Peterson's Estate v. JR SIMPLOT CO., FOOD PROC. DIV.

358 P.2d 587, 83 Idaho 120, 1961 Ida. LEXIS 160
CourtIdaho Supreme Court
DecidedJanuary 11, 1961
Docket8919
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 358 P.2d 587 (Peterson's Estate v. JR SIMPLOT CO., FOOD PROC. DIV.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Idaho Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Peterson's Estate v. JR SIMPLOT CO., FOOD PROC. DIV., 358 P.2d 587, 83 Idaho 120, 1961 Ida. LEXIS 160 (Idaho 1961).

Opinion

SMITH, Justice.

November 23, 1958, Archie M. Peterson, employed by appellant employer, suffered fractures of the humerus and ulna, together with muscle and nerve involvement, of his right arm, caused by an accident arising out of and in the course of his employment. Appellants, employer and surety, admitted liability on Peterson’s compensation claim duly filed with the Industrial Accident Board.

Peterson died September 25, 1959. The Board found that his death, independent of and unrelated to the accident, was caused by carcinoma, metastatically transplanted from the antecedent point of origin in the left lung.

Appellants paid Peterson compensation from the date of injury until his death occurred, and his medical and hospital expenses incurred during that time.

Physicians, who attended Peterson from the date of injury until about the middle *122 of April, 1959, diagnosed an anatomic interruption of the right ulnar nerve as having resulted from the severe fractures of the arm; but because of the malignancy, discovered during April, 1959, surgical repair of the injured nerve was postponed indefinitely.

An attending orthopedic surgeon reported his findings to appellant surety, and to the Board, relating to Peterson’s injured arm, revealed by an examination made during April, 1959, as follows:

“At that time I felt the man [Peterson] had a permanent partial disability of 100% as compared to loss of the right arm at the shoulder. This is based on marked limitation of motion of the shoulder, the presence of an unhealed fracture of the right mid-humerus, marked limitation of motion of the elbow and in pronation and suppination of the forearm and extreme limitation of motion of the wrist and small joint of the fingers. There is also a complete radial nerve palsy present.”

The residual permanent injury, attributable to the accident, had not been determined as of the time of death.

Appellants, through the surety, in due time after Peterson’s death, filed with the Board a summary of all payments made to and for Peterson’s use, to the date of death, but without payment of, or agreement to pay, a determined sum as specific indemnity for permanent injury; and in the instrument of summary appellants, through the surety, petitioned the Board to approve the amounts paid, as the award, and to retire the file and close the case.

The Board, by its order denying appellants’ petition, advised procedures designed to seek recovery on behalf of decedent’s estate, and retained jurisdiction to determine the basis and extent of decedent’s potential recovery. Appellants have appealed from such order.

Appellants contend that the Board erred in holding that Peterson suffered, or probably suffered, a permanent injury, and that a claim therefor survived his death.

The specific indemnity statute, I.C. § 72-313, provides in subparagraph (a): “An employee, who suffers a permanent injury less than total, shall, in addition to compensation, if any, for temporary total and temporary partial disability, be entitled to specific indemnity for such permanent injury * * Then follows the “Specific Indemnity Schedule,” of total and partial losses of members of the body, and the number of payments to be made weekly, as specific indemnity for each such bodily loss; and provides in subparagraph (b) : “In all other cases of permanent injury, less than total, not included in the above schedule, the compensation shall bear such relation to the period stated in the above sched *123 ule as the disabilities bear to those produced by the injuries named in the schedule.”

In Mahoney v. City of Payette, 64 Idaho 443, 133 P.2d 927, 928, this Court recognized survival of a claim for specific indemnity where death occurred from a cause unrelated to the industrial accident, before the workman’s total temporary disability for work had ceased, and before an award had been made of specific indemnity for a residual permanent arm injury.

Appellants argue that in the Mahoney case this Court “permitted the claim to survive” by virtue of admissions of both parties during oral argument that the permanent injury award fell under the specific indemnity statute (then I.C.A. § 43-1113, now I.C. § 72-313), the Court having then observed that, proceeding upon such concession, “the disability is not to be determined as variably continuing, progressively healing, or eventually ceasing.” Clearly, such observation is descriptive of total disability which may be temporary in character, I.C. § 72-310, and partial temporary disability, I.C. § 72-312. The Court then ruled that the permanent injury is to be determined “as being a fixed definite loss,” and continuing, ruled: “The test, therefore, of change of condition could not apply.”

The orthopedic surgeon, by his report herein quoted, recognized that Peterson probably suffered a residual permanent injury of his right arm; and the findings and order of the Board are founded on that premise. Compensation for permanent injury less than total is governed by the specific indemnity statute, I.C. § 72-313; and such constitutes the ruling of the Mahoney case. Appellants concede such legal effect by the statement appearing in their brief, “The question is simply, does a claim for permanent partial disability compensation survive the death of an injured employee, if the death is unrelated to the industrial accident and if the claim is based on a nonscheduled injury?”

The Mahoney case answers a portion of appellants’ query, in that a claim for specific indemnity for permanent injury survives, though the cause of the workman’s death is unrelated to the industrial accident.

We now proceed to appellants’ remaining contention, that Peterson’s permanent arm injury constituted a “non-scheduled injury” and, therefore, a claim for the specific indemnity does not survive. We deem the statute and decisions of our State to be controlling of this issue.

Appellants argue, since Peterson did not sustain an actual loss named in the schedule, as by amputation of his right arm or portion, any permanent injury which he suffered, though comparable to a named loss, constitutes a non-scheduled injury which defeats survivability. This argu *124 ment is answered in favor of survivability of the specific indemnity claim in a twofold manner:

First, by Barry v. Peterson Motor Co., 55 Idaho 702, 46 P.2d 77, 78 in which case the workman suffered a permanent spine and kidney injury caused by an industrial accident. This Court held that the schedule of specific indemnities payable for losses of the various members of the body, “and all other cases in this class,” as then provided by I.C.A. § 43-1113, did not include such permanent injury because, “The * * * injury here not being connected with any of the portions of the body members or organs mentioned in sec. 43-1113 does not fall within that class of injuries * * The legislature later amended I.C.A.

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Bluebook (online)
358 P.2d 587, 83 Idaho 120, 1961 Ida. LEXIS 160, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/petersons-estate-v-jr-simplot-co-food-proc-div-idaho-1961.