Simonton v. United States Fidelity & Guaranty Co.

131 N.E.2d 362, 126 Ind. App. 393, 1956 Ind. App. LEXIS 122
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedJanuary 19, 1956
DocketNo. 18,715
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 131 N.E.2d 362 (Simonton v. United States Fidelity & Guaranty Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Simonton v. United States Fidelity & Guaranty Co., 131 N.E.2d 362, 126 Ind. App. 393, 1956 Ind. App. LEXIS 122 (Ind. Ct. App. 1956).

Opinion

Kendall, J.

Clyde Corder, a farm employee of Leo Simmerman of Warren County, while driving a tractor in the course of his employment on August 9, 1952, [395]*395on a public highway was in a collision with a motor vehicle operated by appellant resulting in Corder’s death.

The employer carried Workmen’s Compensation insurance with appellee company on employee Corder, who left surviving, his widow as the only dependent. Under the Workmen’s Compensation Act, appellee became liable to pay the widow Nine Thousand, Four Hundred and Fifty ($9,450.00) Dollars.

This action was commenced under the provisions of Section 13 of the 1929 Act, being Section 40-1213, Burns’ Ind. Stat., Ann., 1952 Repl. to recover damages for the death of Corder which appellee had been forced to pay under an agreement signed by the widow and the employer which was approved by the Industrial Board pursuant, to Section 57 of the Act, being Section 40-1058, Burns’ Ind. Stat., Ann., 1952 Repl.

The complaint alleged that Corder was driving a farm tractor on a north and south highway in a northerly direction, which highway intersected with a “T” intersection, which road ran in an easterly and westerly direction and upon which highway appellant was operating an automobile pulling a two-wheel trailer proceeding in an easterly direction.

Appellee charged appellant with various acts of negligence, viz: in failing to stop at the intersection before turning south; failing to sound a horn, or other signal device, before turning south at the intersection; failing to keep his automobile under control so as to avoid the collision; failure to drive his car on the right half of the highway as the tractor approached the intersection; excess speed; entering the intersection and turning south before observing whether the road was clear and safe for him and while his vision was obstructed as to vehicles coming from the south.

[396]*396Answer was filed admitting that appellant was driving the car but denied other allegations and alleged contributory negligence on the part of the tractor driver, Clyde Corder.

Reply was filed denying contributory negligence. Trial was had by the court resulting in a judgment favoring appellee in the sum of Nine Thousand, Ninety-Nine ($9,099.00) Dollars and costs.

Appellant’s motion for new trial contends that the decision of the trial court is not sustained by sufficient evidence and is contrary to law.

The assignment of error is the overruling of the motion for new trial.

Under the first specification of the motion for new trial (not sustained by sufficient evidence), appellant’s contention is that appellee failed to prove that the Industrial Board approved the agreement for compensation between the employer and the dependent. He sets forth in his brief Section 2-1636, Burns’ Ind. Stat. Ann., 1946 Repl. The record contains an exhibit which is the copy of the agreement, being Form #13, which does contain the certification of the Board’s Secretary with the seal of that office that the instrument is such a record. This exhibit was introduced into evidence without objection and contained the following certification by the Acting Secretary:

“I, Joseph 0.. Pearson, Acting Secretary of the Industrial Board of Indiana, do hereby certify that the attached Form 13 agreement is a full, true, complete and exact copy of a Form 13 agreement which was filed with and approved by the Industrial Board of Indiana on December 3, 1952.”

The agreement to which certification was made also includes the following:

[397]*397“Approved by the Industrial Board of Indiana this 3rd day of December, 1952. By Maurice T. Harrell
(Sig.) Chairman”

The appellant makes no contention that the award was not made by the Board. An agreement between an injured employee, or, in case of death, by dependents and his employer, as to compensation under the Act, when filed with and approved by the Board, has full force and effect of an award of the Board and is binding on the parties so long as it stands unrevoked. Carrico v. Templeton Coal Co. (1927), 87 Ind. App. 145, 159 N. E. 695; Smith v. Brown (1924), 81 Ind. App. 667, 144 N. E. 849. As we understand appellant’s contention, it is that the existence of a document in an Industrial Board case cannot be proved by the officer certifying the same. Appellant cites the cases of Wright and Others v. Bundy (1858), 11 Ind. 398; Daggett v. Bonewitz et al. (1886), 107 Ind. 276, 7 N. E. 900; State v. Schaller (1942), 111 Ind. App. 128, 40 N. E. 2d 976. In general, in the cited cases of appellant, the certifying officer attempted to certify, not the record but the facts which the officer said were shown from the record. In the case of Daggett v. Bonewitz et al., supra, the proof offered was not of the record but was a letter from the land-office registrar containing a recitation of facts which did not appear in the record. Such a set of facts and circumstances is altogether different from the question presented by the appellant in this case. Likewise, the case of Wright and Others v. Bundy, supra, in which the certification by the officer was not as to the records but as to negative facts stating that certain things were not contained in the record. Appellant further argues that the statement in the certification by the Secretary that the exhibit was filed with [398]*398and approved by the Board is not proof in itself of the award. The language in the certificate is not the proof of the award. The proof of the award is the award itself, which, in this case, the record shows was approved Form 13, together with the authentication. Accordingly, therefore, there is no merit to appellant’s first specification of motion for new trial.

Appellant admits that at the time of the accident a portion of his car was from eighteen (18") inches to two (2') feet over the center of the highway where the accident occurred; however, he attempts to justify the occurrence of the accident by contributory negligence of the decedent who was the operator of the tractor.

Evidence revealed that appellant was travelling between thirty to thirty-five miles-per-hour a short distance before entering the intersection to turn south; that, as he entered the intersection to turn south, he was travelling approximately fifteen miles-per-hour, which intersection was grown up in weeds and tall grass, which growth, appellant testified, obstructed the view from the south. Appellant further testified that after turning the corner to go south, from which direction the tractor was coming, he could not stop his car to avoid colliding; that, upon seeing the tractor, he slid his wheels more or less straight ahead toward the center of the road; that he then felt a downward jolt and the tractor rolled over, one wheel coming up on the fender and hood of his car, which was the left front portion thereof; that as he applied the brakes, the front end of his car slid to the left in a diagonal position for approximately eighteen (18') feet, and in so doing, went over the center of the travelled portion of the road. Evidence .revealed no skid marks to the right.

[399]

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

Related

New York Life Insurance v. Bruner
153 N.E.2d 616 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1958)
Pearlmen v. Massachusetts Bonding & Ins.
130 N.E.2d 54 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1955)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
131 N.E.2d 362, 126 Ind. App. 393, 1956 Ind. App. LEXIS 122, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/simonton-v-united-states-fidelity-guaranty-co-indctapp-1956.