Fitzsimmons v. State Industrial Com.

1925 OK 277, 236 P. 616, 108 Okla. 276, 1925 Okla. LEXIS 170
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedApril 7, 1925
Docket15982
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 1925 OK 277 (Fitzsimmons v. State Industrial Com.) 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
Fitzsimmons v. State Industrial Com., 1925 OK 277, 236 P. 616, 108 Okla. 276, 1925 Okla. LEXIS 170 (Okla. 1925).

Opinion

RILEY, J.

This cause is presented to the court on an appeal from a finding of facts and an order of the| State Industrial Commission awarding the claimant, Charles Fitz-simmons, plaintiff in error, compensation from May 24, 1924, to July 5, 1924, on account of an injury received which rendered the claimant “temporarily totally disabled’’ during said period -of time.

The undisputed facts, as disclosed by the record, relative to the injury are as follows: The claimant was accidentally injured while employed by defendant Klinglesmiith En-geneqring & Construction Company, and hy a wrench to the back of claimant while loading a wheeler or scraper used in removing dirt from the streets of the city of Sa-pulpa. It is. agreed that claimant was Engaged in a hazardous employment. On account of physical disability claimant has been unable to work since the date of the injury. The claim of the injury and disability was .filed by claimant, in due time, with thfj State Industrial Commission against the above named employer and the Aetna Life Insurance Company, 'the insurance carrier. A hearing was had, and the commission made the following finding of facts in its award, over ‘which findings the| dispute arofee: “That as a result of said injury the claimant was temporarily totally disabled from performing his work from May 24 to July 5, 1924.”

The claimant filed his petition and motion to modify ■ the" order of the commission, wherein he sejt up that evidence had been presented showing conclusively the accidental injury and the continuance of disability up to and including the date of Ithe last bearing before the commission, had on October 14, 1924, and claimed that under the Workmen’s Compensation Law he was entitled to continuous compensation ait 66 2-3 per centum of his average weekly wage until hig disability ceased, not exceeding, however, 300 w iee,ks.

On November 12, 1924, the commission overruled the petition and motion of claimant on the grounds that “ithq said petition and motion does not conform to the provisions of Rule 30 of the Rules of the State Industrial C..mmission.” From the order and ruling, claimant perfects his appeal to this count. Rule 30 of the State Industrial Commission is as follows:

“Rehearing. Any party, or parties, aggrieved or dissatisfied with an award, order or decision of the commission may at any time within 30 days after the service of same apply for a rehearing on the grounds that the commission acted without, or in excess of jits power; that the order, decision or award was procured by fraud; (that the evidence does not justify the findings; that the applicant has discovered new Evidence; that the findings do- not support the order, decision or award. * * * If the grounds upon which a rehearing is requested aire (hat the evidence does not justify the findings, or that the findings do not support the decision or award, the application or motion shall state specifically -wherein the findings are not supported by evidence or wherein the decision or award is not justified by the findings. * * *
“The movant: shall file with the commission four typewritten copies of such motion; anj if it is desired to present argument thereon, four typewritten copies of brief together -wit}h] proof of! servicie -of a copy thereof upon -the adverse party or panties, or attorney of record for such parties. Such motion for rehearing and brief in support thereof will thereupon be examined by the commission and if, in its opinion, justice will be subserved thereby, a rehearing will be granted and the award, order, or decision complained of will be vacated within 25 day® from the date thereof.”

The last, paragraph of the above rule was added by amendment on November 17, 1924.

The petition and motion of claimant was filed with the commission and acted on by it on November 12, 1924, and overruled five days before the amended Rule 30 took effect. No doubt the commission bad in mind the amehdéd Rule 30 when it overruled the petition and motion of claimant, in that Claimant had not compiled with the amended rule in gi'tdng notice and furnishing the four copies, as required. It is observed that such *278 was not required by the rule in force at the date of the filing and overruling of the petition and motion of plaintiff. It appears that claimant had complied with the rule of the commission in force at the time th^ petition and motion was so filed.

The claimant presents two assignments of error, which are as follows: First, the commission committed an error or mistake in its conclusion that the disability ceased and the compensation to claimant should stop at the date fixed by it, July 5, 1924?, and is contrary Ito its findings of facts and laiwi applicable. Second, tbe commission was in error in refusing to correct its order under the petition and motion filed therefor and overruled by it on November 12, 1924.

The one question considered here is whether there is any competent evidence reasonably tending to support the findings, order, and award of the State Industrial Commission, in that part of the findings of facts by tbe State Industrial Commission tbe temporary Itotal disability, resulting from tbe injury sustained on May 24, 1924, ceased on thq' date of July 5, 1924. Choctaw Portland Cement Company v. Lamb, 79 Okla. 109, 189 Pac. 750; Board of County Commissioners v. Barr, 68 Okla. 193, 173 Pac. 206; Wilson Lumber Company v. Wilson, 77 Okla. 312, 183 Pac. 667; Stephenson v. State Industrial Commission, 79 Okla. 228, 192 Pac. 530; Booth & Flynn v. Cook, 79 Okla. 280, 139 Pac. 36.

The claimant showed by testimony which was undisputed that at the time of the last hearing hereon, October 14, 1924, he was yet disabled from performing any kind of work. It was undisputed that he performed satisfactory work up until the time of the injury and that prior thereto he had never suffered any kind of injury, but bad performed tbe hardest kind of labor in firing a 'freight locomotive, digging ditches, shoveling shale, lifting rock, and loading “wheelers.” .

The defense was that claimant had a growth or disease, a bony formation connected with the vertebra, 'known as “osteoarthritis” or “ankylosis,’’ but, as heretofore recited, the evidence showed claimant continuously performing heavy manual labor until the itime of the injury, which injury resulted in. a finding by the State Industrial Commission of temporary total disability on the part of claimant. No witnesses fixed the time or the date when this disability ceased, ..nor do any of the eminent physicians who. .testified, nor, other witnesses, for that matter, fix the time or date of the beginning of disability from “osit^o-arthritis” or "ankylosis.”

L)r. Levy testified;

“Q. If, before this injury this man was. able to perform labor of tbe character he. was performing at the time he was injured, un.ess therd was something to disturb that condition that existed there, he could have continued a fairly well or physical man, could he not? A. Yes, sir. Q. The kind of injury you found this man suffering from at this time, you took the N-<ray, if that had been existing for 30 days before that time, at which time, he was able to perform manual labor without pain, would naturally result in aggravation oif such an existing condition, would it not? A. Yes, sir; it w would.”

Dr.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1925 OK 277, 236 P. 616, 108 Okla. 276, 1925 Okla. LEXIS 170, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/fitzsimmons-v-state-industrial-com-okla-1925.