Montaner v. Industrial Commission

54 P.R. 757
Supreme Court of Puerto Rico·Decided May 16, 1939·No. No. 159·Published

Opinion

Mr. Justice Travieso

delivered the opinion of the Court.

Rafael Díaz Ortiz "worked as driver or- chauffeur of a truck the property of Juan Q-areía, a merchant and employer' insured under the State Insurance Fund. ‘ Besides working as a chauffeur, said employee occasionally did work-for his employer helping the peons of the truck in loading, unloading and stowing the merchandise which he himself- transported. On the 23rd of September 1936 Rafael Diaz' Ortiz died suddenly in the warehouse of Martinez Hnos. & Oo. immediately after making a strong endeavor to unload and stow a certain number of barrels which weighed over 300 pounds each.

It appears from the record before us that on the 24th of May 1937 the estate of the deceased filed a petition for compensation before the Industrial Commission; that the Commission refused to entertain it because “the case should first be filed before the Manager and if it were refused by him, then the Commission could intervene if it were appealed”; that on the 13th of June 1937 the estate of Diaz filed a petition before the Manager of the State Fund stating, undoubtedly by an involuntary mistake, that Diaz had died on the 23rd of February 1936; that the only action taken by the Manager in regard to said petition was to address a letter to the attorney for the petitioner on June 16,. 1937, informing him “that it does not appear from our records that any ease has been filed under the workman’s name”; and that five days after receiving the letter from the Man[759]*759ager, the attorney for petitioner filed his appeal before the Industrial Commission.

On the day set for the hearing before the Commission, on December 21, 1937, the attorney for the State Insurance Fund objected to the continuation of the proceedings before the Commission, alleging that no formal petition before the State Fund had ever been filed; that in the petition filed on June 3, 1937, only the name of the workman and of the employer and the occurrence of the accident were mentioned, without making neither a statement of facts nor stating the place where the accident occurred; and that the Manager of the Fund having made no pronouncement, there was nothing from which an appeal' before the Commission could be taken. The Commission decided to go on with the hearing, heard the evidence submitted by the parties and rendered a decision from which we copy the following pronouncements:

“The Industrial Commission decides to take jurisdiction and hear the ease for the following reasons:
“1. Because it believes that the Manager of the State Fund, immediately after receiving notice of the accident, should have proceeded to make the proper investigation in search of the truth of the facts, getting in touch either with the employer, or with the beneficiaries or with their attorneys.
“2. Because on being notified by the Industrial Commission that he should appear on the hearing set for the 21st of December, he ought to have informed the Commissidn that the case was under his consideration.
“3. Because on appearing to the public hearing with his evidence and ample opportunity to defend his rights having been granted to him, he suffered no detriment at all.
“4. That the fact that the employer did not report the case to the insurer, thus not complying with his duties, does not stop the beneficiaries from claiming their rights nor the insurer or the Industrial Commission to act as soon as they have knowledge of the occurrence of an accident. Silva v. Luce & Co., S. en C., 44 P.R.R. 307.
“5. Because the unjustified delay in the decision of the eases injures the rights of the workmen.”

[760]*760And after examining the evidence, the Commission arrived at the following conclusions of fact:

“(a) That Rafael Diaz Ortiz7 daily duty was that of a truck driver, that is, chauffeur.
“(b) That he occasionally loaded, unloaded and stowed the merchandise which he carried, helped by the peons of the truck, but that that was not his ordinary job.
“(c) That on the 23rd of September 1936 and in the course of his employment he made a strong endeavor on unloading and stowing ten barrels, the weight of which exceeded 300 pounds each.
“(d) That the workman’s physician is of the opinion that the stress resulted in a stroke of apoplexy which, acting on the vagus nerve, paralyzed the heart and produced his death.
“(e) That the conclusion at which the physician for the estate of the workman arrived was not controverted by the Manager.”

The Manager appellant bases Ms petition for the revision and reversal of the resolution appealed from in eight assignments of error, which we proceed to state and consider.

1. That the Commission erred in considering as valid the application for compensation filed by the estate, petitioner before the Manager.

Appellants challenges the sufficiency of the petition on the ground, that the date of the occurrence of the accident was alleged as February 23 instead of September 23, 1936, and that it does not describe the accident nor allege the place and the hour in which the death of the workman took place.

The mistake as to the date of the death is unimportant and could not injure the rights of the Manager of the Fund. It appears from the record filed in this Court that as soon as petitioner filed her original' application before the Commission, the latter addressed a letter to the Manager of the Fund on May 25, 1937, requesting a certified copy of the decision rendered by the Manager in the case of the workman Rafael Diaz Ortiz, Juan Q-arcia, employer, and that on that same day the Manager answered informing the Commission “that in the files of this Administration the case of the death of the workman Rafael Diaz Ortiz, employer Juan [761]*761'García, which, happened on September 23, 1936, and to which the correspondence refers, does not appear.” It is evident that the Manager of the Fund knew the exact date of the death of the workman, at least since May 25,1937, and before the petition for compensation was filed before him.

In onr opinion the Commission did not err in considering valid and sufficient the petition filed before the Administrator. By it the said official was informed that a workman ■called Rafael Díaz Ortiz had died as a consequence of and while working for the employer Juan Garcia, who was insured in the State Fund. This data was more than sufficient to ■enable the Manager, whose duty is not only to defend the Fund against unjust claims, but also to pay without delay •any claims which are within the law, to proceed without delay in the investigation of the case.

2. That the Commission erred in concluding that the Manager did not consider the petition filed before him and made no investigation in the case.

As an excuse for his inaction the appellant alleges that the appeal filed by the petitioning heirs, eight days after the petition for compensation had been filed, took the case out of the jurisdiction of the Manager of the State Fund and made the investigation impossible.

The appeal to the Industrial Commission was filed and notice was served on the Manager on July 21st, 1937.

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

Montaner v. Industrial Commission, 54 P.R. 757 (prsupreme 1939).

54 P.R. 757 (Montaner v. Industrial Commission) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

Related

Hill v. Thomas S. Gassner Co.
188 A. 382 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1936)
Foster v. State College Borough
189 A. 786 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1936)
Lackner v. Pierre, Inc.
181 A. 845 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1935)
Clark v. Lehigh Valley Coal Co.
107 A. 858 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1919)
Samoskie v. Philadelphia & Reading C. & I. Co.
124 A. 471 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1924)