Brabant, Christopher

Applicant, a teacher employed by Salinas Union High School District, claimed a psychiatric injury (PTSD) arising from witnessing the bloody aftermath of his daughter's injury during her gym class on the school campus where he worked on January 9, 2024. The PQME, Dr. Wilson Howe, diagnosed PTSD and found predominant industrial causation. The WCJ found injury AOE/COE to the psyche, and defendant sought reconsideration arguing industrial factors were not the predominant cause and that the workplace was 'merely the stage' for a personal injury. The WCAB denied reconsideration, holding that the work setting was not merely a stage because the daughter's injury and applicant's trauma occurred at and during work, applicant was continually re-triggered by returning to campus for work, and his teaching responsibilities (student safety, reviewing the track benches) created a unique industrial risk. The Board affirmed that Dr. Howe's report constituted substantial medical evidence establishing predominant industrial causation under section 3208.3.