Allen v. George E. Breece Lumber Co.

139 So. 73, 19 La. App. 127
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedJanuary 14, 1931
DocketNo. 4197
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 139 So. 73 (Allen v. George E. Breece Lumber Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Allen v. George E. Breece Lumber Co., 139 So. 73, 19 La. App. 127 (La. Ct. App. 1931).

Opinions

DREW, J.

This is a suit under the Workmen’s Compensation Act, and the sole question for decision is the extent of injury to plaintiff’s foot.

Plaintiff contends that he has entirely lost the use of function of his right foot and is entitled to 65 per cent, of his weekly wages for a period of one hundred and twenty-five weeks. Defendant contends that, although the foot was injured to such an extent as to amount to total loss of use of function of that member for a period from October 23, 1929, to June 9, 1939, during which time compensation was paid, that on June 9, 1930, and ever since, his foot has been entirely well, and it owes no further compensation.

The lower court rendered judgment for plaintiff for 65 per cent, of his weekly wages for a period of not more than one hundred twenty-five weeks, less the number of weeks previously paid by defendant, and from this judgment defendant has prosecuted this appeal.

Plaintiff was checking lumber and getting slabs straight on the slacker. In describing the slacker, we will use plaintiff’s own words:

“Q. What kind of machinery was the slacker? A. Where we get the slabs off the chain to saw.

“Q. How did the chains work? A. Come off from the roller and fall on the chain and the chain carries them to the saw.

“Q. Did the chains carry the lumber to the saw? A. The slabs.”

This chain had spurs on it to hold the slabs. Plaintiff was caught in one of these spurs on the chain where it comes over the table and his foot was pulled under the end of the board or side of the board. Plaintiff described the injury received in the following language: “My foot was torn — the top torn off.” All the flesh and ligaments leading to his toes, except the big toe, was torn off.

The accident occurred on October 23, 1929, and plaintiff was confined in the Riverside Sanitarium for forty-one days. He used crutches from that time until April or May, 1930, and since laying aside his crutches, has continued to use a cane for assistance in walking. Plaintiff testified that he had not been able to stand on his foot to do any work up to the time of trial; that he could only walk three blocks with the assistance of a cane, before giving out; and, when asked what was the main disability or inconvenience with his foot, he said:

“A. It gives out. This side of my foot does, and my ankle, and it runs up in my ankle. The main part is from the ankle to the foot.”

He says the foot gives down and there is a weakening up through his leg.

This ease was tried in the lower court in April, 1931, and plaintiff testified to the condition of his foot at that time, as follows:

‘‘Q. What is the condition of the top of your foot and toes at the present time? A. Scar from the injury and my toes are stiff, and my foot.

“Q. Does the scar seem to be grown to the. foot? A. Everything is grown tight and my toes are stiff.

“Q. Your four toes are stiff? A. Yes, sir.

“Q. Can you put those toes on the floor? will they straighten out? A. Cannot put them on the floor, no, sir, with my hand. I can put my big toe down.

“Q. Have to push the others down with your hand? A. I can’t push them down with my hand. * * *

“Q. Are you able, Mr. Allen, to. stand on [74]*74your foot and use it to get about enough to do any kind of ordinary work that requires standing up and walking? A. Not all of the time.

“Q. How is that? A. Not all the time. If I had time — give me time to rest — but I couldn’t stand on my foot all day.

“Q. Xou state you can only stand and walk about three blocks without stopping? A. That’s all.”

Dr. L. A. Masterson testified that he examined plaintiff’s foot in October, 1930,- about one year after the accident and injury; that plaintiff gave him a history of the case, as testified by plaintiff; and that from his examination he found the following (using his own words);

“Well, on the examination in October, 1930, he had an adherent lineal scar on the top of the right foot. This sear was say from lateral to medial, toward the toes; wide, ragged edge scar. This scar was attached to the top structures of the foot. The tendons were incorporated in the scar. He was unable to either flex his foot upward or downward, dorsal or vertical flexion, except his first toe. He had some motion of the big toe. There was some swelling of the foot at this time, and there was tenderness over the region of the scar on deep pressure. He was unable to bear his weight on his toes of the right foot, nor could he raise his weight on the toes of the right foot. He walked with a decided limp, with the aid of a cane.”

He further testified that the condition of the foot would remain permanent, permanent loss of function, and that plaintiff could not xise the foot to do ordinary work, and that the pain caused by use of the foot will always remain permanent.

Dr. R. W. O’Donnell was called on by defendant to examine plaintiff. Defendant did not summon him to court and plaintiff called him and used him as his witness. Dr. O’Donnell examined plaintiff in December, 1930, and testified to his findings as follows:

“A. The conditions at the time showed considerable scar tissue on the top of the foot— right foot — and complete impaired flexion and extension of the toes of the right foot. But not involving the great toe of the right foot.

' “Q. Can he lower the second, third, fourth and fifth toes to the floor? A. No, sir. He can’t get them to the floor but he can bend them over. He can get them on a straight line but cannot bend them.

“Q. Up and down? A. Up and down.

“Q. So far as they are concerned they are stiff? A. Yes, very little motion in the toes.

“Q. Does pressure ' on scar tissue illicit pain? (Correction, ‘elicit.’) A. Not necessarily in scar tissue, but the scar tissue acts ás a foreign body on the tissues below and forms pain.

“Q. Causes pain by the scar tissue acting as a foreign body and pressing on the tissues below? A. Yes, sir.

“Q. Would he experience pain in walking on the foot? A. Wherever he would put pressure or strain on the sear it may cause pain.

“Q. Normal use in walking would put that pressure on there would it, Doctor? A. Well, if he was using his toes, throwing his weight on his foot, it would very likely cause some pain, because the scar is attached and doesn’t move.”

Dr. O’Donnell further testified that he considered plaintiff’s foot 25 per cent, insufficient for manual labor and that he could not do a full day’s work; that his condition was permanent and that he will always have pain in using the foot. He says plaintiff could do light work, provided he could sit down and rest when he grew tired. If he could not sit down and rest, he would play out before eight hours.

Defendant offered Dr. J. T. French, the regular physician for the defendant pomi-pany, who testified that he examined plaintiff immediately after the accident. He found the skin and surface of the foot abras-ed and the ligaments of four toes torn loose, the four small toes; that he treated plaintiff until June, 1930, when he considered him well. The last time he saw and examined plaintiff’s foot was with Dr. O’Donnell in December, 1930. Dr. French testified that it was impossible to say definitely as to the degree of pain in an injury of that nature, but, in his opinion, there should not be any pain.

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Related

Fountain v. AMERICAN EMPLOYERS'INSURANCE CO.
161 So. 2d 120 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1964)
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142 So. 2d 865 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1962)
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150 So. 309 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1933)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
139 So. 73, 19 La. App. 127, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/allen-v-george-e-breece-lumber-co-lactapp-1931.