Gulf Casualty Co. v. Archer

118 S.W.2d 976, 1938 Tex. App. LEXIS 72
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJune 23, 1938
DocketNo. 3683.
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 118 S.W.2d 976 (Gulf Casualty Co. v. Archer) 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
Gulf Casualty Co. v. Archer, 118 S.W.2d 976, 1938 Tex. App. LEXIS 72 (Tex. Ct. App. 1938).

Opinion

WALTPIALL, Justice.

This appeal is prosecuted from a judgment in the District Court of Pecos County, Texas, in which appellee was awarded a recovery against appellant of $5,592.22 under the Workmen’s Compensation Act, Vernon’s Ann.Civ.St. art. 8306 et seq.

Appellee filed two suits in the way of separate appeals from two proceedings instituted by him before the Industrial Accident Board. The two suits were consolidated by the trial court and amended pleadings were filed in the cause as consolidated.

In his amended petition appellee alleged, as his first ground of complaint, that on or about June 1, 1936, while employed by Gulf Oil Corporation as a pumper in the Yates field, he received an accidental injury by breathing poisonous gas and gas fumes resulting in active tuberculosis in both lungs, kidney infection and a heart ailment; that by reason thereof he was rendered totally and permanently incapacitated as a workman within the contemplation of the Workmen’s Compensation Act.

As the second ground of complaint appel-lee alleged that on or about July 7, 1936, while likewise employed and working as a pumper for Gulf Oil Corporation in the Yates field, he fell through a ladder a distance of about four feet which resulted in personal injuries to his back, sides, hips, including a fracture with lateral displacements of the lumbar vertebra and a marked subluxation of the right sacroiliac joint, etc.; that at the said time he, appel-lee, was afflicted with chronic arthritis in his lumbar vertebra which was aggravated by the fall; that by reason of said injuries he is totally and permanently incapacitated for work, and is entitled to full compensation in a lump sum, provided for in the Workmen’s Compensation Law.

The Industrial Accident Board refused appellee compensation for the injuries alleged to have been sustained on June 1, 1936, but awarded him compensation for injuries alleged to have been sustained on July 7, 1936, on the basis of fifty per cent incapacity for a period of fifty-two weeks.

At the request of appellee’s counsel the jury did not answer the questions submitted to them for alleged incapacity caused by inhaling gas on June 1, 1936, but found in answer to other questions that injuries were sustained by appellee in his fall from the ladder on July 7, 1936, which resulted in total and permanent incapacity. On the jury’s verdict the court rendered 'judgment for appellee in a lump sum of $5,599.22, apportioning same two-thirds to appellee and one-third to his attorneys.

The court overruled appellant’s motion for a new trial, and appellant appeals.

*978 Opinion

As noted in the above statement appel-lee filed two separate suits in the District Court of Pecos County in his appeal from the proceedings of the Industrial Accident Board. In one suit, referred to as the first, appellee claims an accidental injury on June 1, 1936, by breathing poisonous gas and gas fumes resulting in active tuberculosis, kidney infection and heart ailment, by reason of which injury appellee claimed total and permanent incapacity. In the second suit appellee claimed total and permanent incapacity on account of a fall through a ladder on July 7, 1936, in, which he alleges injury to his back, sides, hips, fracture with lateral displacements of the lumbar vertebra and a sub-luxation of the right sacroiliac joint, etc. In his amended petition filed after the order of consolidation of the two suits, appellee pleaded, in separate counts, the two causes of action substantially as in the two suits. In the instruction to the jury the court submitted the facts pertaining to the two causes of action and asked for findings on the facts as submitted. The court heard evidence on both causes as pleaded by both parties, and submitted the issues of fact to the jury. The first eleven issues submitted had reference to appellee’s first cause of action, that is, to the alleged injury caused by breathing poisonous gas and gas fumes on June 1, 1936 and causing tuberculosis. In appel-lee’s opening argument to the jury one of appellee’s counsel stated to the jury that they “need not answer the first eleven special issues submitted to them,” and the jury made no findings on such issues, .but made findings on all issues submitted having reference to the second alleged cause of action as happening on July 7, 1936, in falling from the ladder.

The evidence tended to show that for some years prior to the first day of June, 1936, ^appellee was affected by a bronchial condition and arthritis, and one of appellant’s defenses was that whatever permanent incapacity appellee may have was the direct result of or attributable to appellee’s bronchial condition, and particularly arthritis, and was not the result of any injury received in the course of his employment.

Appellant submitted and requested the court to give the following charge: “Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that plaintiff (appellee) suffered any total incapacity as a sole result of arthritis ?” and if the jury answered in the affirmative, then to find when such total incapacity began and whether such total incapacity was permanent, and a further request to the court that if such special issue was insufficient to present its defense, then that the proper issue be prepared and submitted presenting such defense. The court refused to submit the charge, and so far as the record shows did not submit a charge in lieu thereof, but in the court’s main charge the court submitted special issue No. 26, as follows :

“Do you find and believe from a preponderance of the evidence that plaintiff’s incapacity to work, if any", is not the solé result of a disease, disconnected with any accidental personal injury as that term has been defined to you? You will answer ‘It is not the sole result of a disease or diseases’ or ‘It is the sole result of a disease or diseases,’ as you find the facts to be.”

The jury answered: “It is not the sole result of a disease or diseases.”

Appellant, as stated in its propositions, objected to issue 26 as submitted, because “same is confusing, unduly limits the defense, leaves it to the jury to speculate on what is meant by the ferm ‘disconnected with any accidental personal injury,’ is not confined to any specific accident, and does not clearly place the burden of proof where such burden rests under the law.”

The above objection as to the burden of proof we do not find in the objection made by appellant to the general charge, nor is a request for the burden of proof found in the above requested special issue.

Appellant complains that where the personal injury sustained by appellee resulted only in temporary incapacity, and that any permanent incapacity was caused solely by a pre-existing disease, it is appellant’s right to have the effect of such diseased condition directly and affirmatively submitted to the jury so that the jury must find what part of the disability, if any, resulted solely from disease and what part resulted from the personal injury.

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Bluebook (online)
118 S.W.2d 976, 1938 Tex. App. LEXIS 72, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gulf-casualty-co-v-archer-texapp-1938.