Walker Logging v. Paschal

In Walker Logging v. Paschal, 36 Ark. App. 247, 821 S.W.2d 786 (1992), the claimant, a man in his late forties, also dropped out of school and never received his GED. He had worked jobs involving heavy manual labor and could neither read nor write. He was injured while working as a timber cutter when a tree fell on him, injuring his right knee. Although his treating physicians never stated that he was permanently and totally disabled, the Commission found that substantial evidence existed to support the finding that the claimant was totally and permanently disabled. The Court affirmed. The Court affirmed the Commission's award of permanent and total disability benefits under the odd-lot doctrine to a man in his late forties whose right knee was injured when a tree fell on him while he worked as a timber cutter. In that case, the Commission held that based upon the claimant's mental capacity, age, education, work experience, and physical impairment and limitations, he established a prima facie case that he fell within the odd-lot category, which shifted to the employer the burden of producing evidence that some kind of suitable work was regularly and continuously available to him.