Southern Drilling Co. v. Daley

1933 OK 541, 25 P.2d 1082, 166 Okla. 33, 1933 Okla. LEXIS 332
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedOctober 17, 1933
Docket24428
StatusPublished
Cited by33 cases

This text of 1933 OK 541 (Southern Drilling Co. v. Daley) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Southern Drilling Co. v. Daley, 1933 OK 541, 25 P.2d 1082, 166 Okla. 33, 1933 Okla. LEXIS 332 (Okla. 1933).

Opinion

SWINDALL, J.

This is an original proceeding in this court to review an award of the State Industrial Commission entered on the 13th day of January, 1933, in favor of Chas. P. Daley, claimant, against the Southern Drilling Company employer, and United States Fidelity & Guaranty Company, insurance carrier.

Daley was injured on the 28th day of January, 1931. He was engaged as a helper in the drilling of an oil well and was “tightening leaky swivel with wrench when rotary kicked off under head of steam causing rotary table to rotate, throwing employee from table to floor and against manifold valve,” striking his head. He was unconscious for a brief time, was taken to a hospital, and in three days returned to work. Fifteen days after his return he was laid off. Later he again tried to work, but suffered so from headache and dizziness that he could not. Compensation for temporary total disability was voluntarily paid, a claim for compensation filed, but no hearing had until January, 1932. At that time the employer and insurance carrier filed a motion with the Commission to discontinue temporary total disability compensation and to determine the extent of permanent partial disability, alleging that temporary total disability ceased on December 30, 1931.

On the January, 1932, hearing, three doctors, having observed and examined claimant, testified for the employer and its insurance carrier. One doctor testified for the claimant and he for himself. All of them recounted the symptoms plaintiff complained of, fairly expressed by Dr. Leroy Long, Jr., as follows:

“He was still complaining of subjective complaints such as headaches in the back of the head, stiffness in the left of the neck, spots in front of the left eye, slight dis: charge from' both ears, dizziness on stooping over, weakness and fatigqe and some disturbances in his memory.”

And no one of them found any objective symptoms or physical derangements of note. There was a slight fracture of the skull, but no doctor expressed the opinion that it indicated serious results. Dr. M. S. Gregory, for claimant, found his neurological reactions somewhat more intense and serious and his mental state worse than did the other doctors. But all of them felt that his complaints were grounded in illness in fact whether objectively symptomized or not. The doctors were of the opinion that the greater part of his disability resulted from his mental attitude brought on by the injury, which could be improved by claimant’s obtaining a job at light work. Employer’s doctors were *34 of the opinion he would have ten to 15 per cent, permanent partial disability, claimant’s that he would have 50 per cent.

Upon this record the Commission denied employer’s and insurance carrier’s motion and ordered that temporary total disability compensation be continued until further-order of the Commission. Employer and insurance carrier paid such compensation until December, 1932, at which time they filed a motion again seeking discontinuance of such compensation. A hearing was held on this motion on the 9th day of January, 1933. The testimony of three doctors, all for employer, was taken, two of whom, Dr. Riley and Dr. Fishman, had testified at the hearing in January, 1932), and one of whom. Dr. Leroy Long, Sr., had not previously testified, but had claimant under his observation and care at intervals from April, 1931.

The claimant’s complaints were the same as they were in December, 1931. There were still no objective symptoms. His general physical condition was improved over what it had been in 1931. Dr. Riley testified that he was still of the opinion that claimant could have returned to light work in December, 1931. That his former opinion that claimant would have 10 per cent, permanent partial disability had changed in the light of the lapse of time and of the fact that he had since seen the results of Dr. Long’s lumbar puncture. He now held that claimant would have no permanent disability. Dr. Fishman testified that the longer claimant remains idle the more fixed his symptoms will become; that he was able and should have returned to work in December, 1931; that had he done so, his condition would now be normal; that if he will now begin light work with the proper mental attitude, his condition will be normal in a short time; and that should he do so he will have no permanent disability. Dr. Long, Sr., testified that at the time of his first examination of claimant in April, 1931, he did not find many objective symptoms, but his findings fitted in well with the complaints made and he thought claimant had a brain injury. He treated claimant for a few months. At the time of his last examination in December, 1932, he found no objective symptoms; claimant looked better, weighed more. That the disability results partly from the injury and partly from inactivity. That claimant should commence light work in a gradual way as a tentative undertaking, that it will not harm him. and if he does, he will probably be aide to do ordinary manual labor within three months and not have any permanent disability, though it is possible he may have. That claimant’s temporary total disability has ceased, and he now has about 50 peí-cent. temporary partial disability, which will probably disappear in three months if he works.

Following the hearing, of these three witnesses, the attorney for employer and insurance carrier proposed that employer procure work for claimant of the character described; the attorney for claimant accepted the proposal; and the hearing was closed.

Thereafter, on January 13, 1933, the State Industrial Commission entered the award complained of, in which it found, among other things, that temporary total disability ceased on December 7, 1932, and as follows:

“That hy reason of said accidental injury, claimant has sustained a permanent partial disability by reason of the injury to his head and skull on account of which his wage-earning capacity has been reduced from $5 per day to $2.40 per day, or a difference of $2.60 per day, making his rate of compensation $10 per week.”

And ordered that compensation be paid in conformity with this finding from December 8, 1932, during the continuance of such permanent partial disability, not to exceed 300 weeks.

The employer and insurance carrier, petitioners herein, assert as grounds for vacating said award twoi propositions: (1) That the finding of the Commission that claimant has a permanent partial disability decreasing his wage-earning capacity from $5 per day to $2.40 per day, is not sustained by any competent evidence; and (21) that employee failed to avail himself of a reasonable remedial measure, and, therefore, the obligation of the employer to pay further compensation ceased.

Under the testimony adduced at the January 13, 1933, hearing, it is clear that there is not any competent evidence to support the finding of permanent partial disability. All of the expert witnesses were of the opinion that the disability was temporary, although Dr. Long, Sr., stated there was a possibility of its permanence. This injury was of a character requiring highly specialized knowledge to determine even its probable permanency. Dr. Long’s statement was nothing more than an admission that he could not be certain in his judgment, it was not a qualification of his judgment.

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Bluebook (online)
1933 OK 541, 25 P.2d 1082, 166 Okla. 33, 1933 Okla. LEXIS 332, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/southern-drilling-co-v-daley-okla-1933.