Fordyce Lumber Company v. Shelton

179 S.W.2d 464, 206 Ark. 1134, 1944 Ark. LEXIS 604
Supreme Court of Arkansas·Decided March 20, 1944·No. 4-7309·Published·Cited by 8 cases

Opinions

Holt, J.

The widow of Robert Shelton filed a petition with the Workmen’s Compensation Commission, asking compensation under the Workmen’s Compensation Law, act 319 of 1939. Her petition was first heard by the Referee of the Commission, who made a finding and entered an order denying an award. Upon an appeal to the full Commission, the action of the Referee denying the award was affirmed. Thereafter, on appeal to the Dallas circuit court, there was a finding that there were not sufficient facts and competent evidence to support the findings of the Commission, and its order denying an award, and accordingly the circuit court reversed the order of the Commission and granted appellee and her dependent child an award against appellant. This appeal followed.

As we view the record, the question presented is one of fact. Appellant says: ‘ ‘ There^ are two main points involved; first, was there an accidental injury, and second, did, Shelton’s death ensue as a result of the injury.”

It was appellee’s contention that her husband, Robert Shelton, January 28, 1942, suffered a strain or injury from lifting, which arose out of, and in the course of his employment, and that this injury caused his death, or aggravated a pre-existing diseased condition, thereby accelerating or hastening his death. In this connection, appellee’s witness, Dr.-White, a negro physician who attended Shelton after his alleged injury, testified that Shelton’s injury caused hemorrhages from the kidneys and was the exciting cause which produced the acute nephritis from which, in his opinion, Shelton died. There was other testimony tending to support appellee’s contention.

The Commission found: “Upon consideration of all the testimony and all the evidence before them, the Conn mission is of the opinion that the death of Robert Shelton on March 11, 1942, was. caused by the natural progression of a diseased condition, wholly unrelated to the alleged accidental injury of January 28, 1942.”

A summary of the facts most favorable to the findings of the Commission is to the following effect: Appellee’s husband, Robert Shelton, at the time of his alleged injury was 36 years of age and had been working for appellant approximately seven years. In the morning of January 28, 1942, Shelton was assisting other employees in loading a piece of timber 6 x 6 x 10, weighing about 135 pounds, into a railroad car.

Jewell Parks, an employee, who was working with Shelton at the time of the alleged injury testified that he saw Shelton get “overbalanced and stepped off of the stack for a distance of about 3 feet and 4 inches. . . . Q. What did he do when he’ got overbalanced? A. Fell off. One foot hit the ground. Elgin asked if it hurt him. He told him‘just another lucky day.’ Q. What did you all do the rest of the afternoon? A. We worked for awhile. When we didn’t have anything else to do, we went back to our regular work, and Robert went back to his regular job. Q. Did he say anything to you about passing any blood that day? A. No, sir, didn’t say anything to me. ’ ’

B. A. Mayhew, appellant’s manager; Hollis Burroughs, under whom Shelton was working at the time; F. A. Gordon, W. T. O’Donnell, other employees of appellant, and Dr. Ward, the first physician to administer to Shelton following the alleged injury, all testified that Shelton made no mention of any injury until some time after it was alleged to have happened. At the end of the day’s work Shelton made no complaint of any injury other than a mashed finger. Two of appellant’s employees with whom Shelton was working at the time complained that Shelton was not doing his part of the work. Witness Parks heard Shelton tell Hollis Burroughs that he was kind of sick that morning, didn’t feel so good. Witness Harris thought Shelton was sick and not able to do much work. Witness O’Donnell testified that Shelton had worked under him since June 16 before his alleged injury; that at first he was a good worker,. but got where he was weak, especially during the last thirty days of his employment, and that he would change him from time to time to different jobs in order to make it easier for Shelton. Witness Gordon testified that he got Shelton to help 'push the timbers and that one of appellant’s employees told him, Gordon, that he might as well not have Shelton over there for the good he was ' doing; that he just wasn’t doing anything. It was about two weeks after the alleged injury before Gordon heard that Shelton claimed an injury.

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Fordyce Lumber Company v. Shelton, 179 S.W.2d 464, 206 Ark. 1134, 1944 Ark. LEXIS 604 (Ark. 1944).

179 S.W.2d 464 (Fordyce Lumber Company v. Shelton) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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