Anderson v. Cowger

65 N.W.2d 51, 158 Neb. 772, 1954 Neb. LEXIS 86
CourtNebraska Supreme Court
DecidedJune 11, 1954
Docket33488
StatusPublished
Cited by61 cases

This text of 65 N.W.2d 51 (Anderson v. Cowger) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Nebraska Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Anderson v. Cowger, 65 N.W.2d 51, 158 Neb. 772, 1954 Neb. LEXIS 86 (Neb. 1954).

Opinion

Wenke, J.

This appeal from the district court for Nuckolls County involves a workmen’s compensation claim. The district court found in favor of claimant Arthur E. Anderson and awarded him compensation at the rate of $26 *774 per week, or a total of $559, for 21% weeks for total temporary disability and $6.50 per week, from and after-July 31, 1952, but for not more than 278% weeks, for permanent partial disability of 25 percent. The court also awarded claimant $321 for doctor and hospital bills. From this award Earl Cowger, doing business as Cowger Sales Company, appealed and claimant has cross-appealed.

The questions raised by the appeal, as stated by the parties, are as follows: Is the evidence sufficient to show appellee suffered a compensable injury caused by an accident arising out of and in the course .of his employment; if an award is justified what should be the extent thereof; and if an award is justified and the extent thereof determined, is the appellant entitled to any credits thereon by reason of the payments he has made to appellee?

On an appeal to this court in a workmen’s compensation case the cause will be considered de novo upon the record before us. See, Gilbert v. Metropolitan Utilities Dist., 156 Neb. 750, 57 N. W. 2d 770; Tucker v. Paxton & Gallagher Co., 153 Neb. 1, 43 N. W. 2d 522; Beam v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., 152 Neb. 663, 42 N. W. 2d 293; Solheim v. Hastings Housing Co., 151 Neb. 264, 37 N. W. 2d 212; Werner v. Nebraska Power Co., 149 Neb. 408, 31 N. W. 2d 315; Herbert v. State. 124 Neb. 312, 246 N. W. 454.

Appellant was, at all times here material, the owner and operator of a wholesale grocery business at Superior, Nebraska. Appellee had been working for appellant about 21 years. At the time herein material he was employed as a combination salesman and warehouseman, working on the first 3 days of each week as a salesman and on the last 3 days thereof as a warehouseman. As a salesman he sold merchandise and took orders therefor in the towns surrounding Superior. These towns included Guide Rock, Nebraska. As a warehouseman he filled orders, loaded and unloaded trucks, and gen *775 erally handled merchandise. For rendering these services appellee received $60 a week.

On Monday, March 3, 1952, appellee was working as a salesman. That morning, although the traveling conditions were bad due to a snowstorm, he drove to Guide Rock. Guide Rock is about 20 miles from Superior. There he called on the trade and took their orders. After he completed his work at Guide Rock it ’was his intention to drive on to Red Cloud, Nebraska. However, because the storm kept getting worse and the snow was beginning to block the highways, he decided to return to Superior. He started back shortly after 1 p. m., followed in another car by a salesman with the name of-Kirchhoff. Kirchhoff was driving his own car. These two salesmen had arranged to drive back to Superior at the same time. Pursuant to their arrangement appellee took the lead. About 4 miles north of Superior appellee, as he was traveling east on Highway No. 3, ran into a snowdrift or snowbank located thereon. This occurred at a point just west of where Highway No. 3 intersects with Highway No. 14, the latter running north from Superior.

In order that a recovery may be had in an action under the workmen’s compensation law it must be proved that an accident occurred arising out of and in the course of employment which accident produced injury that resulted in disability or death. Ruderman v. Forman Bros., 157 Neb. 605, 60 N. W. 2d 658; Hassmann v. City of Bloomfield, 146 Neb. 608, 20 N. W. 2d 592; Pixa v. Grainger Bros. Co., 143 Neb. 922, 12 N. W. 2d 74; Herbert v. State, supra.

In order to recover the burden is on the claimant to prove the foregoing by a preponderance of the evidence. Ruderman v. Forman Bros., supra; Meester v. Schultz, 151 Neb. 614, 38 N. W. 2d 739; Hassmann v. City of Bloomfield, supra; Hamilton v. Huebner, 146 Neb. 320, 19 N. W. 2d 552, 163 A. L. R. 1; Roccaforte v. State Furniture Co., 142 Neb. 768, 7 N. W. 2d 656; Herbert v. State, supra. *776 Such facts must be proved by the claimant by sufficient evidence leading to the direct conclusion, or by a legitimate legal inference therefrom, that such an accidental injury occurred and caused the disability. There must be shown a causal connection between an accident suffered by the claimant and the cause of his disability. Rose v. City of Fairmont, 140 Neb. 550, 300 N. W. 574; Pixa v. Grainger Bros. Co., supra.

An accident, within the meaning of the statute, shall be construed to mean an unexpected or unforeseen event happening suddenly and violently with or without human fault and producing at the time objective symptoms of injury. § 48-151, R. R. S. 1943; Ruderman v. Forman Bros., supra; Muff v. Brainard, 150 Neb. 650, 35 N. W. 2d 597.

Symptoms of pain and anguish, such as weakness, pallor, sickness, nausea, expressions of pain clearly involuntary, or any other symptoms indicating a deleterious change in the bodily condition may constitute objective symptoms as required by our statute. Beam v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., supra; Manning v. Pomerene, 101 Neb. 127, 162 N. W. 492.

In considering the sufficiency of the proof it should be remembered the rule of liberal construction, as it relates to the workmen’s compensation law, applies to the law and not to the evidence offered to support a claim by virtue of the law. The rule does not dispensé with the necessity that claimant prove his right to compensation; that is, it does not permit a court to award compensation when the required proof is lacking. Beam v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., supra; Hassmann v. City of Bloomfield, supra; Hamilton v. Huebner, supra.

At the place where appellee ran into a snowdrift or snowbank the state’s highway department maintenance employees were trying to open up a passageway through the snow that had drifted onto Highway No. 3. They were using a snowplow for this purpose and bucking *777 into the drift trying to get an opening through it. They had not been able to do so.

The wind was blowing the snow from the north at 40 to 50 miles an hour. Appellee, because of this snow, was at the time momentarily driving blind and consequently did not have an opportunity to apply his brakes before he hit the snowdrift or snowbank. He hit it while driving at a speed of about 25 miles an hour. When he hit it his car came to a sudden stop. At the time he was holding the steering wheel with both hands and the sudden stop jarred his arms and shoulders. After he had stayed in his car for about 5 minutes he smelled gas fumes so he decided to get out, but because of the depth to which the snow was banked around his car he was not able to open any of its doors. He therefore rolled down the window of the right door and crawled out onto the snow. After getting to where he could walk he waded through the snow a distance estimated to be between 30 and 50 yards. In going this distance the snow was over his knees and, because of the force of the wind, he found it difficult to stand up and walk.

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Bluebook (online)
65 N.W.2d 51, 158 Neb. 772, 1954 Neb. LEXIS 86, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/anderson-v-cowger-neb-1954.