Unwitnessed Death Arose Out of Employment, Court Concludes

The Industrial Commission properly applied a presumption that an unwitnessed heart attack arose out of a welder's employment, according to the North Carolina Court of Appeals. Case: Reaves v. Industrial Pump Service, No. COA09-1561, 7/20/10. Published.Facts: Ronald Reaves, a welder for Industrial Pump Service, was found dead in his work truck on April 1, 2004, as the truck was parked outside the International Paper plant in Franklin, Va. Earlier that day, Reaves and machinist Robert Templeman had been repairing a pump in the plant's basement, with the temperature being in the mid-80s. ...