Todd v. Goostree

528 S.W.2d 470, 1975 Mo. App. LEXIS 1711
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedSeptember 2, 1975
DocketNo. 27501
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 528 S.W.2d 470 (Todd v. Goostree) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Missouri Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Todd v. Goostree, 528 S.W.2d 470, 1975 Mo. App. LEXIS 1711 (Mo. Ct. App. 1975).

Opinion

ROBERT R. WELBORN, Special Judge.

Appeal from entry of judgment on workmen’s compensation award, pursuant to § 287.500, RSMo 1969.

In the case of Todd v. Goostree et al., 493 S.W.2d 411 (Mo.App.1973), this court reversed the judgment of the Circuit Court of Lafayette County, which had affirmed a denial of workmen’s compensation benefits to Gerald Wayne Todd. The cause was ordered remanded to the Industrial Commission for further proceedings consistent with the opinion.

Before the Industrial Commission acted upon the remand, the employer and its insurer filed a “Motion for Further Determination and for Evidence,” requesting the Commission to make a determination of whether the claimant had sustained an accident arising out of and in the course of his employment and also an evidentiary hearing before the Division of Workmen’s Compensation on the issue of the nature and extent of claimant’s disability.

On July 12, 1973, the Industrial Commission issued its “Final Award Allowing Compensation Pursuant to Remand from Missouri Court of Appeals Kansas City District.” Omitting caption and signatures, the Commission’s order read:

“The above entitled workmen’s compensation case was submitted to the Industrial Commission of Missouri for review as provided by Section 287.480, Revised Statutes of Missouri, 1969.

“The referee, after hearing, issued his award denying compensation on June 12, 1968, and found as follows:

[472]*472T find and believe from all the credible evidence that Claimant herein did not sustain an accident as provided in Section 287.-020(2) or injury to the physical structure of his body as provided in Section 287.020(3) Revised Statutes of Missouri, and therefore compensation must be denied and is hereby denied.’

“On July 3, 1969, the Commission, one member dissenting, after having reviewed the evidence and considered the whole record, affirmed the award of the referee of June 12, 1969, in favor of the employer and insurer and against the employee and awarded no compensation.

“Thereafter, the final award of the Industrial Commission was challenged by the employee in the Circuit Court for the County of Lafayette (No. 10009) which affirmed the award of the Industrial Commission on June 29, 1970.

“Subsequently the judgment of the circuit court was appealed to the Kansas City Court of Appeals (No. 25,576) which court, now the Missouri Court of Appeals, Kansas City District, on January 19, 1973, found that the employee’s crippling neurosis precipitated by emotional shock was harm to the physical structure of his body, and therefore an injury within the definition of Section 287.020(3) RSMo 1959. The court reversed the judgment and remanded the cause to the circuit court with directions that it be remanded to the Industrial Commission for further proceedings consistent with its opinion, which was done.

“The court in its opinion gave the following account of the incident which resulted in employee’s injury:

‘The facts in evidence are not in dispute, either as to the occurrence or its results. On September 14, 1966, the claimant was employed by respondent Goostree (sic) Hauling Company as the driver of a tandem dump truck and, in the course of his employment, was hauling rock from a quarry. Just prior to the tragic incident, claimant had driven the truck into the quarry and was waiting his turn to be loaded from a Hyloader, which was then occupied with a truck operated by a fellow employee named Swift, known familiarly to the claimant as “Reverend Swift.” At a signal from the Hyloader operator, claimant backed his truck under the Hyloader and stopped. The Hyloader operator first started his machine, then turned the motor down, got off the machine, walked toward the claimant’s truck and looked under it. The claimant assumed something was wrong with his truck, got down and walked around it, following the Hyloader man. When he reached the rear of the truck, the claimant was confronted with the sight of Swift’s dead body under the rear axle. In claimant’s words: “I seen the man sticking out from under the truck ... I walked up there, I could see him, and I’d see his head and everything was all mashed, and . (t)he rear axle . . . (i)t was on his head and chest ... I seen the man; I just . . . went in shock, and . I just . . . how in the world did anything like that could happen; and I just . . . felt so awful that I just went to crying and went over and set on a rock; and I waited until my dad come up there, and they asked me if I’d move the truck, and I told them I didn’t want to drive the truck no more.”

‘Confronted by this grisly scene, claimant immediately manifested severe emotional shock. He cried uncontrollably and shook so violently he could hardly sit still.

‘Claimant remained at the quarry the rest of the evening, until his father came and took him home. He continued to cry until he passed off to sleep. He continued to tremble and shake throughout the rest of the day. That night he was unable to sleep at all because his mind was obsessed with the tragedy.’

“We believe that the entire episode so vividly described by the court, beginning with the signal to back the truck under his control and ending with the stark and indelible realization of the irremediable result he had just unwittingly brought about, when [473]*473considered as a rapid chain of events, clearly constitutes an accident under the terms and provisions of the Missouri Workmen’s Compensation Act. The whole event was certainly ‘unexpected or unforeseen’ and there can be no serious question but that it happened ‘suddenly and violently’ and produced at the time, as the court has ruled, ‘objective symptoms of an injury.’ Section 287.020(2) Revised Statutes of Missouri, 1969. Accordingly, finding that the employee suffered an injury by accident arising out of and in the course of his employment, compensation must be and is, hereby allowed.

“The Commission finds that the claimant’s average weekly wage was from $125 to $150 per week; that the employer had actual notice of the accident and that the claim was filed within the time prescribed by law. Based on the testimony of Alfred Owre, M. D., the Commission finds that as a result of the accident the claimant suffered 75% permanent partial disability to the body as a whole.

“Therefore, the Commission awards compensation for said accident in favor of the employee and against said employer and insurer as provided in the Missouri Workmen’s Compensation Law, as follows:

“For a Healing Period _ the sum of_$52.00 per week for 30 weeks

“For Permanent Partial Disability _the sum of_ 47.00 per week for 300 weeks

“Said payments to begin September 15, 1966 and to be payable and be subject to modification and review as provided in said Law.

“The employer and insurer shall provide employee with such medical, surgical, hospital and nursing care and treatment as may be reasonably necessary to cure and relieve the employee from the effects of his injuries.

“This award is subject to a lien in an amount equal to 25% thereof in favor of James S. Formby, Robert E. Stewart and Richard Bell, Attorneys, for legal services rendered. Any past due compensation shall bear interest at the rate of six per cent per annum from date due until paid as provided by Section 287.160 Revised Statutes of Missouri, 1969.

“ON THE MOTION PENDING

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

Related

Asaro v. Cardinal Glennon Memorial Hospital
799 S.W.2d 595 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1990)
Reinerd v. A.B. Chance Co.
800 S.W.2d 777 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1990)
Smith v. Ozark Lead Co.
741 S.W.2d 802 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1987)
Hinchey v. Thomasson
727 S.W.2d 836 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1987)
Bass v. Nooney Co.
646 S.W.2d 765 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1983)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
528 S.W.2d 470, 1975 Mo. App. LEXIS 1711, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/todd-v-goostree-moctapp-1975.