Mississippi Federated Cooperatives v. Jefferson

79 So. 2d 723, 224 Miss. 150, 1955 Miss. LEXIS 471
CourtMississippi Supreme Court
DecidedMay 2, 1955
DocketNo. 39538
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 79 So. 2d 723 (Mississippi Federated Cooperatives v. Jefferson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Mississippi Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Mississippi Federated Cooperatives v. Jefferson, 79 So. 2d 723, 224 Miss. 150, 1955 Miss. LEXIS 471 (Mich. 1955).

Opinion

Kyle, J.

This case is before us on appeal by the Mississippi Federated Cooperatives and its insurance carrier from a judgment of the Circuit Court of the Second Judicial District of Jones County affirming an order of the Workmen’s Compensation Commission approving an award of death benefits to the widow and dependent minor children of Beller Jefferson, deceased.

The record shows that Beller Jefferson was an employee of the Mississippi Federated Cooperatives, and that on April 25, 1952, while he and two other employees were working on a fertilizer pile in a bin, Jefferson fell from the fertilizer pile to the concrete floor outside the bin. The wind ivas whipping through the bin at the time [155]*155the accident occurred, and tlie workmen were forced to keep their heads down in order to keep the fertilizer out of their eyes; and neither of Jefferson’s fellow-employees actually saw him fall. But he was found almost immediately after his fall lying on the floor outside the bin, unconscious, with fertilizer in his face and on his body, and the two top timbers of the grain door were lying across his body. The foreman of the plant was notified immediately and Jefferson was taken to the hospital.

Jefferson’s wife testified that, when she saw him at the hospital a few hours after his admission he complained of his head, and he told her that he had fallen backward and had hurt his head. Jefferson’s brother, George, testified that Jefferson told him while he was in the hospital that the last thing he remembered was that he was walking and slipped and fell, and that something gave way.

Dr. B. T. McLaurin testified that Jefferson was unconscious when he arrived at the hospital. The doctor was told that Jefferson had fallen. An examination of the skull was made and the x-ray disclosed no fracture. But, when Jefferson regained consciousness several hours later, he was disoriented and confused and complained constantly of headaches. These were symptoms of concussion, and a diagnosis of concussion was made.

Jefferson remained in the hospital until April 29. He then went to his home, but returned to Dr. McLaurin’s office on May 3, 12, 22 and 28, complaining each time of headache. The doctor gave him barbiturate tablets to relieve his suffering. Jefferson returned to the office again on June 11, complaining of headache. He reported for work the latter part of June and worked eleven days, but was unable to work thereafter. He was carried to the hospital on July 5 and remained there about two weeks. A blood test was taken, and a spinal tap was made. These tests showed that he had syphilis of the blood stream and the central nervous system. Jefferson [156]*156left the hospital on July 19 without permission, but was picked up later by the deputy sheriff and brought back to the hospital. He was hospitalized again during the month of August, and upon the advice of Dr. McLaurin was taken to Oschner’s Clinic in New Orleans on August 29 for a further examination. On August 30 he was taken to the Mississippi State Hospital at Whitfield and remained there until his death on October 27.

Jefferson’s wife, Mattie Lee, who had married him in 1947, testified that Jefferson was well and healthy up to the time he got hurt, that he worked every day and was never off except when he had a cold. She knew of no illness that he had. He never complained about any disease. He played with the children, went to church on Sunday and was a member of a singing quartet. He acted with good sense, just like any other person would, until he got hurt. George Jefferson testified that his brother was never sick and that he had a good mind up to the time he was injured; but after his injury there was a change in his mental condition and he talked out of his head. Jesse James, who was working in the fertilizer bin at the time Jefferson fell, testified that he had worked with Jefferson at the Coops for a period of three years; that during that time Jefferson was a. regular worker, and never complained about his work; that he had a normal mind; but, when he came back to work about two months after his fall, his appearance had changed and he did not work as well as he did before his fall. James stated that he saw Jefferson at Ellis-ville one time after he quit work. He was able to talk, but “he was talking off.”

There was a conflict of opinion in the medical testimony taken by the attorney-referee on the issue as to whether there was a causal relation between Jefferson’s alleged accidental injury and his subsequent diability and death.

Dr. T. J. Barnes, who testified as a witness for the claimants, testified that he was called to the home to see [157]*157Jefferson sometime during the month of August. Jefferson had a little temperature and complained of headaches. He showed signs of serious mental disturbances. The doctor ordered an ambulance and sent Jefferson to the hospital for further examination and treatment. He stated that the symptoms which, he found were indicative of a head injury. Pie stated that he had diagnosed and treated many cases of syphilis, and that, in his opinion, a man who had an arrested case of syphilis, but was able to do his normal work notwithstanding the fact that he had syphilis in a dormant stage, would not likely collapse suddenly without having some injury to aggravate the disease. In answer to a hypothetical question, he stated that, in his opinion, an injury of the kind shown by the testimony of the claimants’ witnesses could reactivate an arrested case of syphilis and throw it into an active stage and ultimately cause death. He stated that trauma might definitely localize the disease in the tissues injured.

Dr. McLaurin, who testified as a witness for the employer and its insurance carrier, stated that a man might have syphilis in a dormant stage without knowing that he had it, and that he might go for years without knowing that he had it, and that he might go for years without being bothered with it. But Dr. McLaurin stated that he would not attempt to say, whether in a ease of this kind a blow on the head would likely cause an exacerbation of latent syphilis. He stated that on that point there was a conflict of medical opinion, and he did not feel that he was qualified to express an opinion on the matter. He stated, hoivever, that he did not believe that a blow on the head would accelerate the transfer of syphilis from the blood to the nervous system.

Dr. David W. McLean, who was associated with Dr. McLaurin in the treatment of the case, testified that, in his opinion, the paresis or syphilis of the central nervous system was responsible for most of Jefferson’s trouble. He frankly admitted, howrever, that, after examin[158]*158ing the patient at the hospital in April, it was his opinion that he had a concussion. The disorientation and confused condition of the patient’s mind and the constant headaches complained of while the patient was in the hospital were indicative of concussion. The doctor stated that there might be a bloodclot on the brain that would not show up on an x-ray. He did not know whether a trauma that Jefferson may have had would have aggravated his syphilitic lesion or not.

I)r. Eoyal K. Stacey, of Whitfield, testified that according to the hospital records when Jefferson was examined at "Whitfield there was no evidence of a traumatic injury; and so far as he knew Jefferson’s condition at the time he entered the hospital and his ultimate death were due to general paralysis, or syphilis of the central nervous system.

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Bluebook (online)
79 So. 2d 723, 224 Miss. 150, 1955 Miss. LEXIS 471, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mississippi-federated-cooperatives-v-jefferson-miss-1955.