Claimant works for Employer, a title company, as a supervisor. She is in charge of six people on her team. Employer processes foreclosures, and the work system is paperless. When employees' computers are down, they are unable to perform their jobs. The weather on January 5, 2009 was severe with snow and ice. Despite the weather, Claimant arrived at work on time at 6:00 A.M. Claimant was the first to arrive, and she logged in and made coffee. When Claimant arrived, the computers were down, and at approximately 6:30 A.M. she notified Employer's IT specialist by cell phone, and left him a message telling him the computers were down.
Shortly after 6:30 A.M., Claimant received a phone call from a co-worker inquiring if the office was open. Claimant informed her co-worker that the office was open. Another co-worker
called shortly thereafter to inform Claimant her car was stuck in a ditch, and her husband who tried to help get her out of the ditch, was also stuck in the ditch. Employer's office is located on the second floor of an office building. When it is dark outside, and the lights are on inside the office, it is impossible to see outside weather conditions. As a supervisor, Claimant was responsible for running the office, so Claimant decided to go downstairs to look outside to assess the weather conditions, so she could advise her co-workers. Claimant took her cell phone with her, because she was expecting a call from the IT specialist regarding the computer problems.
Claimant took the elevator down to the first floor to check on the weather. When the elevator stopped, it malfunctioned, and there was a height difference between the elevator and the floor, which caused Claimant to trip and fall, landing on her right knee.
Claimant treated with Dr. McMullin, an orthopedic surgeon. When Claimant first saw Dr. McMullin on January 8, 2009, he noted a prior right knee surgery in 1995 and a follow up knee surgery in 2004 for a meniscal debridement from which Claimant was doing very well prior to her fall at work on January 5, 2009. Dr. McMullin ordered an MRI on January 9, 2009 which revealed another tear of the posterior horn of the medical meniscus. On January 21, 2009, Claimant underwent a right knee arthroscopy for a large meniscal tear, and she continued to have significant pain and swelling post surgery. Due to continuing pain, on February 4, 2009, Dr. McMullin injected Claimant's knee.
When Claimant did not improve following her surgery, a second MRI was performed on March 5, 2009, which showed marked worsening of the osteoarthritis of the right knee with fullthickness, grade IV chondrosis of the medial femoral condyle, and also some significant changes in the medial tibial plateau. On May 8, 2009 Dr. McMullin performed a right total knee replacement. Claimant now has a baker's cyst behind the knee which may require additional treatment. Claimant incurred medical bills of $\ 64,802.09 in connection with this accident. Following the accident Claimant worked from home and was paid her full salary until March 19, 2009, but has not worked since March 19, 2009, because she is in too much pain.
Dr. McMullin opined in a letter to Insurer on April 1, 2009 that the prevailing cause for the need for the total knee replacement on March 20, 2009 was the work related injury of January 5, 2009. Employer did not obtain a medical opinion regarding medical causation, and medical causation was not raised as an issue at trial.