School worker’s injuries related to pre-existing condition

The Alaska Supreme Court ruled Friday that an injured school worker’s injuries were related to a pre-existing condition and not the result of lifting a disabled student.  

In December 2018, Beverly Sumpter, a school aide at Fairbanks North Star Borough School District, reported an injury to her cervical spine after lifting a quadriplegic student who weighed about 70 pounds. Ms. Sumpter reported neck pain after she “scooted” the child in his wheelchair, “lifting him a little,” and later complained of headaches and other injuries, according to documents in Sumpter v. Fairbanks North Star Borough School District, filed in Anchorage.  

Ms. Sumpter had a documented history of pre-existing cervical spine problems going back to 2007. Medical evaluations were performed by three doctors who testified in the case and outlined inconsistencies between medical records and witness testimony. In reviewing Ms. Sumpter’s records, doctors disagreed about whether the incident she described could have aggravated these problems and, if so, for how long. 

The consensus among all three medical professionals disputed Ms. Sumpter’s claims, testifying “that any work injury was a sprain or strain and would have resolved quickly” and that Ms. Sumpter’s “current need for treatment” was caused by her pre-existing degenerative disc disease. This testimony led to the Alaska Workers’ Compensation Board’s decision that Ms. Sumpter’s work with the district was not the substantial cause of her disability or need for medical treatment. The Alaska Workers’ Compensation Appeals Commission later affirmed on those grounds. 

In denying her appeal that both the Board and Commission applied incorrect legal standards and that the Board failed to make findings about material and contested issues, the Alaska Supreme Court affirmed the earlier rulings, citing inconsistencies in her account of the injury and that “(w)hether Sumpter’s headaches originated in the cervical area was immaterial to the question of causation because nothing in the opinions the Board credited connected the headaches to repositioning the student.”