Consolidated Underwriters v. Strahand

96 S.W.2d 114, 1936 Tex. App. LEXIS 759
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJuly 11, 1936
DocketNo. 2973.
StatusPublished

This text of 96 S.W.2d 114 (Consolidated Underwriters v. Strahand) 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
Consolidated Underwriters v. Strahand, 96 S.W.2d 114, 1936 Tex. App. LEXIS 759 (Tex. Ct. App. 1936).

Opinion

O’QUINN, Justice.

This is a compensation case. Wier Long Leaf Lumber Company was the employer, appellee, Kinzie Strahand, the employee, and appellant, Consolidated Underwriters, the insurer.

This suit grew out of the following facts: On July 11, 1932, while in the course of his employment as a log cutter for the Wier Long Leaf Lumber Company, in Newton county, Tex., appellee received an injury of which he- gave personal notice to his employer on July 13, 1932, and also informed Dr. F. E. McAlister, the company physician, and, in accordance with the usual procedure, this notice and information was given appellant, the insurance carrier," by the employer. Appellee was treated by Dr. Mc-Alister for several weeks, and on August 17, 1932, at the request of appellee, he was permitted to return to work. At this time appellant, having had notice of the injury, and recognizing its liability to appellee for compensation, on August 20, 1932, paid to appellee the sum of $33, that being $1 per day for the time he was not working because of his injury, or $7 per week, that being the weekly wage he was entitled to under the Compensation Law, taking receipt reciting that it was in full settlement of compensation for all injuries sustained by appellee on July 11, 1932. .This receipt was filed with the Industrial Accident Board on August 21, 1932. When appellee returned to work August 17, 1932, he did the same kind of work as before the injury, and received the same rate pay. He worked 7 days in August, 12 days in September, 11 days in October, and 1 day, the 1st, in November. The sawmill was not running regularly at that time — only a few days per *115 week. On November 2d he did not work, and, according- to the record, has not worked any since, claiming that he was then, and ever since has been, totally disabled by reason of the injury received by him on July 11, 1932. On December 19, 1932, ap-pellee filed notice of his injury and his claim with the Industrial Accident Board for compensation for total and permanent disability occasioned by the injury received by him on July 11, 1932. December 14, 1933, the board made its award and ruling on said claim, refusing same on the ground that appellee failed to show that his disability for which the instant claim was made was the result of the injury received by him on July 11, .1932. To this ruling appellee excepted, and duly gave notice that he would not abide same and would appeal same by filing suit in the proper court where the injury occurred, and did duly file this suit in the district court of Newton' county, Tex., to set said award aside and to recover compensation.

Appellee in his petition made the usual and necessary allegations in suits of this nature to entitle him to recover. Appellant answered by general demurrer, general denial, and specially (a) that, if appellee received an injury on July II, 1932, it was but slight and had no lasting effect, and that he recovered from such injury and returned to work on August 17, 1932, and was able to and did perform the same character of work and received the same pay as before said injury, and continued to work until November 1, 1932; (b) that, if ap-pellee was incapacitated to work, his in-capácity or disability was not due in any degree to any injury received by him on July 11, 1932, but such disability, if any, was due solely to diseases existing wholly independent of any injury, if any, he received (naming the diseases or afflictions) on July 11, 1932, and that such injury, if any, in no way produced said-diseases; (c) that appellee represented to it (appellant) that he received an injury on July 13, 1932, and that he was disabled for a period of 33 days, and that appellant paid him $33 in full compensation for said injury and disability on August 20, 1932, after he (ap-pellee) had returned to work, for which appellee then executed and delivered to appellant his receipt acknowledging same as in full compensation for the disability caused by said injury; and (d) that, when appellant paid to appellee said sum of $33 compensation, appellee represented to appellant that his incapacity caused by the injury of July 11, 1932, had fully terminated, and that he had returned to his former employment, which he continued to discharge until November 1, 1932.

The case was tried to a jury upon special issues upon the answers to which judgment for appellee was rendered in the sum of $2,659.80 to be paid in a lump sum. From that judgment appellant brings this appeal.

Appellant’s first assignment is that the court erred in rendering judgment for ap-pellee because no notice had been given by appellee to the employer, the Industrial Accident Board, or the insurer, appellant, of any injury received by him in July, 1932, or that he was claiming compensation for such-injury, until December 19, 1932, some 50 days after he ceased work, which in law was not notice, wherefore the Industrial Accident Board had no jurisdiction to pass upon the claim, and the trial court acquired no jurisdiction by the filing of the suit.

This contention is based upon the facts that the injury occurred on July 11, 1932, which kept appellee from work until August 17, 1932, when he returned to work, and for which appellant paid to appellee the sum of $33 as compensation at the rate of $7 per week; that appellee, as stated in the early part of this opinion, worked several days in August, several in September, and October, and also worked the 1st day of November, when he ceased to work; that no further notice was given by appellee of his injury or incapacity resulting from same until December 19, 1932, when appellee filed notice and claim with the Industrial Accident Board. In other words, under the facts stated, it is contended that appellee “entirely failed to show that he gave notice of the injury and incapacity on which his claim for compensation” is based. The assignment is overruled. The undisputed evidence shows that appellee did receive an injury on July 11, 1932; that he reported this injury to his foreman, and also to the doctor of his employer; that he was treated for his injury by the company doctor, and that the injury was reported to appellant; that appellant recognized its liability, and, when appellee returned to work on August 17, 1932, it paid him $33 compensation because of incapacity resulting from the injury. It then had actual knowledge of the injury appellee had received.

The evidence further plainly showed that, when appellee returned to work on August 17, .1932, he was not .physically able to *116 further perform the duties he had before the injury, and that his fellow workers frequently assisted him in doing his work; that he continued to try to work until November 1, 1932, when his condition was such that he did not work on November 2, 1932, and has not worked at any job for any person or company since. After ceasing to work on November 2, 1932, appellee filed with the Industrial Accident Board notice of his injury of July 11, 1932, and his claim for compensation for total and permanent disability. This claim was rejected by the board, not because proper notice had not been given, but because the board did not think the claim for incapacity after November 1, 1932, was supported by sufficient 'proof. The insurer (appellant) having had notice—actual knowledge—of appellee’s injury occurring on July 11, 1932, and the claim for compensation for total and permanent incapacity resulting on November 2, 1932, from the same identical'injury, further or additional notice of the injury was not required.

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Bluebook (online)
96 S.W.2d 114, 1936 Tex. App. LEXIS 759, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/consolidated-underwriters-v-strahand-texapp-1936.