Swift & Co. v. State Industrial Commission

1932 OK 215, 17 P.2d 435, 161 Okla. 132, 1932 Okla. LEXIS 468
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedMarch 15, 1932
Docket23119
StatusPublished
Cited by21 cases

This text of 1932 OK 215 (Swift & Co. v. State Industrial Commission) 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
Swift & Co. v. State Industrial Commission, 1932 OK 215, 17 P.2d 435, 161 Okla. 132, 1932 Okla. LEXIS 468 (Okla. 1932).

Opinion

McNEILL, J.

This is an original proceeding- instituted in this court by the petitioners, Swift & Company and the Security National Casualty Company, to review an award made by the State Industrial Commission on the 9th day of November, 1931, whereby the respondent, Logan Miller, was awarded compensation for permanent total disability due to an accidental personal injury sustained by him while in the employ of petitioner Swift & Company in the latter part of October, 1927. After briefs were filed, the Commission made its award.

The material findings of fact and the award based thereon are as follows:

“1. That in the latter part of October, 1927, claimant was in the employment of the respondent and engaged in a hazardous occupation, subject to and covered by the provisions of the Workmen’s Compensation Law, and that the claimant sustained an accidental personal injury arising- out of and in the course of his employment at the time, consisting of an injury to the head.
“2. That claimant returned to work the next day and reported the injury to his employer and continued to work for the respondent; that at the time of the accident and for a period of about six months thereafter it was apparently trivial; that *133 during this period the claimant did not know nor could he have known that any real injury had resulted or would result from the accident; that claimant’s wife called the manager of the respondent company at Muskogee, Okla., about six weeks after the accidental injury telling him that she noticed a change in the condition of the claimant’s mind; that six months after date of the accident claimant became mentally incompetent, and now is and has so been since said dates; and that he had to quit work about the latter part of August, 1928; and it was further shown by the records that claimant had spells and fits during these latter months that he worked.
“3. That on or about November, 1929, claimant was duly adjudged mentally incompetent by the county court of Muskogee county, and Minnie Miller, wife of the claimant, was duly appointed his legal guardian and is now the duly qualified guardian, but before that time no guardian, committee or next friend was ever appointed for claimant; that this claim for compensation was filed on the 6th day of October, 1930, on behalf of the claimant by his duly appointed guardian.
“4. That the average daily wage of the claimant at the time of said accidental injury was $4 per day.
“5. That by reason of said accidental injury, the mental incompetency resulting therefrom, claimant was totally and permanently disabled from the performance of ordinary manual labor, and is now and has so been since he was forced to quit work in the latter part of August, 1928, and up to this time has received no compensation for-said disability.
“Upon consideration of the foregoing facts, the Commission is of the opinion that the claimant is wholly and permanently disabled for the performance of ordinary manual labor, and that the failure of the claimant to give written notice to the Commission and the employer within 30 days from the date of injury was not prejudicial to the substantial rights of the respondent or insurance carrier, for under the facts in this case the respondent had actual notice of said injury, and this claim was filed on the 6th day of October, 1930, on behalf of the claimant by his duly appointed guardian, before the expiration of one year after the appointment of said guardian, and was filed within the period allowed by law in such case, as is more particularly set out in section 7334, C. O. S. 1921, as amended by Senate Bill No. T55, Session Laws of 1923, to read as follows:
“ ‘Limitation of Time — Exception.
“ ‘No limitation of time provided in this act shall run as against any person who is mentally incompetent or a minor dependent so long as he has no committee, guardian or next friend.’
“The Commission is further of the opinion that claimant is entitled to compensation at the rate of $15.39 per week for a period not to exceed 500 weeks from the 1st day of September, 1928, the date he was forced to quit work; and that there is now due the claimant the sum of $2,523.96, or 164 weeks’ compensation at the rate of $15.39 per week, as compensation computed from September 1, 1928, to October 24, 1931, and the balance to be paid bi-monthly at the rate of $15.39 per week until 500 weeks’ total permanent disability have been paid for as a result of said accidental injury.
“It is therefore ordered, that * * * the respondent or insurance carrier pay to the claimant the sum of $2,523.96 as compensation at the rate of $15.39 per week, from September 1, 1928, to October 24, 1931, * * * and to continue compensation * * * at the rate of $15.39 per week until a total period of 500 weeks has been paid for, or until otherwise ordered by the Commission, and to pay all hospital, doctor and medical bills incurred by reason of said accidental injury.”

The petitioner contends that the award should be vacated for the following reasons:

(1) “The claim is barred by the statute of limitations.’’
(2) “The findings of the Commission are not sustained by, and are contrary to, the evidence.”
(3) “The award is based on conjecture, surmise, and speculation.”
(4) “That the opinion was not written by a member of the Industrial Commission and is therefore void.”
We consider these contentions of the petitioner in reverse order. Section 7316, O. O. S. 1921, provides:
“The Commission may authorize any inspector to conduct any such investigation, inquiry or hearing, in which case he shall have the power of a commissioner in respect thereof. ”

The record in this case shows that the evidence was taken by an inspector and that he initialed the order, but the order was made by the Commission upon a roll call of the Commission. The presumption, which is in no way overcome, is that the record and the evidence was before the Commission and was considered by it.

As to the second and third reasons, the evidence is not disputed that the respondent was working for Swift & Company in Muskogee and was struck on the head near the right temple by the lever of a meat trailer. *134 The medical testimony offered both on behalf of the petitioner and respondent showed conclusively that the respondent at the time of the hearing was suffering from an injury to his head, affecting his mind, and was disabled from the performance of ordinary manual labor. The medical testimony is conflicting as to whether the disability was the result of the accident, but it amply supports the findings of the Commission that it was due to the accident.

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Bluebook (online)
1932 OK 215, 17 P.2d 435, 161 Okla. 132, 1932 Okla. LEXIS 468, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/swift-co-v-state-industrial-commission-okla-1932.