Traders & General Ins. Co. v. Anderson

246 S.W.2d 290, 1952 Tex. App. LEXIS 1942
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedFebruary 13, 1952
Docket10021
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 246 S.W.2d 290 (Traders & General Ins. Co. v. Anderson) 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
Traders & General Ins. Co. v. Anderson, 246 S.W.2d 290, 1952 Tex. App. LEXIS 1942 (Tex. Ct. App. 1952).

Opinion

ARCHER, Chief Justice.

This is a compensation case. J. C. Anderson, Jr., is the employee; St. John Drilling Company, the employer; and Traders & 'General Insurance Company, the insurance carrier. The district court awarded plaintiff a lump sum judgment for total and permanent disability, and appeal has been duly perfected from such judgment.

Plaintiff alleged that on November 17, 1949, he was struck on the right foot by a heavy boomer chain; that he was at the time a diabetic; that the injury to his foot would not heal because of his diabetic condition; that such injury resulted in his total and permanent disability.

Defendant alleged that it had paid plaintiff the sum of $375.00, which was all the compensation he was entitled to; that the injury was a specific injury confined to his big toe on his right foot or at most to his right foot below the knee; that plaintiff had wholly recovered from such injury; that the disability was partial, not total, and temporary, not permanent; and a general denial.

The case was tried before a jury and submitted on special issues. The judgment entered was based on the verdict returned by the jury.

*291 The appeal is before this Court on six points. Points one and two are that the court erred in overruling defendant’s objection to the introduction in evidence the answers of Dr. M. D. Fry to direct interrogatories Nos. 23 and 24, who testified that the plaintiff was totally disabled for the performance of manual labor at all times he had seen him, and that the plaintiff was permanently disabled for the performance of manual labor at all times he had seen him.

Plaintiff introduced in evidence, over defendant’s objections, the following questions and answers from the direct interrogatories propounded to Dr. M. D. Fry, witness for plaintiff:

“23. Please state whether or not in your opinion J. C. Anderson, Jr., was totally disabled for the performance of manual labor at all times you have seen him?
“A. Yes, he was.
“24. Please state whether or not in your opinion J. C. Anderson, Jr., was permanently disabled for the performance of manual labor at all times you have seen him subsequent to the first visit?
“A. It was my opinion at all times that I 'have seen him that he was permanently disabled.”

Objections to the introduction of such answers were made by defendant and overruled.

The issues submitted were as follows:

“Special Issue No. 6
“If you have answered Special Issue No. 5 -by ‘yes’ and in that event only, then you will answer this issue:
“Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that Plaintiff’s incapacity to work, if any, was total for any length of time? Answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’.
“Answer: Yes.
“Special Issue No. 7
“If you have answered Special Issue No. 6 by ‘yes’, and in that event only then you will answer this issue:
“Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that such total incapacity, if any, was or is temporary or permanent? Answer either, ‘Temporary’ or ‘Permanent’.
“Answer: Permanent.”
The objections to these questions were made in the following manner:
“We make our same objection to question No. 23, Your Honor”, and:
“Your Honor, we make our same objection to question No. 24.”

Previously the appellant had objected to certain testimony, as follows: “Mr. Sea-berry: Your Honor, we object to reading question No. 20 and the answer thereto in that such question is leading, misstates the law as regards disability in a workmen’s compensation case and therefore prejudicial to the defendant”, which objection was sustained.

We overrule assignments Nos. 1 and 2.

Dr. Fry testified 'by deposition, and after answering questions with respect to his qualifications and to the fact that he had seen and examined appellee, the question under review and his answers were read to the jury. We believe that the testimony of Dr. Fry and his opinion as to the nature, extent and duration of such injuries were admissible. Federal Underwriters Exchange v. Cost, 132 Tex. 299, 123 S.W.2d 332.

Assignments Nos. 3, 4, 5, and 6 are to the effect that the jury’s answers to Special Issues Nos. 7, 9, 13, and 14 are not supported by the evidence and are so contrary to a great preponderance of the evidence as manifestly to have ¡been the result of bias and prejudice.

Special Issue No. 7 inquired if such total incapacity, if any, was or is temporary or permanent. The answer was permanent.

Special Issue No. 9 inquired if plaintiff’s incapacity to work, if any, was or is partial for any length of time, and the ■answer was “No.”

Special Issue No. 13 inquired if plaintiff’s injury extended to or affected other portions of his body than his right foot and leg, and the answer was “Yes.”

Special Issue No. 14 is as follows:

“Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that Plaintiff’s incapacity, if any, is not solely the result of his diabetic *292 condition? Let the form of your answer be: ‘It is not solely the result of his diabetic condition’ or ‘It is solely the result of his diabetic condition.’
“Answer: It is not solely the result of his diabetic condition.”
Appellant admits that plaintiff was injured in the manner complained of and should have compensation from the date of injury to February 10, 1950, but contends that after such date plaintiff had fully recovered from the injury and any present disability is due to his diabetic condition, or that he had only a slight, temporary, partial disability, or that such disability was confined to his right foot below the knee, or to the great toe of the right foot. Appellant further conceded that at the time of the trial plaintiff 'had a gangrenous spot on his right foot near the great toe, but is the result of his diabetic condition unconnected with the accident.

Testifying as a witness for defendant Dr. E. F. Meredith, the first physician to see and treat appellee, testified that when he last saw appellee on February 10, 1950, his foot had healed entirely, that everything was well as far as his foot was concerned.

Dr. W. R. Snow testified that such gangrene as plaintiff had could heal, that gangrene could develop without trauma.

Dr.

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Related

Lyles v. TEXAS EMPLOYERS'INSURANCE ASSOCIATION
365 S.W.2d 819 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1963)
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272 S.W.2d 772 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1954)
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257 S.W.2d 851 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1953)

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Bluebook (online)
246 S.W.2d 290, 1952 Tex. App. LEXIS 1942, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/traders-general-ins-co-v-anderson-texapp-1952.