Compensation Case of Wright v. Wyoming State Training School

255 P.2d 211, 71 Wyo. 173, 1953 Wyo. LEXIS 9
CourtWyoming Supreme Court
DecidedMarch 31, 1953
Docket2586
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 255 P.2d 211 (Compensation Case of Wright v. Wyoming State Training School) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Wyoming Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Compensation Case of Wright v. Wyoming State Training School, 255 P.2d 211, 71 Wyo. 173, 1953 Wyo. LEXIS 9 (Wyo. 1953).

Opinion

*175 OPINION

Riner, Justice:

This case arose under the Workmen’s Compensation Law of the State of Wyoming. Nova Wright employee and claimant, here the appellant, and usually so designated herein or by her given and surnames, brings these direct appeal proceedings against the Wyoming State Training School, the employer and now the respondent herein. The respondent will hereinafter be usually designated as the “School” or as the defendant. The school is located at Lander, Wyoming. Mrs. Wright, was, previous to the date of the illness she suffered, an employee of the school and worked in the dispensary thereof. Her claim for award reads in its material portion as follows:

“2. That said employee was injured as above stated at the time and in the manner following to-wit: Dermatitis covering the entire body, while working in the dispensary which is part of the Infirmary, caused by contact of some medicine. As the result of said injury Employee is claiming compensation for October 18 to December 18, 1951 in the amount of S184.00.
“3. That said accident was not due solely to the culpable-negligence of the employee herein.
“4. That an award of compensation from the Industrial Accident Fund of the State of Wyoming should be made as provided by the ‘Workmen’s Compensation Law’ of said State.
“5. That as a direct result of injuries the employee has been incapacitated from performing any work at *176 any gainful occupation from the 18 day of Oct. 19., to the . day of ., 19., (both dates inclusive), and that said employee has not fully recovered.”

The Lander Medical Clinic presented a claim against the Workmen’s Compensation Fund in the sum of |38.00 for services rendered Mrs. Wright. As will be presently seen both of these claims were denied by the presiding District Court Judge and this appeal was ordered by him. The facts involved are very little in controversy — if at all. An abstract of the testimony submitted in the case is as follows:

Mrs. Wright testified in her own behalf claiming an award for a skin infection, which the doctor she consulted, classified as dermatitis. This trouble consists, as she explained, thus: “Well, I don’t really know how except that at the time I took violently sick, they say I swelled up twice my normal size and started losing my skin, and when it left, it left more or less blotches like I still have. I still have the dermatitis.” That she became sick and consulted the doctor and: “It started in April, I consulted the doctor for the state school, Dr. Wilmoth about it at that time, it wasn’t too bad, I didn’t think too much about it, then I got terribly sick and contacted the doctor October 18, 1951.” She testified that she had never suffered or been subject to any such attack or any sickness prior to this in her lifetime; that no reason was given for the cause of this trouble; that she does not remember right off-hand but she could have had skin abrasions on her body with the work that she was doing at that time., At the time she became sick she was working in the dispensary in an infirmary at the Wyoming State Training School. In the course of her duties at the infirmary she gave medicine and things like that. At the time she became terribly sick she received treatments for this dermatitis and the first treatment was received in October 1951; *177 that she has subsequently received treatment since then by Dr. Holtz. Dr. Holtz sent her down to Dr. Lingenfelter, of Denver, who examined her and gave her treatment during the latter part of November or December 1951; Dr. Lingenfelter then returned her to Dr. Holtz for further treatment. She has not worked at the infirmary since becoming sick and has not been able to work in any capacity since that time. She actually ceased working in the infirmary about October 16, 1951; that at the time of the hearing she was not able to work. The doctors have not told her when she will be able to go back to work. The reason she is unable to go to work at this time is because she still has dermatitis and that she has been unable to check it or clear it up. She does not believe the trouble to be contagious as she has four youngsters and neither they nor her husband have contracted it. She is still receiving treatment from the doctors and as yet they have not released her to go to work. The doctor who is treating her is giving her cortone shots; Dr. Lingenfelter, in Denver, had her take phenolbars and concentrated oatmeal and also gave her therapy treatment in his office. His diagnosis of the trouble is dermatitis.

In April 1951 she noticed a breaking out or rash which would come and go and she stated that there was aj case in the infirmary and some of the children were being treated with alum lotion and this was the lotion which was being used at the time she became terribly sick. She had been using the lotion in April when she first noticed the rash. She continued to work from the first appearance of the rash until about October 18th. On October 16, she had quite a rash on her leg so she consulted Mr. Wilson, the Superintendent of the Training School, about it. He said for her to consult a doctor and find about it. She then consulted Dr. Holtz on the 16th of October 1951 and he advised her not to go back *178 to work any more. She did not go back to work and her husband had to call the doctor and he took her to the hospital; at that time she was terribly sick. During the night of October 18th, 1951, she swelled terribly and as a result was taken to the hospital and remained there for two weeks under the care of Dr. Holtz. After that she was released and went back to her home where Dr. Holtz continued to treat her; that he then sent her to Denver to Dr. Lingenfelter in November 1951; that she was in a hospital in Denver about two weeks altogether. Mrs. Wright testified the solution she was using to treat the children at the infirmary has a mercury content; that she doesn’t really know that she was able to contract skin trouble such as dermatitis from the nature of her duties in the infirmary; that she had never had anything like it before. A Mrs. Wardell replaced Mrs. Wright in the job at the dispensary; that Mrs. Wardell contracted this same af-flication and she had to quit to go to a doctor. Mrs. Wardell was replaced by Mrs. Winkelman who is at the present time working in the dispensary. The claimant has reason to believe the mercury in this solution aggravated or brought out this dermatitis because at the time she first became sick the doctor she contacted advised her she had contacted poison. That’s all she had to go on.

Mr. G. M. Wilson, Superintendent of the Wyoming State Training School, testified that he is reasonably familiar with the sickness of Mrs. Wright; that he is not a physician but was her employer; her sickness first came to his attention in April 1951 when he saw her arms and wrists. They were inflamed. The case was then referred to Dr. Wilmoth, the School’s physician, who suggested some palliative treatment and either the treatment or the general condition of Mrs. Wright resulted in the condition being alleviated for *179 a time.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Employers Mutual Casualty Co. v. Bartile Roofs, Inc.
618 F.3d 1153 (Tenth Circuit, 2010)
Matlack v. MOUNTAIN WEST FARM BUREAU MUT. INSURANCE COMPANY
2002 WY 60 (Wyoming Supreme Court, 2002)
Hanks v. City of Casper
2001 WY 4 (Wyoming Supreme Court, 2001)
Reisig v. Union Insurance Company
870 P.2d 1066 (Wyoming Supreme Court, 1994)
Johnson v. Aetna Casualty & Surety Co. of Hartford
630 P.2d 514 (Wyoming Supreme Court, 1981)
Olson v. Federal American Partners
567 P.2d 710 (Wyoming Supreme Court, 1977)
Mitchell v. Vondra
448 P.2d 313 (Wyoming Supreme Court, 1968)
Picquet v. Toye Bros. Yellow Cab Co.
77 So. 2d 569 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1955)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
255 P.2d 211, 71 Wyo. 173, 1953 Wyo. LEXIS 9, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/compensation-case-of-wright-v-wyoming-state-training-school-wyo-1953.