Texas General Indemnity Co. v. Thomas

428 S.W.2d 463, 1968 Tex. App. LEXIS 2084
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMay 9, 1968
Docket335
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 428 S.W.2d 463 (Texas General Indemnity Co. v. Thomas) 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
Texas General Indemnity Co. v. Thomas, 428 S.W.2d 463, 1968 Tex. App. LEXIS 2084 (Tex. Ct. App. 1968).

Opinion

MOORE, Justice.

Appellee, L. C. Thomas, brought this suit against appellánt, Texas General Indemnity Company, to recover workmen’s compensation benefits for an accidental injury while in the course and scope of his employment with Marathon Oil Company. Trial was before a jury and resulted in a verdict of total and permanent disability; however, the jury also found that a previous injury contributed to his incapacity in the amount of 30%. Based upon the verdict, the trial court rendered judgment in favor of Thomas for benefits in the total sum of $8,973.-64. Appellant’s amended motion for new trial was overruled and this appeal resulted.

By the first point of error, appellant contends that the trial court erred in admitting into evidence plaintiff’s x-rays, Exhibits Nos. 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7, and in permitting plaintiff’s medical witness, Dr. James H. Mann, to interpret the same and to render an opinion therefrom, because (1) a proper predicate had not been laid showing that the x-rays in question were x-rays of the plaintiff, taken by a qualified person while plaintiff was properly positioned, and (2) that the x-rays constituted hearsay and were therefore incompetent evidence for any purpose.

In laying a predicate for the introduction of the x-rays, appellee first offered the *465 testimony of Ervin M. Daugherty, who testified that in his capacity as hospital administrator at the Henderson Memorial Hospital, he kept in his care, custody and control all records of the hospital, including the x-ray film in question. He identified the x-ray film and certain reports attached thereto as being the x-rays in the hospital file of appellee, L. C. Thomas. He testified that the same were made on March 14, 1967, by the Radiology Department of the hospital upon the request of Dr. James H. Mann; that all x-ray work for the hospital was done under the direction of Dr. J. P. McClelland, a radiologist; that after the x-rays were taken, Dr. McClelland made a report of his findings, which was initialed by him. He further testified that the report, as well as the x-rays, was a part of the records of Henderson Memorial Hospital kept in the regular course of business and had, at all times, remained under his care, custody and control; that such records were made by hospital personnel with personal knowledge of the facts stated on the record.

Dr. James H. Mann testified that on March 14, 1967, he ordered x-rays of ap-pellee’s lower back and sacral region at the Radiology Department at the Henderson Memorial Hospital. He further testified that the appellee’s Exhibits 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 were the x-rays which were made by Dr. McClelland’s department at the hospital under Dr. McClelland’s direction, and that the subject x-rays were made by one of Dr. McClelland’s radiological technicians. He identified Dr. McClelland as a radiologist and a specialist in x-rays. He testified that he was familiar with Dr. McClel-land’s staff at the hospital and that such staff works directly under the supervision of Dr. McClelland; that the members of his staff were competent x-ray technicians, who knew how to properly position a patient’s body as ordered by the requesting doctor. He further testified that from his own personal knowledge, the x-ray staff at the hospital had a system of identifying the x-rays of each patient by assigning the patient a number, which number was placed upon each individual x-ray picture, and that as a result of this numbering system, he was able to identify Exhibits 3, 4, S, 6 and 7 as being the x-rays of appellee, L. C. Thomas. He also testified that the hospital used another method of identifying the x-rays of the patient by placing the x-rays in an envelope with the patient’s name written thereon and that the x-ray film in question was taken from the envelope with his patient’s name and number written thereon. He testified that the x-ray pictures accurately portray that portion of appellee’s body which they purport to represent.

We are aware of the rule of evidence requiring that x-ray film, before being admissible in evidence, must be properly identified. It is generally stated that the proof must show, with some degree of certainty, that the x-rays are that of the person involved in the suit; that they were taken by a qualified technician and that such film accurately portrays the portion of the body which they purport to represent. Texas Indemnity Ins. Co. v. Phillips, (Tex.Civ.App.) 153 S.W.2d 503; Texas Indemnity Ins. Co. v. Desherlia, (Tex. Civ. App.) 237 S.W.2d 715.

A brief review of the facts shows that appellee was a patient of Dr. James H. Mann. Dr. Mann instructed appellee to go to the hospital for the purpose of making x-rays. He called the hospital and advised and instructed the personnel as to the type of x-ray which he desired. Ap-pellee appeared at the hospital at the appointed time and was assigned a number which appeared on each of the x-rays in question. Subsequently the x-ray film was placed in an envelope which had the appel-lee’s name affixed thereon. These facts, we think, would constitute sufficient evidence to show that the films in question were those of appellee’s body. Dr. Mann further testified that he was acquainted with the technicians who worked under the supervision of Dr. McClelland in the Radi *466 ology Department at the hospital and knew them to be qualified x-ray technicians. He also testified that the x-ray film in question correctly portrayed the portions of ap-pellee’s body which they purported to represent and was of the type ordered by him. It occurs to us that these facts were sufficient to safeguard-the rights of the appellant. Consequently, we think a proper predicate was laid for the admission of the x-ray photographs and that appellant’s objection was correctly overruled by the trial court. The following authorities, we think, sustain our holding in this respect. The Travelers Insurance Company v. Williams, (Tex.Civ.App.) 355 S.W.2d 728, citing United Fidelity Life Ins. Co. v. Holliday, (Tex.Civ.App.) 226 S.W.2d 139.

By points 2, 3 and 4, appellant contends that there was no evidence or insufficient evidence to warrant the submission of the wage rate issue under Subdivision (1), Section 1 of Article 8309, Vernon’s Ann.Civ. St. and that the court erred in entering judgment based on the jury’s answer to Special Issue No. 18 finding an average daily wage of $26.24.

The evidence shows that appellee had been in the employment of Marathon Oil Company, his employer, for approximately 29 years. He was originally employed to do construction work and after remaining on the construction crew for 4 or 5 years, he was transferred to the “paint gang” where he remained until his employment was terminated on January 10, 1966. He testified that at the time of his injury, he was earning $3.28 per hour, and worked 8 hours per day, 5 days a week, and was working what is generally known as a forty-hour work week. He further testified that in the year immediately preceding the date of his injury he worked at least 210 days and that his weekly pay amounted to approximately $131.00 or $132.00.

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428 S.W.2d 463, 1968 Tex. App. LEXIS 2084, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/texas-general-indemnity-co-v-thomas-texapp-1968.