Christie v. Robinson Construction Co.

81 P.2d 65, 59 Idaho 58
CourtIdaho Supreme Court
DecidedJune 27, 1938
DocketNo. 6456
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 81 P.2d 65 (Christie v. Robinson Construction Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Idaho Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Christie v. Robinson Construction Co., 81 P.2d 65, 59 Idaho 58 (Idaho 1938).

Opinion

AILSHIE, J.

During the summer of 1935 Ralph Christie,» a single man, 21 years of age, was employed by the Robinson Construction Company, one of the respondents, as operator of a gasoline tractor, known as a “caterpillar.” He was also the repair man for the “eats” (so-called in common parlance). The company was engaged in constructing roads in Valley county and elsewhere in the state. Ralph resided at McCall with his mother and younger brother. His wages were $4.80 per day (working seven days each week) which he usually turned over to his mother to pay for household expenses, etc.

Appellant and her son, Ralph, had planned to attend a high school play at McCall on Saturday evening, October 26, 1935. Ralph went to the timekeeper’s office to draw $5, to pay their “fees” for the play. When he returned home about a half hour later, he informed his mother that he couldn’t go to the play with her; that he had “to go to Boise after Harry” and “to purchase some repairs for the cat.” Harry Totten, also a caterpillar operator, was Ralph’s half-brother. “He had been recommended as a very good man” and was asked by the superintendent to “come over and go to work.” Dewey Hindman, patrol operator for the construction company, received a telephone call from Totten, requesting Hindman to come to Boise after him. Hindman drew $5 from Vic Milward, the timekeeper, for expense of trip, and while in the latter’s office he overheard a conversa[61]*61tion between Vic and Ralph in relation to the latter going to Boise and getting certain parts for the caterpillar.

Ralph and Hindman left McCall about 10 o’clock P. M. and stopped at the rock crushing plant in Lake Port, where Ralph told Dailey, the superintendent of the construction company, that he was going to Boise and “would get the bearing for the cat” if he wished him to. Dailey said he would appreciate that and would allow him for his time spent in Boise for the company. Hindman and Christie arrived in Boise between two and 3 o’clock Sunday morning, October 27th. They found Totten and tried to locate some of the employees of the Bunting Tractor Company to get the repair parts. All during that day Christie endeavored to find some one of the employees of the company, by either calling at the company’s office or personally calling at their residences, or trying to reach them by telephone. About 7 o’clock Sunday evening, Totten, Hindman and Christie started on their return trip to McCall; Hindman drove as far as Horseshoe Bend and “Ralph took the wheel then.” About six or seven miles from the latter place they passed a car and “quite a ways behind there was another one with their bright lights on.” The traffic was “awful heavy.” Ralph was driving the car over on the right side of the road, as shown by the investigation afterward. “A little ton and a half Diamond ‘T’ truck carrying an Illinois license” struck the left cowl light of the Hindman car, causing the ear to cross over and hit the left back slope of the road and rolling the car on its side. They landed 144 feet from where the ear first hit. Ralph sustained a personal injury from which his death occurred about fifty minutes later.

Claim for compensation was made by the mother and brother of deceased, and a claim was also filed by the state for $1,000. Hearing before the industrial accident board resulted in the board’s denying the claims and dismissing the applications. From an order of the district court, affirming the board’s order and decision, this appeal is taken.

It is contended by appellants and denied by respondents that the accident, which resulted in the death of Ralph Christie, arose out of and in the course of his employment by respondent construction company.

[62]*62Since this ease turns entirely upon the sufficiency of the evidence to support the award of the board, we are setting forth herein the entire evidence contained in the record bearing on the cause of the decedent making the trip from McCall to Boise, the real purpose or purposes of the trip, and the circumstances which induced him to make the trip; and what he did from the time he left McCall until he met with the accident on his return trip. The respective witnesses testified substantially as follows:

Sadie Christie, mother of decedent, told of the plan of Ralph and herself to go to the high school play Saturday evening; that he went down to the construction company’s office to draw $5 to pay their “fees into the doings”; of Ralph’s return home in not “quite a half hour”;

“Q. Will you state the conversation had between you and Ralph as near as you can relate it?
“A. He said to me, ‘Mamma, I can’t go to the play’ and I asked him ‘why’ and he said ‘I have got to go to Boise after Harry and I have got to purchase some repairs for the cat’ — that is the caterpillar and they call it the eat. I asked him why he had to go. He said the bookkeeper over there or the superintendent says I have got to get parts for the eat.
“Mr. LANGLEY: Q. Who is the bookkeeper or superintendent you refer to ?
“A. High Dailey. lie said he had to have parts for the cat and Harry, his half brother to come back Monday morning to go to work on one of the shifts on the cat. He says ‘I will be back Sunday morning.’ ”

Elmer Christie, decedent’s brother, testified that he

“asked Yic [timekeeper for respondent] if Ralph went down of his own accord after this caterpillar part just to be going or if they had sent him and Yic said they wanted him to go down after those parts, that Ralph didn’t want to go because him and mother was going to the high school play; that Ralph had been there and drew $5.00 to go to the play on and that Ralph didn’t want to go and miss that because he and mother had not been out very much together. He said Hind-man had to go after Harry and they wanted to go and pick up those parts in Boise.”

[63]*63Dewey Hindman, patrol operator for the company, testified that he went to the timekeeper’s [Vic Milward] office between 9:30 and 10 o’clock; and of receiving a telephone call from Harry.

“A. I received this telephone call and I went down to draw some money and told Vic I was coming here after Harry so he could go to work. Vic wrote me a check for $5.00. Ralph Christie was in there at the time.
“Q. At that time was any further conversation had? Just say ‘yes’ or ‘no.’
“Á. No.
“Q. None between you and Vic. Was there between Vic and somebody else?
“A. Only between Vic and Ralph.
“Q. Will you relate that?
“A. Vie asked Ralph why he didn’t see High [High Dailey, superintendent] and go down and get these cat parts and for him to go down and see High at the crusher.
“Q. Did you hear him ask that?
“A. Yes, that was part of the conversation.
‘ ‘ Q. What else was said ?
“A. Vic told Ralph we had to get these machines to going and he could get hold of the fellows in Boise and get the parts and get them and get back early that night. ’ ’

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Bluebook (online)
81 P.2d 65, 59 Idaho 58, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/christie-v-robinson-construction-co-idaho-1938.