. Jordan. She testified that when she was seen by Dr. Jordan, that he did not perform any examination on Claimant. She further testified that Dr. Jordan did ask her what part of the building was defective that caused her to fall. Claimant testified that Dr. Jordan asked her several times what part of the building did Claimant think was defective that caused her to fall. Claimant testified that she told Dr. Jordan that she did not know what was defective, that she was exiting the elevator when her foot stopped and she kept moving. Dr. Jordan referred Claimant to her personal physician and took Claimant off work.
Claimant admitted Exhibit D, which were the medical records of Dr. Jordan from Ozark Works. Dr. Jordan's treatment notes support Claimant's testimony that he did refer Claimant to her personal physician and took her off work. The only recommendation made by Dr. Jordan was that Claimant was unable to work. Under the physical exam portion of the doctor's notes, there are no check marks or notations with the exception of a body diagram which shows tenderness in the area of the left lower back and left thigh. Dr. Jordan did issue a prescription for Percocet for pain. Dr. Jordan diagnosed contusion on left lower back and right and left buttock. He did not propose any treatment plan in the record.
Claimant testified that she talked to Ted Collins, the Employer's human resource person, who told Claimant to do whatever the doctors tell her to do in terms of receiving treatment for her injuries of October 30, 2007.
On November 1, 2007, Claimant presented for treatment at Burton Creek Rural Clinic and was seen by Dr. Bowles, Exhibit E. Claimant was referred to Ozarks Medical Center for MRI and urinalysis, as well as physical therapy. On November 2, 2007, Claimant's MRI of the left hip was unremarkable. Claimant did not receive any further treatment from Burton Creek Clinic. She did have physical therapy on November 9 and November 11, 2007. Claimant did not receive any further physical therapy treatments, and was discharged from physical therapy on January 8, 2008 .
On November 5, 2007, Claimant presented for treatment at the Doctors Urgent Care Clinic, and was seen by Dr. Ireland who took Claimant off work for one week until fo