Accident insurance: natural causation and impairment benefit

ATA/112/1996Cour de justice / Chambre administrative5 mars 1996Confirmed

Ouvrir la source

Résumé

An insured person claimed accident insurance benefits for cervical and psychological sequelae after an accident. The court accepted that, even if natural causation existed for the psychiatric complaints, the medical evidence showed a syndrome influenced by several factors and by a pre-existing psychological disposition. The insurer's assessment of the impairment benefit at 20% was therefore upheld.

Regest

Art. 6 LAA; natural causation of psychological sequelae after an accident and assessment of impairment benefit (IPAI). Natural causation may be assumed without that leading automatically to a higher impairment rating. Where the medical evidence characterizes the complaints as a multifactorial sinistrosis-like syndrome with a pre-existing psychological component, the insurer may rely on the documented residual impairment assessment if no convincing contrary medical basis exists.

Texte intégral

Descripteurs

ASSURANCE SOCIALE; ACCIDENT; AA; SYNDROME CERVICAL; TENDANCE A LA REVENDICATION; AFFECTION PSYCHIQUE; CAUSALITE NATURELLE; INDEMNITE POUR ATTEINTE A L'INTEGRITE

Normes

LAA.6

Résumé

"En l'espèce, et même si un lien de causalité naturelle entre l'accident et les troubles psychiques dont souffre l'accusé était avéré, la sinistrose dont ont fait état les médecins, est liée à un ensemble de facteurs, à une composante psychologique, antérieure à l'accident". IPAI évaluée à 20 %

Mots-clés

social insuranceaccidentnatural causationpsychological disordercervical syndromeimpairment benefitsinistrosispre-existing condition