Nelson v. Kentucky River Stone & Sand Co.

206 S.W. 473, 182 Ky. 317, 1918 Ky. LEXIS 357
CourtCourt of Appeals of Kentucky
DecidedDecember 3, 1918
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 206 S.W. 473 (Nelson v. Kentucky River Stone & Sand Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Kentucky primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Nelson v. Kentucky River Stone & Sand Co., 206 S.W. 473, 182 Ky. 317, 1918 Ky. LEXIS 357 (Ky. Ct. App. 1918).

Opinion

Opinion op the Court by

William. Rogers Clay, Commissioner

Reversing.

On October 4, 1916,,John T. Nelson was working for the Kentucky River Stone & Sand Company as foreman of a gang of men engaged in sledging rock. As he was passing one of the men engaged in that work, a small piece of rock struck him in the eye, causing him to lose the sight thereof and necessitating the removal of the eyeball and the use of a glass eye.

The company admitted that the accident arose out of and in the course of Nelson’s employment, and prior to the hearing before the Workmen’s ' Compensation Board offered to pay him 65% of his average weekly wages during one hundred weeks as required by section 18 of the Workmen’s Compensation Act, Acts 1916, chapter 33, page 354, now section 4899, Kentucky' Statutes, which provides in part as follows:

“For injuries enumerated in,the following schedule, the employe shall receive in lieu of all other compensation, except such as may be payable under sections 4 and 5 hereof, a weekly compensation equal to 65% of his average weekly earnings, but not less than $5 per week nor exceeding $12 per week, for the respective periods stated thereon, to-wit:
“The total and permanent loss of the sight of an eye, 65% of the average weekly wages .during one, hundred weeks.”

[319]*319Nelson declined to accept the offer of the company and insisted that he was entitled to compensation under the following provision of section 18:

“Tn all other cases of permanent partial disability, including any disfigurement which will impair the future usefulness or occupational opportunities of the injured employe, compensation shall be determined according to the percentage of disability, taking into account, among other things, any previous disability, the nature of the physical injury or disfigurement, the occupation of the injured employe and age at the time of injury; the compensation paid therefor shall be 65% of the average weekly earnings of the employe, but not less than $5 mor more than $12, multiplied by the percentage of disability caused by the injury, for such period as the board may determine, not exceeding 335 weeks nor a maximum sum of $4,000.00.”

The findings of fact, ruling of law and award of the Workmen’s Compensation Board are as follows:

Findings or Fact.
“1. Plaintiff was injured by accident arising out of and in the course of his employment, and is entitled to compensation at the rate of $9.75 per week for such a period as the provisions of the Compensation Act may require.
“2. The removal of the injured eyeball was necessitated by the injury, the socket being left in good condition and the patient’s ability to wear an artificial eye being normal, or about equal to the average in such cases.
“3. The plaintiff’s earning capacity is not shown to have been impaired by the removal of the eyeball, beyond the impairment caused by the loss of sight.
“4. The removal of an eye which has been accidentally injured sufficiently to destroy the sight is necessary, in nearly all instances, in order to save the remaining eye.
Ruling or Law.
“1. The substitution of an artificial eye for a blind eye does not cause an increased disfigurement which will impair the future usefulness or occupational opportunities of an employe engaged in the employment in which plaintiff was injured;
[320]*320Award.
“The plaintiff, John T. Nelson, is awarded compensation against the defendant, the Kentucky River Stone & Sand Company, and its insurer, the Employers’ Liability Assurance Corporation, Limited, in the sum of $9.75 per week for a period of 100 weeks. All costs of proceedings before the Workmen’s Compensation Board are directed to be paid by the plaintiff, the defendant having before hearing offered to pay the amount re- . covered. ”

Within twenty days after the rendition of the award, Nelson appealed to the Anderson circuit court by filing a petition for a review on following grounds:

“1st. The said court acted in excess of its power.
“2nd. Neither the order, decision nor award is based on the facts of the case, nor is any one of them in conformity with the provision of the said act. The findings of fact are not such as are warranted by the proof and do not support the order, decision or award.
“3rd. The award makes no allowance for the loss of the eye itself or disfigurement, but only for the loss of the sight.”

On the appeal the petitioner offered evidence to the effect that the eye was so injured that it was necessary to cut very deep in removing the eyeball, thus leaving a poor stump for the fitting of an artificial eye. For this reason the petitioner will not be able to wear an artificial eye all the time, and during such period as he may wear it he will be subjected to constant pain and annoyance, and will be compelled to lose much time in cleansing the artificial eye. There was also evidence that he would be greatly disfigured by the loss of his eyeball.

On final hearing the circuit court affirmed the award and the petitioner appeals.

Under our statute, all awards -or orders of the board are conclusive and binding as to all questions of fact, and no new or additional evidence may be introduced in the circuit court except as to the fraud or misconduct of some person engaged in the administration ■of the act, and affecting the order, ruling or award, but the court shall otherwise hear the cause upon the record or abstract thereof as certified by the board, and shall dispose the cause in summary manner, its review being [321]*321limited to determining whether or not: (1) The board acted without or in excess of its power. (2) The order, decision or award was procured by fraud. (3) The order, decision or award is not in conformity to the provisions of this act. (4) If findings of fact are in issue,. whether such findings of fact support the order, decision or award. Section 4935, Kentucky Statutes.

Here it is not contended that any one engaged in the administration of the act was guilty of fraud or misconduct. That being true, its findings of fact cannot be reviewed or set aside. We shall, therefore, consider the case in the light of the board’s finding that the petitioner’s eyeball was removed and he was compelled to wear a glass eye, but that neither of these things impaired his earning capacity beyond the loss of the sight of his eye, or caused a disfigurement that impaired his future usefulness or occupational opportunities. The question, therefore, is whether the award conforms to tile.statute, and this depends on whether the injury falls within the specific schedule providing compensation for the loss of the sight of an eye, or under the general provision applying to all other cases. In this connection, it must be borne in mind that disfigurement impairing the future usefulness or occupational opportunities of the injured employe is not a sme qua non to compensation under the general provision, since that provision applies “in all cases of permanent partial disability, including any disfigurement,.” etc.

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

Related

Henry Vogt MacH. Co. v. Mercer
213 S.W.2d 426 (Court of Appeals of Kentucky (pre-1976), 1948)
Aetna Casualty & Surety Co. v. Petty
140 S.W.2d 397 (Court of Appeals of Kentucky (pre-1976), 1940)
Barry v. Peterson Motor Co.
46 P.2d 77 (Idaho Supreme Court, 1935)
Elkins v. Lallier
32 P.2d 759 (New Mexico Supreme Court, 1934)
Bickel v. Ralph Sollitt & Sons Construction Co.
184 N.E. 196 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1933)
Mary Helen Coal Corporation v. Hensley
35 S.W.2d 533 (Court of Appeals of Kentucky (pre-1976), 1931)
Wells Elkhorn Coal Co. v. Vanhoose
295 S.W. 464 (Court of Appeals of Kentucky (pre-1976), 1927)
Mills v. Mills & Connelly
283 S.W. 1010 (Court of Appeals of Kentucky (pre-1976), 1926)
Kentucky Distilleries & Warehouse Co. v. James
265 S.W. 629 (Court of Appeals of Kentucky, 1924)
Andrews Steel Co. v. McDermott
234 S.W. 275 (Court of Appeals of Kentucky, 1921)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
206 S.W. 473, 182 Ky. 317, 1918 Ky. LEXIS 357, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/nelson-v-kentucky-river-stone-sand-co-kyctapp-1918.