Helms v. Continental Casualty Co.

177 S.E. 915, 50 Ga. App. 267, 1934 Ga. App. LEXIS 736
CourtCourt of Appeals of Georgia
DecidedDecember 17, 1934
Docket24072
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 177 S.E. 915 (Helms v. Continental Casualty Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Georgia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Helms v. Continental Casualty Co., 177 S.E. 915, 50 Ga. App. 267, 1934 Ga. App. LEXIS 736 (Ga. Ct. App. 1934).

Opinion

Sutton, J.

On August 11, 1931, 0. W. Helms1 sustained an injury to his right leg, arising out of and during the course of his employment with the Atlanta Terra Cotta Company. The continental Casualty Company was the insurance carrier of the employer. The parties entered into an agreement under which compensation was paid to the claimant at the rate of $11 per week for [268]*268seven weeks. At the end of this period Helms returned to work, and upon a subsequent change in condition he was paid for twelve and one sixth weeks at the rate of $11 per week. It was then determined that the claimant had a 50 per cent, disability to his leg, and he was thereafter paid at the rate of $5.50 per week for nine and four sixths weeks. Then in October, 1932, it was further determined that Helms had only a 20 per cent, permanent partial disability to said leg, and the insurance carrier of the employer from that time on paid him at the rate of $2.42 per week for 111 weeks. This was paid under authority of the decision in Richardson v. Maryland Casualty Co., 41 Ga. App. 520 (153 S. E. 524), at $11 per week. At the conclusion of this period when Helms had been paid $533.50, or for a period of 140 and a fraction weeks, the insurance carrier stopped payments. Helms thereupon filed his claim with the Department of Industrial Relations. The following award was rendered by Director Whitaker, and, on appeal, affirmed by the full department :

“This claim came on for a hearing before me on May 23, 1933, at the State Capitol, Atlanta, Georgia. The purpose of this hearing was to determine the amount of additional compensation, if any, due C. W. Helms for injuries sustained on August 19, 1931, and involves an interpretation of section 32 of the act, the Department having refused to approve an agreement submitted by the insurance carrier and the employee, dated April 1, 1933, which provided for the full payment of compensation of 48-1/2 weeks for a 22% partial permanent loss of use of the leg. It was agreed by the parties that this claimant has sustained a 22% permanent partial loss of use of the leg, and that this percentage was established by agreement based upon the examination of Dr. Goodwyn, dated October 12, 1932, and followed a second operation which this claimant had performed in his own behalf more than a year after he sustained his injuries. The record in this case discloses that the parties entered into an agreement to pay and receive compensation immediately following the injury, at the rate of $11.00 a week, and continued the payments under this agreement for seven weeks. The claimant returned to work for a short time and was laid off. The record further discloses that the claimant suffered from his injury continuously up until May, 1932, when he went to the Grady Hospital for an operation on his leg and was required to [269]*269use crutches for some considerable time after the operation and filed a claim for compensation June 17, 1932, which was assigned but not held for the reason that the insurance carrier again resumed the responsibility for the claimant’s changed condition and entered into another agreement, dated August 23, 1932, which provided for the payment of compensation at the rate of $11.00 a week from May 24, 1932, for a 50% permanent partial loss of use of the leg. It was further stipulated in this agreement that all of the payments over and beyond the ten weeks healing period shall apply on any specific disabilities. Before the Department had approved this agreement a subsequent agreement was submitted, dated October 28, 1932, which provided for the payment of compensation at $11.00 per week for 38-1/2 weeks, covering a 22% loss of use of the right leg. This agreement was not approved by the Department, because of the error in calculation of the amount due the claimant under the agreed facts in the case. This case is now before me for the purpose of construing section 32 as applied to the facts in this case, it being undisputed that the claimant was injured as alleged and that he had suffered continuously with his leg until finally the permanent partial loss of use of his leg was established at 22% on October 28, 1932. It was further agreed and admitted by all parties that he had received compensation at the rate of $11.00 per week for 48-1/2 weeks. The question now for determination is whether or not the insurance carrier should take credit for the monies paid him instead of the number of weeks paid under the different agreements to pay and receive compensation prior to the maximum improvement, and the percentage of his permanent partial loss of use of his leg was determined. Under the South case (and this director holds it controlling in this case), it appears that the insurance carrier is only entitled to take credit for the number of weeks paid until the maximum improvement has been reached.

“For a total loss of the use of the leg this claimant would have been entitled to ten weeks temporary total disability and one hundred and seventy-five weeks at the rate of $11.00 a week. He had been paid compensation at the rate of $11.00 a week, or this amount was due when the maximum improvement was reached in this ease, of 28-5/6 weeks. At the time maximum improvement was reached it was then for the first time established that his case [270]*270could be properly classified under section 33 and rated according to his percentage of permanent partial disability. The recovery then became limited to 185 weeks, representing ten weeks temporary total disability and one hundred and seventy-five weeks for the partial loss of use of the leg, and, after deducting the 38-5/6 weeks that had been due and payable to this claimant prior to the establishment of the percentage of disability, there remains due and payable at a reduced rate of 33% of his payments for a period of 156-1/6 weeks, which should have been paid for his 33% permanent partial disability in addition to the 38-5/6 weeks already paid him. These payments should have been reduced to $3.43 per week, which is 33% of $11.00 per week, and continued for the remainder of the 185 weeks, payable, however, under the Richardson case, at $11.00 a week. Under the construction of the law and the facts in this case, the director holds that the insurance carrier, on October 38, 1933, should have reduced the payments to 50% loss of use of the leg, as per the agreement of file, for a period of 9-4/6 weeks, and then reduced them to 33% or $3.43 per week, and continued at this rate for the remainer of 156-1/6 weeks.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
177 S.E. 915, 50 Ga. App. 267, 1934 Ga. App. LEXIS 736, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/helms-v-continental-casualty-co-gactapp-1934.