Reed v. State

11 Ill. Ct. Cl. 24, 1939 Ill. Ct. Cl. LEXIS 77
Court of Claims of Illinois·Decided August 18, 1939·No. No. 3312·Published

Opinion

Mr. Justice Yantis

delivered the opinion of the court:

Claimant herein had been continuously employed by respondent in its Division of Highways for more than a year prior to May 26, 1937, and had been paid during such time at the rate of One Hundred Twenty-five ($125.00) Dollars per month as an engineering assistant. On the latter date he was engaged in his duties as a cement inspector at the cement plant at the Marquette Cement Manufacturing Company, Oglesby, Illinois. At about 2:00 p. m. he entered an empty railroad box car which was standing on a spur track at the cement plant, for the purpose of tacking a cement inspection report card on the wall of the car. The car was moved toward the cement loading chute and was suddenly coupled against a loaded car standing there. This sudden stopping of the car caused claimant to lose his footing and to fall on the floor of the car on his right hip. Being apparently injured he was removed to the office of the loading foreman and thence to his home, where he was placed under the care of Dr. Edmund J. Burke of LaSalle, who transferred him to St. Mary’s Hospital in that city. Dr. Burke reported the nature of the injury as a fracture of the neck of the right femur and stated the age of claimant to be seventy (70) years. On June 14, 1937, F. L. Sperry, Assistant Engineer of the State of Illinois, visited the claimant in the hospital and at the instruction of Mr. W. L. Glover, Engineer of Materials, endeavored to persuade claimant to go to Chicago at the expense of the Highway Division, to obtain the services of an orthopedic surgeon. The claimant refused these services. On July 20, 1937, M. K. Lingle, Engineer of Claims in the Highway Department, visited the claimant at the hospital and again requested claimant to accept these services, which were again declined. On September 4, 1937, claimant left the hospital at the instruction of Dr. Burke and went home. On December 7, 1937, Dr. Burke reported to Mr. Lingle as follows:

“As compared with the previous X-ray, taken about three months before, there is no evidence of any increase in new bone formation. It must be admitted that this is not distinctly encouraging, although it is by no means surprising with this type of fracture. As the situation now stands, it appears improbable that firm bone union will occur. Fibrous union is possible, provided absorption of the neck of the femur (always a possibility) does not take place. A further discussion of the entire problem with a representative of your office might be helpful, should one be traveling this way in the near future.” /

On December 20, 1937, A. L. Sand of the Highway Department visited Dr. Burke and the claimant and received from the former the following report, signed by Dr. T. L. Rypina of the X-ray department of St. Mary’s Hospital:

“Progress film of the right hip as compared with July 29, 1937, shows beginning of absorption of the neck of the right femur. There continues to be an upward displacement of the major fragment. There is no evidence of union.”

At the request of Mr. Sand, claimant on January 5,1938, reported to Dr. Thomas in Chicago and was examined by the latter. Dr. Thomas ’ report of such examination shows :

“Fracture of neck of right femur with some upward displacement. The .patient walks on crutches, touches leg to floor. No pain. Hip can be flexed to 60°, abducted to 20°, without causing pain; 1% inch shortening of leg. Patient not desirous of having any surgical intervention, which is quite reasonable for his age. The operative risk is great, and he has many hard vessels. * * *”

Dr. Thomas expressed the conclusion that—

“The patient could do his work as an inspector very well, getting along first on a crutch, later on a cane and probably later without any support, provided he gets fibrous union, or with no union if the fragments adjust themselves to a new position. I think he is going to have a fibrous union. The neck of the femur is all absorbed. He has a great deal of focal infection in his mouth and his arteries are extremely brittle. ® * *”

On January 26, 1938, Dr. Burke supplied plaintiff at the cost of the State with an ambulatory splint, and on February 20th claimant began the use of two canes instead of crutches. He was paid his full salary at the rate of One Hundred Twenty-five ($125.00) Dollars per month for the last five •days of May, 1937, and for the period from June 1, 1937, to August 17, 1938, he was paid compensation for temporary disability. The total period for which compensation was paid amounted to sixty-four (64) weeks and the total sum so paid was Nine Hundred Nineteen and 43/100 ($919.43) Dollars. Claimant had no children under sixteen years of age dependent upon him for support at the time of the accident. Treatment bills were paid for him by the Division of Highways up to September 7, 1938, in the sum of Six Hundred Ten ($610.00) Dollars. According to his annual earnings his average weekly wage was Twenty-eight and 84/100 ($28.84) Dollars, and his compensation rate $14.42 per week.

The claim herein was filed August 25, 1938. The Court finds from the record that claimant and respondent were on the 26th day of May, 1937, operating under the provisions of the Workmen’s Compensation Act of Illinois; that on the date last stated claimant sustained accidental injuries arising out of and in the course of his employment, and that notice of the accident was given to respondent and claim for compensation on account thereof was made on respondent within the time required under the provisions of said Act.

That necessary first-aid, medical, surgical and hospital services have been furnished by respondent.

That the earnings of claimant during the year next preceding the injury were One Thousand Five Hundred ($1,500.00) Dollars, and that the average weekly wage was Twenty-eight and 84/100 ($28.84) Dollars.

That claimant has been compensated for all temporary-disability to which he is entitled.

There is some difficulty in determining to what permanent partial disability or specific disability claimant is entitled.

Dr. Edmund J. Burke testified that—

The last X-ray was made of claimant’s right leg on December 4, 1937; that at that time there was no bony union, and, that the inference drawn from the X-ray was that there was a fibrous union with absorption of the neck of the femur. There was no disability of the claimant’s foot itself and no impairment of motion in his ankle as a result of this injury; that while the knee never works properly in the case of permanent impairment at the hip, the motion of the knee is good and claimant has full extension of the knee itself; that the flexion in the knee of the injured right leg compares favorably with the flexion in the left knee, though not as agile and with a smaller range of motion.

Dr. Burke further testified that—

In the hip joint there is motion in four directions, extension, flexion, adduction, and abduction. That in claimant’s case the flexion of the right hip joint is about 30° active motion, and that in the ordinary case normal flexion would be 90°; that passive motion would be slightly more than the 30° indicated.

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Reed v. State, 11 Ill. Ct. Cl. 24, 1939 Ill. Ct. Cl. LEXIS 77 (Ill. Super. Ct. 1939).

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