The Claimant alleged he sustained an elbow injury while covering another employee months prior to providing notice to his Employer. Initially, we interpreted the claim filed as an acute injury since the Claimant specified a period of time he alleged injury. At the Pre-Hearing Conference, it was clear that opposing counsel wanted the claim to be reviewed as an occupational disease, suggesting that through repetitive use of his work duties, the Claimant injured his elbow. Opposing counsel knew that if the claim were interpreted as a specific injury, there would be evident notice issues given the late reporting. To counter opposing counsel’s position, LOIS attorney Tomer Lehr took a holistic approach and defended the claim from both an occupational disease and specific injury perspectives. Accordingly, at trial, the Claimant was asked questions meant to demonstrate that he allegedly sustained an injury on a specific day at work yet failed to bring attention to the Employer until many months after the fact.
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