Depue v. Barsh Truck Lines

1972 OK 5, 493 P.2d 80, 1972 Okla. LEXIS 263
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedJanuary 18, 1972
Docket44531
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 1972 OK 5 (Depue v. Barsh Truck Lines) 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
Depue v. Barsh Truck Lines, 1972 OK 5, 493 P.2d 80, 1972 Okla. LEXIS 263 (Okla. 1972).

Opinion

WILLIAMS, Justice:

There is presented here for review an order of the State Industrial Court, sitting en banc, sustaining an order of the trial judge denying the petitioner, Bobby Lee Depue, claimant below, additional medical benefits after he had received total and permanent disability benefits of five hundred weeks for the total and permanent loss of use of both legs. Petitioner will be referred to as claimant and respondents as respondents, same being the relationship the parties bore to each other before the State Industrial Court. The State Industrial Court will be referred to as the “trial court”.

Claimant on November 13, 1962, while working at a hazardous occupation for respondents sustained serious injuries when the wall of a building fell on him, causing him eventually to have a total and permanent loss of use of both legs.

Claimant’s total permanent disability status was determined in a third order (that of Jan. 22, 1970, adopted and affirmed by the trial court en banc on appeal on Mar. 2, 1970) issued after two previous awards of compensation for permanent partial disability.

Claimant had first received an award of permanent partial disability by an order dated December 23, 1964, affirmed by the trial court en banc in February next thereafter. In that order, the trial court then had also found and ordered that respondent and insurance carrier should “pay all reasonable medical bills for necessary medical treatment by reason of said injury.”

Thereafter by order of August 22, 1968, the trial court on motion to reopen on a change of claimant’s condition for the worse had made an award for additional permanent partial disability. It further had ordered the payment of all claimant’s medical expenses incurred since the date of the first award.

Thereafter claimant filed a second motion to reopen on a change of condition for the worse. In a hearing before the trial judge on December 9, 1969, pursuant to which the described third (Jan. 22, 1970) order was issued, counsel for the parties agreed that one issue then before the court was as to whether claimant’s permanent partial disability by reason of change of condition for the worse should be determined to have become total and permanent.

Counsel for respondents then stated to the Court that,

“In addition to the question as to the amount which the Court can award at this time being in issue — there is a further issue that the claimant contends, since this award of August 22, 1968, he had incurred additional medical expense and that future medical is likely — in fact, he has medical saying that the man may have to have both legs amputated.”

In such third order, claimant was found entitled to 106.25 weeks additional compensation. The amount was ordered to be paid in a lump sum within 20 days and was paid as later acknowledged by claimant.

In that third order, the trial court also ordered that respondents pay all reasonable medical expenses incurred by claimant as a result of his accidental personal injury of November 13, 1962, since the date of the previous order of August 22, 1968.

Thereafter, on April 17, 1970, claimant filed his “Motion to Reopen Upon Change Of Condition For The Worse For Additional Medical Only.” Therein, as has been noted, he acknowledged receipt of payment of medical expense and balance of compensation for permanent total disability as ordered January 22, 1970, affirmed on *82 appeal March 2, 1970. Claimant stated he had had emergency hospitalization after the last award and had requested the insurance carrier to pay therefor and it had declined. He alleged :

“That subsequent to the above described last award, claimant had had a change of condition for the worse requiring further medical treatment and hospitalization and is in need of continuing medical treatment in the future in an effort to prevent the amputation of his legs or to pay for the same dependent upon his response to continuing hospitalization and medical treatment, all as more fully shown by” physicians’ statements attached.

The undisputed medical evidence establishes that claimant needs additional medical care and treatment.

The trial judge entered an order as follows :

“1
“That heretofore and on January 22, 1970, there was an order issued herein by Judge A. L. Voth finding that claimant had a change of condition for the worse since the court’s order of August 22, 1968 and was now 100 per cent permanently and totally disabled.
“2
“That this hearing is based upon a motion of claimant to reopen upon change of condition for the worse for additional medical treatment only, filed in the State Industrial Court on April 17, 1970.
“3
“That by reason of the order of January 22, 1970 finding the claimant to be 100 per cent permanently and totally disabled, the State Industrial Court has no jurisdiction to make any further orders pertaining to this accident and claimant’s motion is denied.”

The order of the trial judge denying the claim by a divided vote was approved by the State Industrial Court, sitting en banc.

In Oklahoma Planning and Resources Board v. Herren, Okl., 341 P.2d 599, we held that the State Industrial Court was not justified in entering an award for additional medical expense, after the claimant had received an award for permanent total disability. In Orrick Stone Co. v. Jeffries, Okl.1971, 488 P.2d 1243, we specifically overruled the Herren case and held that an injured workman was entitled to receive additional medical benefits after having been paid 300 weeks temporary total disability benefits under the provisions of 85 O.S.1961, § 22(2), now 85 O.S.1971, § 22(2).

■ The pertinent portion of 85 O.S.1961, § 14, now 85 O.S.1971, § 14 requiring an employer to furnish an injured employee with medical treatment, provides: “The employer shall promptly provide for an injured employee such medical, surgical or other attendance or treatment, nurse and hospital service, medicine, crutches, and apparatus as may be necessary during sixty (60) days after the injury or for such time in excess thereof as in the judgment of the court may be required.”

85 O.S.1961, § 22(1), now 85 O.S.1971, § 22(1) relating to the payment of permanent total disability, provides: “Permanent Total Disability. In case of total disability adjudged to be permanent, sixty-six and two-thirds percent (66⅜;%) of the average weekly wages shall be paid to the employee during the continuance of such total disability not exceeding five hundred (500) weeks; loss of both hands, or both feet, or both legs, or both eyes, or any two (2) thereof, shall, in the absence of conclusive proof to the contrary, constitute permanent total disability. In all other cases, permanent total disability shall be determined in accordance with the facts.”

Sections 14 and 22(1), supra, are not combinable so as to make the 300-week limitation on temporary total compensation payments or 500-week limitation on total permanent compensation payments applicable to limit the period during which payments for medical care must be made. An injured party is entitled to the benefits of both sections. McMurtry Bros. v.

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Bluebook (online)
1972 OK 5, 493 P.2d 80, 1972 Okla. LEXIS 263, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/depue-v-barsh-truck-lines-okla-1972.