Milling MacHinery, Jones-Hettel-Sater Const. Co. v. Thomas

50 P.2d 395, 174 Okla. 483
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedSeptember 17, 1935
DocketNo. 25807.
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 50 P.2d 395 (Milling MacHinery, Jones-Hettel-Sater Const. Co. v. Thomas) 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
Milling MacHinery, Jones-Hettel-Sater Const. Co. v. Thomas, 50 P.2d 395, 174 Okla. 483 (Okla. 1935).

Opinion

RILEY, ,T.

This is a proceeding for re. view of an award of the State Industrial. Commission.

Respondent Thomas files a cross-petition for review.

Petitioner admits the accidental injury and liability therefor, but complains that the award is excessive. Cross-petitioner contends that the award, so far as made, is correct, but complains because the Commission did not award him compensation for disfigurement.

The injury is the loss of the use of one eye. Because of the accidental injury it be came necessary to remove the eyeball, ana it is on that account that claimant claims compensation for disfigurement.

The award was for temporary total dis ability from April 2, to May 21, 1934, less five-day waiting period, and 100 weeks foi total loss of use of one eye at $15.58 per week.

At the time of his injury claimant had been employed by Jones Hettelsatcr Construction Company as a common laborer, at a daily wage of $3.15. He had been so employed from January 6, to April 2, 1934. Fol-ien months or more before December 30,1933,. he had been employed by Hacker Flour Mills at Jefferson Okla., at a weekly wage of $24.

He testified that his work for the flour mills was that of a common laborer. His duties there were general “work, unloading, *484 sweeping tlie mill and any other labor be might be called upon to perform.”

On December 30, 1933, the flour mill was destroyed by Are, and thereafter the Hacker Flour Mills contracted with Jones-Hettel-sater Construction Company for the reconstruction of the mill and installation of machinery. In order that its organization be kept together, the Hacker people requested the contractor to employ, as far as possible, the employees of the mill. The construction company did employ claimant, and claimant was assisting, as a common laborer, in installing machinery in the mill when he was accidentally injured. He returned to work for Hacker on May 21, 1934, but not at Jefferson. He went to work running an elevator at Renfro.

The record does not show what wages he received at Renfro.

The Commission found that the average wage of claimant at the time of his injury was $101.50 per month, and the award was based upon that wage.

Petitioner contends that under the evidence the award should have been based upon a weekly wage of $18.70, or $3.15 per day, that being the wage that claimant was receiving at the time of the injury.

Petitioner contends that subdivision 2 of section 13355, O. S. 1931 (section 7289, C. O. S. 1921), is the applicable provision of the statute in arriving at the previous earning capacity of claimant as a basis of the award to bo made. Such provision is:

“If the injured employee shall not have worked in such employment during substantially the whole of such year, his average annual earnings shall consist of 300 times the average- daily wage or salary which an employee of the same class working substantially the whole of such immediately preceding year in the same or in a similar employment in the same or a neighboring place shall have earned in such employment during the days when so employed.”

If such provision is applicable, the average weekly wage would be $18.70, and the weekly award would be two-thirds, or $12.46.

Subdivision 1 of said section provides:

“If the injured employee shall have worked in the employment in which he was working at the time of the accident, whether for the same employer or not. during substantially the whole of the year immediately preceding his injury, his average annual earnings shall consist of 300 times the average daily wage or salary which he shall have earned in such employment during the days when so employed.”

It is apparent that subdivision 1 is not applicable. Claimant had not worked in the employment in which he was working at the time of his injury during substantially the whole of the year immediately preceding his injury. He had been in such employment only 13 weeks. Therefore, subdivision 1 could not apply. Subdivision 2 could not apply for the reason that there was no evidence as to the average daily wage or salary of an employee of the same class working the whole of such immediately preceding year in the same or similar employment in the same or neighboring place. In fact, there was no evidence that there was employment of the same or similar line or class in that or a neighboring place for substantially the whole of the immediately preceding year. The only evidence of the same or similar employment was that which the construction company was giving. They were not engaged in such business in that or a neighboring place for substantially the whole of the year nest preceding the injury. The award could not properly have been made under subdivision No. 2, under the evidence in the record.

The methods prescribed by subdivisions 1 and 2, supra, not being reasonably and fairly applicable, resort must be had to subdivision No. 3, which provides:,

“If either of the foregoing methods of arriving at the annual average earnings of an injured employee cannot reasonably and fairly be applied, such annual earnings shall be such sum as, having regard to the previous earnings of the injured employee and of other employees of the same or most similar class, working in the same or most similar employment in the same or neighboring locality, shall reasonably represent the annual earning capacity of the injured employee in the employment in which he was working at the time of the accident.” (Quoted from section 7289 C. O. S. 1921, not complete in section 13355, O. S. 1931.)

Thereunder regard must be had for the previous earnings of the injured employee and of other employees of the same or most similar class working in the same or most similar employment in the same or neighboring locality.

The previous earnings of claimant under the evidence was $24. per week (six days) for 39 weeks of the year next preceding the injury. The work was not identical, but under the evidence it was the most similar employment, viz., common labor, and he had some of his co-employees were of the most similar class mentioned in the record.

For 13 weeks immediately before the injury claimant, and other common laborers *485 in the same employment as that of claimant, had been receiving $18.70 per week.

The wages so received throughout the year reasonably represent the annual earning capacity of claimant. The sum so earned was: 39 weeks at $24 — $936, plus 13 weeks at $18.70 — $243.10; making a total of $1,-179.10, or an average weekly wage of $22.68. The award should have been for $15.12 instead of $15.58.

Claimant asserts that the total earnings of claimant for the year next preceding his injury were $1,221.80, and one-twelfth thereof is $101.50, the amount found by the Commission to be his average monthly wage. If that is the basis upon which the Commission computed the average monthly wage, there is manifest error therein. The total earning-shown in the statement of former employer, which was filed as per stipulation, is $1,221.-80.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Bowers v. Glen Eagle Apartments
2006 OK CIV APP 99 (Court of Civil Appeals of Oklahoma, 2006)
KERR-McGEE CORPORATION v. Washington
1970 OK 191 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1970)
Wofford v. Industrial Commission
231 P.2d 448 (Arizona Supreme Court, 1951)
Caddo County v. Hartman
1945 OK 361 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1945)
Jos. A. Coy Co., Inc. v. Younger
1943 OK 160 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1943)
Stanley v. Hyman-Michaels Co.
222 N.C. 257 (Supreme Court of North Carolina, 1942)
Westgate Oil Co. v. Matthews
1936 OK 296 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1936)
Tulsa Rig, Reel & Mfg. Co. v. Case
1936 OK 239 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1936)
Board of Com'rs of Tulsa County v. Bilby
1935 OK 970 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1935)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
50 P.2d 395, 174 Okla. 483, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/milling-machinery-jones-hettel-sater-const-co-v-thomas-okla-1935.