Landry v. Acme Flour Mills Co.

1949 OK 170, 211 P.2d 512, 202 Okla. 170, 1949 Okla. LEXIS 441
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedJuly 19, 1949
DocketNo. 32898
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 1949 OK 170 (Landry v. Acme Flour Mills Co.) 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
Landry v. Acme Flour Mills Co., 1949 OK 170, 211 P.2d 512, 202 Okla. 170, 1949 Okla. LEXIS 441 (Okla. 1949).

Opinion

DAVISON, C.J.

This is an action wherein recovery is sought for the conscious pain and suffering of plaintiff’s decedent as a result of the alleged negligence of defendant. Recovery for his wrongful death was had in another and different action and is not here involved.

The facts are simple and the sole question presented is whether or not the action is barred by the statute of limitations.

C. M. Griffith, while employed by the defendant, Acme Flour Mills Company, was injured June 21, 1943, under such circumstances that he would have been entitled to an award under the provisions of the Workmen’s Compensation Act, but he filed no claim with the Industrial Commission. He was paid compensation until September of said year, when he returned to work.

Part of the injuries received consisted of a skull fracture, and in October it became necessary that Mr. Griffith return to the hospital for further surgery at the fracture site. By reason of the injuries or operation he developed meningitis, from which he died December 8, 1943. This action was brought December 6, 1945. The facts appear from plaintiff’s petition, and the answer of defendant which was filed after a demurrer to the petition was overruled. Judgment was rendered for defendant, upon motion for judgment upon the pleadings on the theory that the action was barred by the statute of limitations. Plaintiff has appealed to this court.

Plaintiff takes the position that because of the inhibition contained in article 23, sec. 7, of the Oklahoma Constitution and in 85 O.S. 1941 §121, the Workmen’s Compensation Act in no wise affected the cause of action herein except to the extent that, until the death of his decedent, the applicability of the Workmen’s Compensation Act could not be determined and, therefore, no suit could be brought and this cause of action did not accrue until that date; that his is a cause of action which, by reason of 12 O.S. 1941 §1051, survived the death; that, being such cause of action which accrued at that date, December 8, 1943, it was not barred by the statute of limitations (12 O.S. 1941 §95, par. 3) until two years thereafter or two days after the filing of the petition.

The constitutional and statutory provisions above referred to are as follows:

Article 23, sec. 7, Oklahoma Constitution:

“The right of action to recover damages for injuries resulting in death [171]*171shall never be abrogated, and the amount recoverable shall not be subject to any statutory limitation.”

85 O.S. 1941 §121:

“It is not intended that any of the provisions of this act (Workmen’s Compensation Act) shall apply in cases of accidents resulting in death and no right of action for recovery of damages for injuries resulting in death is intended to be denied or affected.”

12 O.S. 1941 §1051:

“In addition to the causes of action which survive at common law, causes of action for mesne profits or for an injury to the person, . . . shall also survive; and the action may be brought, notwithstanding the death of the person entitled or liable to the same.”

12 O.S. 1941 §95:

“Civil actions, other than for the recovery of real property, can only be brought within the following periods, after the cause of action shall have accrued, and not afterwards:
“Third. Within two years ... an action for injury to the rights of another, not arising on contract, and not hereinafter enumerated. . . .”

Two other sections of the statutes must be considered in analyzing and determining the proposition here presented. They are 85 O.S. 1941 §122, as follows:

“The right of action to recover damages for personal injuries not resulting in death arising and occurring in hazardous employments as herein defined, except the right of action reserved to an injured employee or his dependents or other legal representatives in Section 2 of Article 2 and Section 10 of Article 5 of this Act, is hereby abrogated, and all jurisdiction of the courts of this State over such causes, except as to the cause reserved to such injured employees or their dependents or other legal representatives in Section 2 of Article 2 and Section 10 of Article 5 of this Act is hereby abolished.”

And 12 O.S. 1941 §1053, as follows:

“When the death of one is caused by the wrongful act or omission of another, the personal representative of the former may maintain an action therefor against the latter, if the former might have maintained an action had he lived, against the latter for an injury for the same act or omission. The action must be commenced within two years. The damages must inure to the exclusive benefit of the surviving spouse and children, if any, or next of kin; to be distributed in the same manner as personal property of the deceased.”

The last above-quoted section has its origin in what, originally in England, was Lord Campbell’s Act and creates a new cause of action, unknown at common law, which accrues to the next of kin of the decedent at the time of death. It has no connection with, nor effect upon an action for pain and suffering as is here under consideration. This distinction is thoroughly discussed in the early case of St. Louis & S. F. R. Co. v. Goode, 42 Okla. 784, 142 P. 1185.

The other quoted statutes deal with an entirely different cause of action; one which accrued at the time of the injury and in which the measure of damages is the loss sustained by the decedent from the time of the injury to the date of death. In the above-cited case the decedent brought a common law action in the district court to recover for personal injuries and it was revived and prosecuted by his admin-istratrix after his death. This cause of action was not created by, but survived his death because of 12 O.S. 1941 §1051, supra. In discussing the effect of this survival statute and the death statute (Lord Campbell’s Act), the cited case quotes from the case of Brown v. Chicago & N. W. R. Co., 102 Wis. 141-143, 77 N.W. 748, 44 L.R.A. 579, as follows:

“ ‘. . . The language of the two provisions is plain. They refer to entirely distinct losses recoverable in different rights; the one in the right of the deceased for the loss occasioned to him, the other in the right of the surviving relatives for the loss to them. Both are [172]*172dependent on the injury, but only one dependent on the death with surviving relatives to take under the statute. The language of one provision is that “actions for personal injuries shall survive” and of the other, “in case of the death of a person by the wrongful act of another,” under certain circumstances named, the wrongdoer “shall be liable to an action for damages notwithstanding the death of the person injured, if the death be caused in this state.” The only condition of the right of action in the former case is the existence of the actionable claim for damages at the time of the death of the injured party. The 'statute creates no new liability, but prevents the lapsing by death of an old one.’ ”

It also quotes from Needham v. Railroad Co., 38 Vt. 294, as follows:

“ ‘The principles on ' which the intestate’s cause of action rested at common law are the same, irrespective of the cause of his death. He had a right of action for the injury, and that right existed till his death.

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Bluebook (online)
1949 OK 170, 211 P.2d 512, 202 Okla. 170, 1949 Okla. LEXIS 441, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/landry-v-acme-flour-mills-co-okla-1949.