Claimant is a 55 year old woman who worked for Employer primarily as a Gas Supply Control Laborer for over 20 years. She graduated from Soldan High School in 1980 and was Homecoming Queen. As a highly talented athlete, she had the opportunity to attend college, but she was unable to successfully complete the classes - she was diagnosed as dyslexic and reads at a $3^{\text {rd }} grade level. { }^{6}$ After a year away at college, Claimant received instruction in cement mason work from Job Corps and earned her CDL license. However, she did not pass on the first attempt and needed a reader to complete the test. Claimant has always needed help; even when her daughter was a child she helped Claimant with reading. Claimant can do simple arithmetic but has no knowledge of or skills involving computers.
Claimant started working for Employer in 1983 as a laborer, and remained so employed until December 29, 2006. The job of Gas Supply Control Laborer is a very physical position.
[^0]
[^0]: ${ }^{6}$ Testing administered in this case revealed Claimant's reading is in the "deficient range" and her math is "low average." See Exhibit 5.
Among other duties, Claimant was required to dig ditches by hand, lift 100 pound material bags, move railroad ties and perform other heavy duties. She worked high above ground and several feet below ground, on man lifts, scaffolding, and pulley-operated swing seats. She operated jack hammers, used hand tools of all sizes, and painted.
Before June 2004, Claimant was able to perform all the tasks assigned to her. She was also active away from work, playing basketball and softball, riding her bike and skating. She was able to do this despite a history of hypertension, right shoulder dislocations with two surgical repairs, a sprained right wrist and lower extremity injuries which completely resolved. In 1988, Claimant strained her back while lifting a 100-lb sandbag. She received conservative treatment and continues to experience back pain.
In 2000, Claimant developed the gradual onset of neck pain. After an "altercation" with the police, the pain worsened and Claimant sought evaluation and treatment for a cervical strain. The x-ray revealed slight reversal of normal cervical curvature, and the physical therapy notes indicates the symptoms limited her activities of daily living.
On or about June 16, 2004, the accident which is the basis of this claim occurred. On that day, while at work as a laborer for Employer, Claimant was standing in the bed of a truck trimming tree branches. Her feet became caught up in the debris, and she fell out of the truck, landing on her neck on concrete pavement. She immediately felt pain in her neck, shoulder and wrist.
After her supervisor was notified, Claimant was taken to the company doctor, where she was advised that she had a sprained wrist. She received approximately six weeks of physical therapy and was placed on light duty work. These records were not in evidence. She developed symptoms in her bilateral upper extremities and it was believed that she had carpal tunnel syndrome ("CTS") versus an injury to her neck.
Claimant presented to her PCP on August 17, 2004, with complaints of stiffness in her neck and numbness in her right arm and the fingers of both hands. Claimant was diagnosed with possible right CTS and trapezius/neck pain. She was treated with a wrist splint and medication. An EMG nerve conduction study obtained on August 31, 2004, revealed left sensory motor CTS, right sensory CTS and evidence of entrapment of the ulnar nerves at the Guyon's canal bilaterally.
Dr. Robert Tucker performed independent medical evaluation regarding Claimant's bilateral upper extremity complaints on October 21, 2004. He felt Claimant's history was consistent with CTS, recommended she wear wrist splints at night and returned her full duties. On December 8, 2004, Dr. Tucker noted, "[t]he patient continues to complain