Supreme Court Upholds Denial of PPD for Worker's Back Injury

The West Virginia Supreme Court upheld the denial of permanent partial disability benefits for a worker with a back injury. Case: Helmandollar v. Blackhawk Mining LLC, No. 23-430, 09/30/2024, published. Facts: Marion Helmandollar worked for Blackhawk Mining LLC. While he was at work in January 2018, he pulled a roller out of the mud and fell backward, injuring his lower back. Before this incident, Helmandollar had received a 22% permanent partial disability award for a lumbar strain in 2005. After the January 2018 incident, Helmandollar underwent an X-ray of his lumbar spine. The imag...