Emmel v. State Compensation Director

145 S.E.2d 29, 150 W. Va. 277, 1965 W. Va. LEXIS 353
CourtWest Virginia Supreme Court
DecidedNovember 16, 1965
Docket12479
StatusPublished
Cited by55 cases

This text of 145 S.E.2d 29 (Emmel v. State Compensation Director) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering West Virginia Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Emmel v. State Compensation Director, 145 S.E.2d 29, 150 W. Va. 277, 1965 W. Va. LEXIS 353 (W. Va. 1965).

Opinion

Caplan, Judge:

The claimant, Harry D. Emmel, an employee of Fesen-meier Brewing Company, while on the latter’s premises, sustained an injury which resulted in his hospitalization. This injury occurred on November 15, 1962 and on May 29, 1963 the claimant filed an application for workmen’s compensation. On July 9, 1963 the then director ruled that the claim was noncompensable, whereupon the claimant protested and hearings were conducted. Thereafter, on December 8, 1964, the director entered an order setting aside his previous ruling and declared this claim to be com- *279 pensable. The latter ruling of the director was affirmed by the workmen’s compensation appeal board and the employer prosecutes this appeal.

An examination of the record of this proceeding reveals that the claimant, on November 15, 1962, was employed by the Fesenmeier Brewing Company in its bottling house where he assisted in the bottle washing operation. He completed that day’s work at 2:30 P.M. and officially checked out on the time clock. At that time, instead of leaving his employer’s premises, he chose to go into the taproom, where he engaged with other employees in drinking beer.

The taproom is located on the premises of the employer and is maintained by it for its customers, employees and guests. Employees are permitted to use the taproom during their lunch period and after working hours, during which times they are served beer free of charge. Also they are allowed a “beer break” each hour, when free beer is available if it is desired. Mr. John Kearney, a vice president of the employer company, testified that the taproom is like a clubroom maintained for the benefit of employees and visitors and that free beer is extra compensation for the employees; that it has been maintained as such since 1934; and that the operation of the taproom is company policy. Several employees testified that it was customary for most of the men who worked at the brewery to go to the taproom at the end of their shifts and drink beer. Although it was a company rule that they were to remain there for no more than half an hour, most of them ordinarily stayed until the taproom closed at 5:00 P.M.

After the claimant had been in the taproom for approximately two hours he expressed a desire to retire to the restroom and left the table for that purpose. As soon as he left the room his friends heard a dull thud in the hallway and hurried out to see what had happened. There they found the claimant on the floor in an unconscious condition. It was apparent that he had fallen and had struck his head on the concrete floor. There were no obstacles in that area which could have caused such a fall and no one could testify as to the reason therefor.

*280 The claimant’s companions attempted to render assistance, after which an ambulance was summoned and he was taken to the Cabell-Huntington Hospital. Before he received any treatment he insisted that his wife take him home, which she finally consented to do. However, later that night the claimant began to suffer extreme pain in his head and he was taken to the St. Mary’s Hospital, where his wife was advised that he should be taken to a brain specialist in Charleston. He was later examined at Charleston Memorial Hospital and then returned to St. Mary’s Hospital in Huntington where he remained for a week. The claimant was then admitted to the Veterans Administration Hospital where it was discovered that he had a fractured skull. He stayed at this hospital from December 7, 1962 until May 5, 1963, after which he was taken to the Morris Memorial Nursing Home in Milton, West Virginia. He was still at this home during the proceedings before the director. The claimant is mentally incompetent and his wife has been appointed his committee by the County Court of Cabell County.

The claimant’s wife testified that prior to this occurrence the claimant had not been subject to fainting spells nor had he had any mental problem. She did say that he drank quite a bit and that she was told by the doctors in Charleston that “his liver was damaged from drinking so much beer”. Since sustaining this injury the claimant has been totally disabled.

On this appeal it is the position of the employer that the appeal board erred in finding that the injuries complained of were sustained by the claimant in the course of and as a result of his employment.

In determining the rights of the parties herein, it is evident that the claimant has the burden of establishing by positive evidence, or by evidence from which the inference can fairly and reasonably be drawn, that he sustained an injury in the course of and resulting from his employment. Such proof is required under the provisions of Code, 1931, 23-4-1, as amended, which clearly state that before injured *281 workmen are entitled to payment from the compensation fund it must be determined that their injuries have occurred “ in the course of and resulting from their employment”. This Court has repeatedly so held. Deverick v. State Compensation Director, 150 W. Va. 145, 144 S. E. 2d 498; Hayes v. State Compensation Director, 149 W. Va. 220, 140 S. E. 2d 443; Shapaka v. State Compensation Commissioner, 146 W. Va. 319, 119 S. E. 2d 821; Claytor v. State Compensation Commissioner, 144 W. Va. 103, 106 S. E. 2d 920; Miller v. State Compensation Commissioner, 126 W. Va. 78, 27 S. E. 2d 586; Damron v. State Compensation Commissioner, 109 W. Va. 343, 155 S. E. 119; Machala v. Ott, Compensation Commissioner, 108 W. Va. 391, 151 S. E. 313. See also 21A M. J., Workmen’s Compensation, §31.

The two phrases, “in the course of” and “resulting from” are not synonymous and both elements must concur in order to make a claim compensable. The statute is in the conjunctive and not the disjunctive. Damron v. State Compensation Commissioner, 109 W. Va. 343, 155 S. E. 119; 21A M. J., Workmen’s Compensation, §31; 58 Am. Jur., Workmen’s Compensation, § 210. Therefore, in the instant case it must be shown that the injury complained of occurred not only in the course of employment but also as a result of such employment.

The circumstances surrounding the subject injury must be considered fully in making a determination of compen-sability. The claimant had officially terminated his day’s employment and of his own choice went to the taproom to drink beer. According to company rules he was permitted to remain in the taproom for half an hour. Yet, this injury occurred at least two hours after his day’s employment had ended. This Court has held that where an employee voluntarily remains on the premises of his employer after his shift of employment has terminated, an injury received during that time will not warrant a finding that it occurred in the course of or resulting from his employment. Damron v. State Compensation Commissioner, 109 W. Va. 343, 155 S. E. 119. This injury did not occur within the period of the claimant’s employment or at the place where he rea *282 sonably should be in performing his duties.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
145 S.E.2d 29, 150 W. Va. 277, 1965 W. Va. LEXIS 353, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/emmel-v-state-compensation-director-wva-1965.