Kays v. State

18 Ill. Ct. Cl. 127, 1947 Ill. Ct. Cl. LEXIS 97
Court of Claims of Illinois·Decided May 13, 1947·No. No. 3964·Published

Opinion

Bergstrom, J.

According to report of the Division of State Police, which is part of the record, on April 16, 1945 claimant, Officer Vernon Kays, with Officer Clyde Kingsbury, were patroling the highways in a State police car while assigned to the 4:00 P.M. to 12:00 P.M. shift. Officer Kingsbury drove the car, and claimant was his riding partner. Their tour of duty would have been completed when they reached their respective homes. About midnight they were approaching Marengo from the southeast on IT. S. Route No. 20. At approximately 12:10 A.M. on April 17, about two miles southeast of the City of Marengo and about .200 feet west of Union Road in the County of McHenry, a car approached them from the northeast. ' The approaching car continued 'bn' its side of the road until about 25 feet from the police car, when it turned left into the opposing traffic lane and toward the police car. In attempting to avoid a collision, Mr. Kingsbury swerved the police car sharply to his left; however, the approaching car veered back (right) toward its proper lane causing the cars to collide. • The right front and sides of both cars bore the brunt of the collision.

Officer Kingsbury escaped with minor lacerations and bruises; however, Officer Kays’ legs were crushed when the dash, which had an auxiliary radio set attached to it, was forced back against his legs and the front seat of the car. As the result of injuries received in the accident the driver of the other car, Paul Day, Marengo, on temporary leave from military service, died while being taken to the hospital.

As the police car radio had been damaged in the accident, a passing truck driver was asked to report the accident by telephone to State Police Headquarters at Elgin. About 12:55 A.M., Dr. Robert Miller, of Marengo, and an ambulance arrived at the scene of the accident. Dr. Miller supervised Mr. Kays ’ removal from the car to the ambulance for transportation to St. Joseph’s Hospital, Belvidere, where Drs. Miller and William M. Freeman, of Belvidere, rendered emergency care.

Mr. Kays’ condition grew worse during the night, and the following morning Dr. Miller called in Dr. Maurice P. Rogers, Rockford, for consultation. During the day arrangements were made for Mr. Kays’ transfer to the care of Dr. H. B. Thomas, professor emeritus of orthopedics, University of Illinois Medical College, Chicago. The move was to be made as soon as Mr. Kays’ condition improved sufficiently to permit the trip by ambulance. • Saturday morning, April 26, Mr. Kays was transferred by ambulance from St. Joseph’s Hospital, Belvidere, to St. Luke’s Hospital, Chicago, and placed under the care of Dr. Thomas.

On May 2, 1945, Dr. Thomas reported that claimant had a fracture of the distal end of the left femur with puncture wound near, injury to knee and knee joint, fracture of the distal end of the tibia and fibula with a puncture, wound near, bad fracture of the right distal, femur, bad over-riding not reduced. He also had a Colles’s; fracture and a suspicious bruise on the head.

On September 29, 1945 claimant left St. Luke’s Hospital for his home in Marengo, but thereafter made periodic trips to Chicago for treatments from Dr. Thomas, and on October 29, 1946 claimant testified that he was; still taking a treatment every two weeks.

At the time of the accident claimant was 42 years; of age, married, and had one child, Mary Lou, under 16-years of age dependent upon him for support at the time of his injury. Another child, Vernon William, a son, was born after the accident, August 4, 1945.

Claimant was first employed by the Division of State-Police on August 18, 1943, as a police officer at a salary of $185.00 a month. He continued in the same classification and at the same salary rate through April 17, 1945, the date of his injury, and earned a total of $2,220.00' in the year preceding his injury.

At the time of the injury, the employer and employee were operating under the provisions of the Workmen’s Compensation Act of this State, and notice of the accident and claim for compensation were made within the time provided by the Act. The accident arose out of and in the course of claimant’s employment.

The Division of Police made regular salary payments to claimant from the date of his injury, April 17, 1945 until April 1, 1946. July 1, 1945 his salary was increased to $213.00 a month. Salary payments paid to him during this period totaled $2,367.17.

Respondent also paid on behalf of claimant the following medical and hospital services:

Dr. Maurice P. Rogers, Rockford.....................$ 35.00
Dr. W. M. Freeman, Belvidere......'................ 5.00
Dr. H. B. Thomas, Chicago...-....................... 963.00
St. Luke’s Hospital, Chicago......................... 2,623.60
St. Joseph’s Hospital, Belvidere...................... 229.40
Rockford Memorial Hospital, Rockford............... 10.00
Boydston Bros., Amb., Chicago....................... 51.50
Mrs. Otis R. Manby, R.N., Belvidere................. 63.00
Mrs. Nellie Etzler, R.N., Galesburg................... 14.00
Miss Hazel Troon, R.N., Elgin. .................... 109.50
Mrs. Constance McBride, R.N., Elgin................. 77.00
Mrs. Robert Traxler, R.N., Belvidere................. 14.00
A. M. Osborne (Amb.), Marengo...................... 10.00
$4,205.00

and, according to the record, the charges of Dr. Thomas for the treatment of claimant since July 1, 1945, and Dr. Robert Miller’s bill for initial treatment remain unpaid.

Claimant claimed that he had lost approximately ■67% of the use of his right knee and 98% of the use of his left knee, and testified that Dr. Thomas so advised him. This contention is not supported by any medical testimony and, from the record, the Court is unable to determine the extent of claimant’s injuries.

On January 21, 1947, Henry L. Cowlin, attorney for claimant, filed a letter in this case, reading as follows:

“Enclosed find waiver which I have signed for Vernon W. Kays.
After filing his claim in the Court of Claims, Mr. Kays filed a suit in the Circuit Court under the Tavern Liability Law, against some of the tavern keepers and obtained a good settlement and he agreed that the Court of Claims should find that he had no cause of action, as the finding in his favor in the Court of Claims would simply have meant that the State would be subrogated in the other case, and while he would get paid through the Court of Claims, the money would be deducted from the settlement that he made in the other case, so to simplify matters, it was agreed, at the time we had the hearing, that the finding should he against Mr. Kays.

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Kays v. State, 18 Ill. Ct. Cl. 127, 1947 Ill. Ct. Cl. LEXIS 97 (Ill. Super. Ct. 1947).

18 Ill. Ct. Cl. 127 (Kays v. State) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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