City of Tulsa Water Department v. Barnes

1935 OK 174, 41 P.2d 809, 170 Okla. 601, 1935 Okla. LEXIS 777
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedFebruary 26, 1935
Docket25290
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 1935 OK 174 (City of Tulsa Water Department v. Barnes) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
City of Tulsa Water Department v. Barnes, 1935 OK 174, 41 P.2d 809, 170 Okla. 601, 1935 Okla. LEXIS 777 (Okla. 1935).

Opinion

WELCH, J.

On October 10, 1931, claimant received a personal injury while in the employ of the City of Tulsa Water Department. The injury was caused by a blow on the left side of the head by an iron pipe, received while he was dragging the pipe into a ditch, and resulting in a fracture of the skull. The injury was such as to be within the terms and contemplation of the Workmen’s Compensation Law of this state.

Proper claim was filed and proceedings had before the Industrial Commission, and considerable testimony was heard by the Commission in July and September of 1932, relating to the nature and extent of the injury and disability caused thereby. After the taking of this testimony an agreement was entered into by the parties on form 14, os provided by the Commission, and filed in the cause on September 30, 1932. This agreement was approved by the Commission on October 6, 1932, the order approving same specifically reciting the terms of the agreement as follows:

“* * * iphe agreement shows that the respondent and its insurance carrier have agreed to pay and the claimant has agreed to accept the sum of $115.45 or 7% weeks compensation at the rate of $15.39 per week on account of the 7% per cent, permanent loss of hearing in claimant’s left ear due to an accidental injury sustained by the claimant on the 10th day of October, 1931: claimant having been paid compensation for temporary total disability in the sum of $343.70 prior to this date, by terms of this agreement, claimant to receive an additional sum of $166.72, or 10 weeks’ and 5 days’ compensation, for temporary total disability, the respondent and its insurance carrier to pay all medical and hospital bills incurred by reason of said accidental injury. * * *”

On June 22, 1933, the claimant filed his motion to reopen the cause for further award upon change in condition, alleging therein that since the approval of the agreement on October 6, 1932, he had suffered a change in condition, in that his general physical condition had grown worse, and that he at the time of the filing of the motion was unable to engage in any manual labor. He alleged, further, that since the *602 prior award he had suffered from severe dizzy spells, which have increased in number and severity, and that he has become subject to epileptic seizures of great severity, all of which he alleges to be the direct result of the injury.

Hearings were conducted upon this motion at which the testimony of some eight or ten witnesses was taken. Most of the witnesses were doctors who had examined claimant. On December 8, 1933, the Commission made its further order wherein it found that claimant’s condition had changed for the worse since the prior award, and further found that he was “now temporarily totally disabled and in need of further medical care and treatment.” An award was made in conformity with these findings. It is this order of December 8, 1933, which petitioners seek to vacate in this action.

The evidence discloses, without dispute on the part of claimant, that at the time of the injury claimant already had a bony growth on his left forehead. The evidence further indicates that this growth was in front of the fracture, the line of fracture apparently beginning behind claimant’s left ear and extending forward and terminating before reaching this growth. There is some testimony to the effect that the injury may have affected or involved this growth. This growth is referred to in the testimony as a tumor, lesion, osteoma, exostosis, bony growth, pathological condition, bone destruction, bone waste, and excess calcification.

Petitioners urge as grounds for vacating the award several distinct propositions, all of which, however, relate to the sufficiency of the evidence to support the findings and award. The applicable rule in such cases is well established, and is restated in syllabus 1 of Pine v. Nowlin et al., 153 Okla. 111, 5 P. (2d) 118, as follows:

“In a proceeding in the Supreme Court to review an order of the State Industrial Commission, such proceeding is to review errors of law and not of fact; the finding of fact by the Industrial Commission is conclusive upon the court and will not be vacated by the court where there is any competent evidence reasonably tending to support the same. Stringtown Crushed Rock Co. v. Industrial Commission, 128 Okla. 188, 261 P. 973.”

The first proposition urged is that the claimant failed to show a change in condition between the date of the original award and the date of hearing.

An examination of the record on this point discloses that the claimant testified that beginning about March, 1933, he commenced to have fainting spells, when he entirely lost consciousness for a period of time from one hour to seven or eight hours, and that these spells occurred about every ten, 15, or 20 days since March, 1933; that he did not have any such spells prior to March, 1933, and that he had suffered no kind of injury since September, 1932. He stated that he had been unable to do any heavy labor during such period of time; at the same time he testified that he and family had done some garden work, and that he had worked at “made work,” earning about $10 per month, but that at the time of his testimony he was unable to do manual labor.

On cross-examination he stated that he suffered from headaches at the time of the prior award, but that his headaches were more severe all of the time. That outside of the headaches and the fainting spells he was able to observe no appreciable difference in his physical condition from the time of the first award to the date of hearing. Dr. E. P. Nesbitt testified that the convulsions with which claimant was suffering -were becoming worse, and that he was in worse condition at the time of hearing than when the doctor had first seen him a few months prior thereto; he stated as his opinion that these convulsions were caused by pressure on the brain as a result of the fracture, and that such injury would likely cause the claimant to become progressively worse. Dr. McKenzie testified on this point as follows:

“Q. Now, Doctor, assuming that since March, 1933, he has developed those seizures —what we laymen call fits — what would you say as to whether or not his condition has changed since September, 1932? A. I would say, though I couldn’t find any physical evidence outside of signs of slight irritation of the brain — I would say his mental condition or nervous symptoms has changed remarkable. Q. For better or worse? A. Worse. ”

There is evidence in the record to the effect that claimant did not suffer these spells prior to March, 1933, and the history of the case referred to in the quoted questions and answers likewise finds ample support from the record here.

In view of the foregoing testimony, we hold that there is competent evidence to support the findings and conclusions of the Commission that the condition of claimant had changed for the worse since the order and award of October 6, 1932.

Petitioners next assert that claimant’s dis *603 ability did not result from the injury. They contend that the disability shown and claimed by the claimant was the result of this bony growth which he had on his head prior to the injury.

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Bluebook (online)
1935 OK 174, 41 P.2d 809, 170 Okla. 601, 1935 Okla. LEXIS 777, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/city-of-tulsa-water-department-v-barnes-okla-1935.