State high court backs insurer in dispute over worker’s prosthetic arm

North Dakota’s monopoly workers compensation insurer acted appropriately when it denied an injured worker’s preferred choice of prosthetic limb and sent him out of state for a medical exam to determine what kind of prosthesis he should receive, the North Dakota Supreme Court ruled in a split decision. Dennis Whedbee worked as a safety specialist for Black Hawk Energy Services Inc. in Williston, North Dakota, and was injured in a 2012 oil rig explosion, court records show. The North Dakota Workforce Safety & Insurance Fund, the state’s comp insurer, accepted liability for Mr. Whedbee’s injuries and care, including the amputation of his left arm below the elbow.