Southern Surety Co. v. Beaird

235 S.W. 240, 1921 Tex. App. LEXIS 1102
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedNovember 10, 1921
DocketNo. 1192.
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 235 S.W. 240 (Southern Surety Co. v. Beaird) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Southern Surety Co. v. Beaird, 235 S.W. 240, 1921 Tex. App. LEXIS 1102 (Tex. Ct. App. 1921).

Opinion

WALTHABD, J.

This case presents a suit originally in the justice of the peace court by appellant, Southern Surety Company, to set aside and cancel an award made by the State Industrial Accident Board to C. W. Beaird, appellee, for hospital services rendered by him to Chester L. Beaird, his son, in the sum of $168.

In the justice court the trial resulted in favor of the Southern Surety Company. An appeal was duly prosecuted by C. W. Beaird to the county court, where a trial de novo was had before the court without a jury, resulting in a judgment in favor of appellee in the sum of $168, from which judgment this appeal is prosecuted.

An agreed statement of facts is found in the record, from which we, with some abbrevi- ‘ ations, make the following findings of fact:

On the 19th day of November, 1918, Chester L. Beaird, while in the employment of the Snow Transfer Company, and while in the performance of his duty, was severely burned by a gasoline explosion. After his injury he was taken from Ranger, Tex., to the home of his father, appellee, near Brown-wood, Tex., where he was confined to his bed continuously from'the time of the accident to May 24, 1919. During all of the time of his confinement and disability he was under the constant care and treatment of a physician, Dr. Brown. On the 21st day of November, 1918, Chester L. Beaird entered into a verbal contract with his father, C. W. Beaird, appellee, whereby, for and in consideration of $1 per day, appellee was to furnish to Chester B. Beaird during his total incapacity care, meals, fuel, light, and other necessaries incident to his sickness and total incapacity. Appellee furnished his son with a room and bed at his farmhouse, and. *241 lie and Ms family constantly waited upon and cared for Chester L. Beaird during his sickness and total incapacity for 168 days. Chester L. Beaird gave no notice to the Industrial Accident Board of the accident or his need of medical attention; nor did he give such notice to the appellant, Southern Surety Company. Chester L. Beaird did not receive authority from the Industrial Accident Board or the Southern Surety Company to contract for the medical services or the care and attention furnished him by appel-lee. Commencing with the second week after the injury and continuing up to the date of the trial of this case, the Southern Surety Company has been paying to Chester L. Beaird a weekly compensation of $13.84 per week, said payments were made through E. B. Henly, an insurance agent.

Within two weeks after the injury of Chester L. Beaird Dr. Brown certified to the Industrial Accident Board the necessity for further medical treatment of Chester L. Beaird, further certifying that he would be totally disabled for several weeks, but the doctor received no authority from the Board for the continuance of medical care and treatment. Within two weeks after the accident Dr. Brown, at the reguest of Chester D. Beaird, notified E. B. Henly of the condition of Chester L. Beaird, and of his treatment and the necessity for such treatment. Henly told Dr. Brown that his agency had issued a policy of compensation insurance for the Snow Transfer Company, the policy being issued by the Southern Surety Company. Henly suggested that Dr. Brown advise the Industrial Accident Board of the injury and necessity for treatment, which notice was given by Dr. Brown. The Board replied to Dr. Brown that no report had been made of the accident to Chester D. Beaird. Henly advised Dr. Brown that it would not be necessary to make any report, as he fully understood about the matter of the medical treatment by Dr. Brown and at the home of his father, and was satisfied with the treatment and instructed Dr. Brown to continue same. Dr. Brown went to Henly at least once a week for the purpose of notifying him of the condition of Chester L. Beaird and of the necessity for further medical and hospital treatment. Einally Henly notified Dr. Brown that it was not necessary for him to continue to make any further report in regard to the condition and treatment of Chester L. Beaird, as he fully understood the same, and was willing that such treatment, both by Dr. Brown and by the relatives of Chester L. Beaird at the home of his father, should be continued as long as same was necessary. Upon this instruction from Henly Dr. Brown discontinued giving weekly notice to Henly, but did make an occasional report to him. In making such reports to Henly Dr. Brown was acting for himself as to medical attention, and at the reguest and for Chester L. Beaird as to the services and treatment then being rendered by his father, appellee, and other relatives. '

At the reguest of Henly, on a number of occasions, Dr. Brown carried weekly compensation vouchers issued by the Southern Surety Company to Chester t. Beaird under the terms of its policy and delivered same to Chester L. Beaird at the home of his father. Dr. Brown then knew of claims of other parties against appellant being paid through the agency of Henly at Brownwood. Henly & Co. are insurance agents and represent appellant at Brownwood.

At the time Dr. Brown first notified Henly of the condition of Chester L. Beaird and of his treatment of him, he also told Henly of the arrangement Chester L. Beaird had made with Ms father in regard to his father giving him hospital care and treatment. Henly agreed with Dr. Brown that he might go ahead with his medical treatment, and agreed and consented that Chester L. Beaird might* be kept at his father’s home under the then agreement between the father and son, for a charge by the father of $1 per. day for care, treatment, and board.

About the 1st of February, 1919, a traveling representative of appellant was in Brownwood at the office of Henly & Co., and requested Dr. Brown to call at the office for consultation as to Chester L. Beaird. The representative requested Dr. Brown to submit his bill for services rendered and for medicines and dressings used, stating at the time that he did not consider appellant responsible for more than two weeks regardless of the condition of Chester B. Beaird; that the only notice given the Board by Dr. Brown was the notice of December 2, 1918; that Dr. Brown did not receive any authority or notice from the Board authorizing him to continue his professional services to Chester L. Beaird, or to have continued the care and attention and hospital services then being given by appellee at his home.

• The reason Dr. Brown gave no further notice was the fact that he relied on the statement of Henly, as above, and to the effect that it would not be necessary to further notify the Board; that notices .to him would be all that would be necessary. When Dr. Brown first notified Henly of the accident to Chester L. Beaird and of the medical and hospital treatment he was then receiving, Henly instructed Dr. Brown to continue the medical treatment and hospital services without notifying the Board that he would consent to both the medical and hospital treatment and service without either being ordered by the Board. This Henly repeatedly told Dr. Brown. Both Dr. Brown and appel-lee relied on the statement of Henly, and for that reason no reports were made to the *242 Board other than the. one made about the 2d of December, 1918.

The case having originated in the justice court, it was agreed on the trial in the county court that the appellant pleaded orally: General demurrer; special exception to ap-pellee’s answer that the services rendered to Chester L.

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Bluebook (online)
235 S.W. 240, 1921 Tex. App. LEXIS 1102, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/southern-surety-co-v-beaird-texapp-1921.