City of Bridgeport v. Barnes

591 S.W.2d 939, 1979 Tex. App. LEXIS 4407
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedNovember 29, 1979
DocketNo. 18189
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 591 S.W.2d 939 (City of Bridgeport v. Barnes) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
City of Bridgeport v. Barnes, 591 S.W.2d 939, 1979 Tex. App. LEXIS 4407 (Tex. Ct. App. 1979).

Opinion

OPINION

SPURLOCK, Justice.

This is an appeal in a worker’s compensation case from a jury verdict finding a worker totally and permanently disabled. The main question for determination is whether there is sufficient evidence in the record to support the jury’s finding that the stroke injury suffered by the worker resulted from an occupational disease, to-wit: “[Rjepetitious physical traumatic activities extending over a period of time and arising in the course of employment; . . . .” Tex.Rev.Civ.Stat.Ann. art. 8306 § 20 (Supp. 1978-79).

We affirm as modified.

Ira Barnes was a water and sewage superintendent for the City of Bridgeport. He suffered a stroke on September 1, 1977 shortly after strenuous physical exertion in repacking a city water pump in the course of his employment. The parties agree that Barnes is totally and permanently disabled as the stroke paralyzed one side of his body and has left him unable to speak or write. Barnes made, through his wife, a claim for compensation alleging that the stroke resulted from overexertion in repacking the pump.

After the Industrial Accident Board denied his claim Barnes filed suit alleging his stroke resulted from his overexertion in repacking the pump or alternatively from repetitious physical traumatic activity extending over a period of months before his stroke. The trial court defined injury in its jury charge as follows:

“ ‘INJURY’ means damage or harm to the physical structure of the body occurring as the result of repetitious physical traumatic activities extending over a period of time and such diseases or infection as naturally result therefrom, or the incitement, acceleration, or aggravation of any disease, infirmity, or condition, previously or subsequently existing, by reason of such damage or harm.”

The jury found that Barnes sustained an injury on September 1, 1977 while in the course of his employment. The jury also found that this injury totally and permanently incapacitated him. The City admits that Barnes is totally and permanently incapacitated. The trial court rendered judgment that Barnes recover for total and permanent incapacity and for $26,565.20 in medical and nursing expenses.

The City assigns six points of error. In five of its points it claims that there is no evidence in the record of any repetitious physical traumatic activity extending over a period of time and arising in the course of employment. It concludes that the trial court erred in instructing the jury in its charge that injury means harm or damage resulting from such repetitious physical traumatic activity and that the jury’s finding of injury is unsupported by any evidence. It also contends that the injury finding is so against the great weight and preponderance of the evidence as to be manifestly wrong and* unjust.

As the City recognized in its brief, in deciding a no evidence question a reviewing court considers only the evidence and infer-[941]*941enees supporting the jury’s verdict and disregards all contrary evidence. Garza v. Alviar, 395 S.W.2d 821 (Tex.1965). A thorough review of the record in this case reveals evidence that some months before Barnes’s stroke the City was experiencing problems with its water system. The City was understaffed and under pressure to alleviate the problems. The situation required Barnes to work even longer hours than his usual seven day work week required. There is also evidence that Barnes’s work schedule was tiring him and was stressful. He complained several times to the city council that he was working too many hours and needed to be relieved. In addition to the evidence of overexertion in repacking the pump shortly before his stroke, there was also evidence that Barnes had worked late at night repairing broken water lines several times before his stroke.

In deciding whether the evidence above supports the jury’s finding of injury resulting from an occupational disease we are guided by two cases. In Employers Commercial Union Ins. Co. v. Schmidt, 509 S.W.2d 398 (Tex.Civ.App.—Eastland 1974, writ ref’d n. r. e., 516 S.W.2d 117), the trial court’s judgment awarded compensation to a worker who developed chronic myositis or trapezius syndrome from manipulating small watch components with her hands and writs while sitting in a stooped posture with her shoulders and upper arms in a fixed position. In Standard Fire Ins. Co. v. Ratcliff, 537 S.W.2d 355 (Tex.Civ.App.—Waco 1976, no writ), compensation was awarded a worker for the temporary total loss of use of her right leg resulting from aggravation of a pre-existing injury to her right knee. The worker operated a sewing machine which required her to use her right leg to push a lever. This activity caused her knee to become swollen and inflamed.

From a thorough review of these cases and the Supreme Court’s opinion in Transportation Insurance Company v. Maksyn, 580 S.W.2d 334 (Tex.1979), it is our opinion that Barnes is required to show more than that his work merely tired him. He must show continuing overexertion and exhaustion of sufficient magnitude to be injurious. We decide that the evidence as outlined above is sufficient to support the jury’s verdict. It is evidence from which the jury could properly infer that Barnes’s stroke was caused by repetitious physical traumatic activity. Further, when considered in light of all the other evidence in this case we do not find that the jury’s verdict is so against the great weight and preponderance of the evidence as to be manifestly wrong and unjust. Although there was some contrary evidence it was certainly within the jury’s province to have reached this verdict. We overrule the no evidence, insufficient evidence points and point of error concerning the court submitting a definition of injury in terms of occupational disease. We overrule points of error nos. 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6.

By its fourth point of error the City complains that the trial court erred in allowing Barnes to recover for medical, hospital and drug charges because there is no evidence of the amount of these expenses. Barnes was treated in a Veterans Administration Hospital. The City claims the Veterans Administration expenses are no evidence because the Veterans Administration rather than Barnes is the proper party to sue for the expenses. It contends that because the Industrial Accident Board in its findings and orders denied the claim of the Veterans Administration as an independent claimant, the Veterans Administration was a necessary party to an appeal. Thus the City concludes the trial court never acquired jurisdiction over the claim for expenses incurred with the Veterans Administration. We do not agree.

The City cites Latham v. Security Insurance Co. of Hartford, 491 S.W.2d 100 (Tex.1972), as authority for its contention that unless an independent claimant files its own appeal, the award of the Industrial Accident Board is final as to it. In Latham a compensation claimant received an award [942]

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591 S.W.2d 939, 1979 Tex. App. LEXIS 4407, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/city-of-bridgeport-v-barnes-texapp-1979.