Mell v. American Coil Spring Co.

289 N.W. 294, 291 Mich. 682, 1939 Mich. LEXIS 853
CourtMichigan Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 20, 1939
DocketDocket No.,23, Calendar 40,657
StatusPublished

This text of 289 N.W. 294 (Mell v. American Coil Spring Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Michigan Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Mell v. American Coil Spring Co., 289 N.W. 294, 291 Mich. 682, 1939 Mich. LEXIS 853 (Mich. 1939).

Opinion

Sharps, J.

In August, 1934, while in the employ of the American Coil Spring Company, plaintiff was injured by being hit by a wire on his left shin-bone. As a result of the injury, a red mark was made on his leg. By the next morning, this area had swollen to the size of a chicken egg. The day following the injury, plaintiff was given first aid by the man in charge of defendant company’s first aid department.

Plaintiff continued to work until November, 1934, at which time he was treated by Dr. Thornton for sciatic rheumatism. Plaintiff returned to work in 1935 and continued working until June or July, 1936, when he had trouble with his right leg and was unable to work for a period of about five weeks. In October, 1936, an operation was performed on plaintiff’s left leg for osteomyelitis and plaintiff has not been able to do any work since September, 1936.

In November, 1937, plaintiff filed a claim for compensation for total disability. The department of labor and industry allowed the claim; and found that plaintiff has been totally disabled since he quit work in September, 1936; that plaintiff is suffering from chronic osteomyelitis; and that plaintiff’s present condition is attributable to the accidental injury of August 7, 1934.

Defendants appeal and contend that the notice of injury and claim for compensation were not made within the statutory period; and that plaintiff’s present disability is not due to any injury while in the employ of defendant company.

*684 The record shows that defendant company made no report of the accident or injury as provided by law.

The plaintiff testified that this injury occurred on August 7,1934:

“Q. Tell the court what that accident was and how it happened.
“A. I had charge of the night gang and I walked over to see how a fellow was getting along about his work and a piece of wire came around and hit me on my left shin bone.
“Q. What size wire was it?
“A. It was about three-eighths around.
“Q. It hit you on the shin bone, you say?.
“A. Yes.
“Q. What kind of an injury did it make to your leg at that time?
“A. It made a little red mark and it was there that night and the next morning when I got up it was swollen up like a chicken egg that high and when I came in to work I had the day man treat it.
“Q. You mean in the first aid?
“A. Yes, the man in the first aid.
“Q. That was the first aid in the shop, was it?
“A. Absolutely.
“Q. You went in there and had it treated?
“A. Yes.
“Q. Did you explain to that man how that injury occurred?
“A. I did.
“Q. Go on and tell us what happened from then on — which leg was that?
“A. The left leg. * * *
“A. I kept on working then until about October of 1934.
“Q. Until October of 1934?
“A. No, it was in November. That is right— November.”

The department of labor and industry found that defendant company had notice and knowledge of the *685 accident within the statutory time; and in our opinion, the above testimony of plaintiff sustains such a finding. Plaintiff’s right to file a claim for compensation is authorized by 2 Comp. Laws 1929, § 8431 (Stat. Ann. §17.165), which contains the following provision:

“And provided further, That in all cases in which the employer has been given notice of the happening of the accident, or has notice or knowledge of the happening of said accident, within three months after the happening of the same, and fails, neglects or refuses to report said accident to the industrial accident board * as required by the provisions of this act, the statute of limitations shall not run against the claim of the injured employee or his dependents, or in favor of either said employer or his insurer, until a report of said accident shall have been filed with the industrial accident board. ’ ’

The next question relates to the relationship of the injury of August 7, 1934, to plaintiff’s present condition. The record shows that plaintiff was injured in the lower part of the left leg on which there subsequently appeared a swollen area the size of a chicken egg; that he was treated at defendant’s first aid department three or four times during the following week, but kept working until November, 1934; that at about this time he was treated by Dr. Thornton for what was supposed to be sciatic rheumatism and was unable to work for a period of six or seven months because of the condition of his left leg; that he returned to work and worked until June or July of 1936 when he had trouble with his right leg and because of this trouble he was unable to work for a period of five weeks; that he recovered from *686 this latter trouble and went back to work, but during this time his left leg caused him trouble and he applied home remedies to it nightly; that he worked until September, 1936; that prior to the accident of August 7, 1934, plaintiff never had any trouble with his left leg; and that in October, 1936, plaintiff had an operation on his left leg at about the place where the injury complained of happened.

Dr. Laurin, the surgeon who operated upon plaintiff in October, 1936, testified as follows:

“A. He had an area of bone destruction in the lower end of the left leg.
“ Q. About what distance from the ankle, do you remember?
“A. Oh, I do not remember exactly, but it was around three or four inches; in the lower third of the leg it was. * * *
“Q. Yes. My question was directed to this,— whether an injury would be likely to cause the condition you found there in 1936? An injury such as described here?
“A. I believe an injury could cause osteomyelitis, but two years elapsing between the time of the blow and the time it would show up, — I do not know about that.
“Q. At the time you performed the operation, Doctor, that is, — what was the condition of the bone there ?
“A.

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Related

Wilson v. McCabe & Dishaw
264 N.W. 295 (Michigan Supreme Court, 1936)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
289 N.W. 294, 291 Mich. 682, 1939 Mich. LEXIS 853, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mell-v-american-coil-spring-co-mich-1939.