Calumet Foundry & Machine Co. v. Mroz

137 N.E. 627, 79 Ind. App. 305, 1922 Ind. App. LEXIS 227
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedDecember 15, 1922
DocketNo. 11,420
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 137 N.E. 627 (Calumet Foundry & Machine Co. v. Mroz) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Calumet Foundry & Machine Co. v. Mroz, 137 N.E. 627, 79 Ind. App. 305, 1922 Ind. App. LEXIS 227 (Ind. Ct. App. 1922).

Opinion

Nichols, C. J.

This is an appeal from an award of the full Industrial Board entered on February 28, 1922, in a proceeding brought by appellee under the provisions of the Indiana Workmen’s Compensation Act (Acts 1915 p. 392, §80201 et seq. Burns’ Supp. 1921), in which appellee made claim for compensation on account of an injury by accident sustained on January 4, 1921.

The full Board found that on January 4, 1921, appel[307]*307lee was in the employment of appellant at an average weekly wage of $40; that on said date he received a personal injury by an accident arising out of and in the course of his employment as the result of which the vision of his right eye was permanently reduced to less than ten per cent, of normal vision; that -the vision thereof was permanently reduced to light perception only; that about seventeen years prior to the time that appellee entered the employment of appellant the vision of his left eye was permanently destroyed so that by the injury of January 4,1921, appellee has been totally blind with the exception of mere light perception in the right eye; that by reason of said blindness he has been totally disabled since said injury; that appellant had actual knowledge of appellee’s injury on January 4, 1921; that on February 22, 1921, appellee and appellant executed a written compensation agreement whereby the appellant agreed to pay to the appellee compensation at the rate of $13.20 per week, beginning with the eighth day of disability after his injury and to continue during total disability, which agreement was approved by the Industrial Board on February 23, 1921; that under said agreement the áppellant had paid to appellee up to date of the original hearing 49 weeks’ compensation. On this finding a majority of the-Industrial Board awarded appellee 350 weeks’ compensation at the rate of $13.20 per week, beginning on January 12, 1921, and further ordered that appellant have a credit on this award for all compensation theretofore paid.

Appellant does not question the sufficiency of the evidence to support the findings of fact by the Industrial Board, but contends that under the facts as -found by the Board the award is contrary to the provision of the Indiana Workmen’s Compensation Act which under subdivision “f” of §31 (Acts 1919 p. 158, §8020ol Burns’ Supp. 1921) allows 150 weeks’ compensation for [308]*308the permanent loss of the sight of an eye or its reduction to one-tenth of normal vision with glasses.

Under this provision, which appellant says needs no construction and can mean but one thing, it contends that appellee was entitled to compensation for 150 weeks and no more, while appellee contends that under the facts found he is entitled to 500 weeks’ compensation under subdivision “d” of §31 (Acts 1919 p. 158, supra) which provides compensation for injuries resulting in total permanent disability, or under subdivision “h” of §31 (Acts 1919 p. 158, supra) which provides compensation in all other cases of permanent partial impairment than those mentioned in other subdivisions of the section (none of which can include the injury here involved), the same to be proportionate to the degree of such impairment in the discretion of the Industrial Board, not-to exceed 500 weeks.

We proceed to give these provisions of the Compensation Act (Acts 1915 p. 392, supra) 'consideration in view of other provisions of the Act, and of the circumstances of this case as disclosed by the finding. It will be observed that under §35 of the Compensation Act (Acts 1915 p. 392, supra) an employe who lost both eyes, one in each of two separate accidents, in the same employment would be entitled to compensation for 500 weeks. The writer of this opinion assumes in this case that the previous permanent injury together with the subsequent permanent injury resulted in permanent total disability, for it is apparent from the language of subdivision “f” of §31 (Acts 1919 p. 158, supra) that the legislature regarded the reduction of the sight of an eye to one-tenth of normal vision with glasses the same in effect as its total loss. If such total disability were sustained as a result of two separate accidents in different employments, the employe would receive compensation for only 300 weeks, if appellant’s contention is to prevail. This is upon the [309]*309assumption that the employe had previously received 150 weeks for the loss of one eye, and that in this employment, having lost one eye only, he would receive compensation for 150 weeks, making a total of 300 weeks.' It is apparent that this would be an injustice to such employe when we consider the provision made in §35 (Acts 1915 p. 392, supra,) for an employe losing both eyes in the same employment, which we must presume that the legislature did not intend, and one which we must avoid if we can do so by a reasonable and liberal construction of the act in favor of just compensation for the injured employe.

When appellee entered the service of appellant he had lost one eye, but there yet remained a degree of capacity which enabled him to perform the service for which he was hired, and for which we must assume that compensation was paid him in proportion to his capacity so to perform, and that upon this earning capacity, measured by the compensation that was paid to him, we must base his right to recover in this case. He was as much an employe in his limited capacity, with his correspondingly limited compensation therefor as he would have been had he been possessed with the perfect sight of both eyes, and his previous impairment should not be taken into account in determining the amount of compensation to which he is entitled by reason of the injury received while in appellant’s employ. Only the result of such injury to the employe in his then physical condition without reference to his previous diasbility should be considered. In re Branconnier’s Case (1916), 223 Mass. 273, 111 N. E. 792; Schwab v. Emporium Forestry Co. (1915), 153 N. Y. Supp. 234, 167 App. Div. 614; Keyworth v. Atlantic Mills Co. (1919), 42 R. I. 391, 108 Atl. 81, note 8 A. L. R. p. 1336; Kriegbaum v. Buffalo Wire Works Co. (1918), 169 N. Y. Supp. 307, 182 App. Div. 448.

[310]*310We are fully aware that by this construction such second injury, when added to the previous injury, if it results in a total permanent disability to the injured employe, gives him compensation for 500 weeks, and that, if he had theretofore in another employment received compensation for previous injury, which, for illustration, let us say, was the loss of an eye, such employe would thereby receive a total compensation of 650 weeks, but such a possible result should not deter us from giving a just compensation under the rule of liberal construction in favor of an injured employe who is totally and permanently disabled by reason of such second injury. It must be kept in mind that the compensation for a permanent total disability resulting because of the second injury following a previous permanent injury, measured by his limited earning capacity resulting in lower wages, may not be as great as it would be had there been no previous impairment.

We reach the conclusion then that where there has been a previous total loss of one eye and that thereafter, whether in the. same or another employment, there is a total loss of the other eye, and the blindness resulting therefrom occasions permanent total disability, there should be a recovery for such total disability under subdivision “d” of §31 of the Compensation Act (Acts 1919 p.

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Bluebook (online)
137 N.E. 627, 79 Ind. App. 305, 1922 Ind. App. LEXIS 227, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/calumet-foundry-machine-co-v-mroz-indctapp-1922.