Long-Bell Lbr. Co. v. Patterson

1931 OK 715, 5 P.2d 130, 153 Okla. 104, 1931 Okla. LEXIS 426
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedNovember 17, 1931
Docket21746
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 1931 OK 715 (Long-Bell Lbr. Co. v. Patterson) 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
Long-Bell Lbr. Co. v. Patterson, 1931 OK 715, 5 P.2d 130, 153 Okla. 104, 1931 Okla. LEXIS 426 (Okla. 1931).

Opinion

KORNEGAY, J.

This is an original proceeding to review an award of the Industrial Commission. There appears in the record the employer’s first notice of injury, received by the State Industrial Commission on March 28, 1929, showing that the accident occurred on the 25th of March, 1929, and that the claimant was a yard laborer, handling lumber, and had worked at day labor off and on for the last three years at $3 daily. In describing the accident, it stated:

“Claimant was repiling lumber in shed in upper bins and a board broke and let hfm fall. He fell about eight feet. Cut his head, injured his neck, chest and one foot.”

Dr. O. O. Newman, of Shattuck, Okla., was the physician.

On the 27th of April, 1929, the employee’s first notice of injury and claim for compensation was received. In giving the cause of the accident and the extent of the injury, he says:

“Boards broke causing me to fall head first from upper platform of lumber sheds head first, cutting gash on scalp, breaking three ribs, and two toes, mashing another, brusing and straining neck badly and leaving back sore and weak.”

In response to the likelihood of disability continuing beyond five days, he says:

“Yes, I have been for 30 days and am just barely able to walk — back and breast very sore yet.”

He states that his average daily wage was $3, and wages were contracted to be paid daily.

There was a report filed April 20, 1929, of initial payment of compensation, in which the amount of first payment is given at $34.62 from March 30, 1929, to April 20, 1929, and the average daily wage was $3 and weekly rate of compensation was $lí.54, and the nature and extent of the injury was: “Injury to head, neck, chest, and foot.”

On the 4th of May, 1929, there was received the attending physician’s report. It reported that the employee was removed to the hospital at Shattuck, Okla., and the nature and extent of the injury was: “6 — 7 & 8 rib on left side fractured — cut on upper & left side of head 2% in. long — large toe & 2nd toe fractured on right foot.”

The treatment was; “Immobilized ribs— placed in bed.”

In describing the progress, it said : “Gradually improving — able to walk but not able to work.”

In giving an estimate as to the time disability was likely to exist, he says: “May 1 to 15, 1929, 8 weeks.”

In describing the accident in the party’s words he says: “Removing lumber and board broke & he fell to ground distance of 8 feet; after treating at hospital he was removed to his home & for reason no vacant bed at hospital.”

The date of this report is May 2, 1929.

On .the 6th of January, 1930, the State Industrial Commission received a copy of a notice, to the claimant, Patterson, of the suspension of compensation, and showing that the last evidence of payment was the 30th of December, 1929, and compensation was paid to the 21st of January. 1930, and the reason that payment was stopped was given as follows:

“That Dr. Yon Wedel’s opinion is that this claimant ’is now able to do ordinary manual labor. We wish to further shdw that compensation has been paid to January 21, 1930, more than two weeks from the date of filing this motion.”

*105 At the bottom, the request was made as follows:

“Wherefore, we respectfully request that claimant submit to medical examination. This cause be set down for hearing.
“(Signed) Long Bell Lumber Company, Respondent.
“Consolidated Underwriters, Ins. Carriers.
“Dated this 30th day of December, 1929, H. O. Roberts, Atty.”

The next matter appearing in the record i-s n notice of hearing, filed the 6th of June, 1930, stating that the purpose was “to determine liability and extent of disability, also disfigurement.”

The time for hearing was June 23, 1930, at 9 o’clock a. m., and the place was the county court room at Woodward, Okla. In that notice was a requirement of notifying the Commission if there were any witnesses that were desired to be subpoenaed.

The next thing appearing is the testimony taken on the 23rd of June, 1931. before Chairman Thos. H. Doyle. The record shows the appearance by the claimant in person and through his attorney, C. B. Leedy, and that the respondent and insurance carrier appeared by Eugene Jordan, and both parses announced ready for trial.

The claimant, Patterson, was the first witness 'introduced, and he described the circumstances attending the accident, and said:

“I fell backwards striking my head and cutting a gash down this way (indicates), broke three ribs and hurt my back.”

He claimed that he had two toes broken, and mashed one and jarred his spine. In describing the injury as developed when he got to the hospital, he says:

“I had these fractures here in the toes and ribs and my neck and my head was so I couldn’t move it. two or three days, from the time tlmy got it bandaged up there I was in great misery and pain in the center of my spine and back in here (indicates) felt like something was crushed there all the time, it seemed like every breath brought unbearable pain.”

In response to a question as to whether prior to this time he had ever been injured in the back, he says: “No, sir; my back never did bother me.”

He details his condition as follows:

“Q. What was the nature of your employment prior to this injury? A. I’d been in the grocery business most all my life, general store,- many times I would carry up a 150 pounds of flour. I was able to handle anything; at the time, I was working at the lumber yard carrying 100-pound sacks of eement. Q. Were you ever bothered before prior to this injury to your back? A. I suppose sometimes my back did get sore, especially an old man might be bothered, it wouldn’t disable me in any way.”

He detailed how the Long-Bell Lumber Company had given him medical attention and allowed him compensation from the time of the injury to the 21st of January, 1930, and that his wages were $3 a day, or $18 a week. He detailed hi-s condition as a “weakened condition of the spine, so I couldn’t stand anything, I tried and couldn’t.”

He claimed that he had pain continuously since, but had done light work, and that when be was at Oklahoma City, Dr. Yon Wedel and Mr. Roberts insisted that he do something, and that he assisted his neighbor in shingling his house, but could not do any lifting and could not walk around on the roof. He was not able to move for three or four days.

The suggestion was made to him that he felt weak following that, and he answered “Yes,” and in further describing his work, questioned by his attorney, he used the following language:

“Q. Have you tried to work any more? A. I stayed at Mr.

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Bluebook (online)
1931 OK 715, 5 P.2d 130, 153 Okla. 104, 1931 Okla. LEXIS 426, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/long-bell-lbr-co-v-patterson-okla-1931.