Sandoval v. Industrial Commission
Court of Appeals of Arizona · 1966-06-17 · cited 13×
In Sandoval v. Industrial Commission, a worker injured his lower back in a workplace accident while descending a wet ladder and later developed inguinal hernias; the Industrial Commission denied compensation for the hernias after finding the accident did not cause them. The court reviewed the denial on certiorari and set aside the award. The only medical testimony, from the treating physicians, indicated that while spontaneous development was possible, the probabilities supported the accident as the cause due to the sudden increase in abdominal pressure, despite the time lag in symptoms. The court held that the Commission could not substitute its own judgment on medical causation questions and that the evidence required compensation under Arizona's hernia compensation statute.