United States Cas. Co. v. Barlow

251 S.W.2d 414, 1952 Tex. App. LEXIS 1690
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedSeptember 11, 1952
DocketNo. 4827
StatusPublished

This text of 251 S.W.2d 414 (United States Cas. Co. v. Barlow) 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
United States Cas. Co. v. Barlow, 251 S.W.2d 414, 1952 Tex. App. LEXIS 1690 (Tex. Ct. App. 1952).

Opinion

R. L. MURRAY, Justice.

This is a Workmen’s Compensation suit brought by Clarence Barlow, the appellee, against the United States Casualty Company, appellant, to recover compensation under the Texas Workmen’s Compensation Act, Vernon’s Ann.Civ.St. art, 8306 et seq., for the alleged total and permanent loss of the use of his right eye. On trial the appellant admitted the fact that an accidental injury was suffered by the appellee, but de[415]*415nied that his loss of vision in his right eye was either total or permanent. Upon the trial the jury found -by its verdict, rendered upon Special Issues submitted, that he had suffered the total and permanent loss of the use of his right eye. In the charge the court gave the instruction to the jury that by the term “total loss of the sight of the eye” was meant “the loss of the function of the eye as an organ of sight.” No objection was made to the definition.

Judgment was entered for the appellee upon the verdict of the jury. The court overruled the appellant’s amended motion for new trial and thereafter it perfected its appeal to this court for review.

The appeal is brought on 6 Points of Error. The first point is that there was no evidence to support the finding of the jury that appellee sustained a total loss of the sight of his right eye and the second point is that the evidence in that respect was insufficient to support such a finding of the jury. The third point is that there was no evidence to support the jury’s finding that a total loss of sight of the right eye would be permanent and the fourth point is that such evidence was insufficient to support such a finding. Point No. Five is that the trial court erred in overruling its objection to the submission of the issue in regard to total loss of the sight of the appellee’s eye, on the ground that there was no evidence to support a finding by the jury of total loss of sight and the sixth point is that the trial court erred in overruling its objection to the submission to the jury of Special Issue No. 2, which inquired whether such loss of sight inquired about in Special Issue No. 1 was permanent or temporary.

Since Points 3, 4, 5, and 6 are based upon the appellant’s contention that there was no evidence or insufficient evidence of the total loss of the sight of the eye and that therefore there was no evidence or insufficient evidence that there was a permanent total loss of the use of such eye, we will consider Points 1 and 2 only in this discussion. The outcome of this appeal must, of course, depend upon the determination of those first two points.

In its argument under Points 1 and 2 the appellant quotes from and relies upon Travelers Insurance Co. v. Richmond, Tex. Com.App., 291 S.W. 1085; Employer’s Casualty Co. v. Watson, Tex.Civ.App., 32 S.W.2d 927; Traders & General Insurance Co. v. Valentine, Tex.Civ.App., 81 S.W .2d 187 and Traders & General Insurance Co. v. Dwyer, Tex.Civ.App., 104 S.W.2d 63. All three of the latter cases are based upon the holding in Travelers Insurance Co. v. Richmond, supra. In that case it was held by the Commission of Appeals in an opinion adopted by the Supreme Court that even though there was testimony to the effect that the plaintiff there had 99 percent disability of his eye the evidence did not support a finding of total loss of the use of the eye, since “total” generally comprehends all of a thing. If the ruling in the Richmond case is the law now, all of the appellant’s contentions on this appeal should be sustained, but we are convinced that such holding is no longer the rule in Texas.

It is said in the case of Aetna Casualty & Surety Company v. Davis, Tex.Civ.App., 196 S.W.2d 35, 45, “the more recent decisions hold, in effect, that under our compensation law, an employe is entitled to recover for loss of eye sight when, by reason of injury, there remains no usable vision.” That opinion cites the cases of Texas Employers Insurance Association v. Thrash, Tex.Civ.App., 136 S. W.2d 905; Maryland Casualty Co. v. Gunter, Tex.Civ.App., 167 S.W.2d 545. We believe that is the rule in effect today.

With this rule in mind, as stated in the Davis case, supra, the evidence in behalf of appellee in the instant case in regard to his loss of vision of his right eye is summarized.

On the trial the appellee testified in his own behalf that he was loading a truck with shaved steel for his employer and a sharp point like a needle struck him in the right eye; it hurt, felt like a needle had stuck him in the eye; before this he had never had any trouble with either of his eyes and after the steel struck him in the [416]*416right eye he cannot see out of the eye— sees nothing but fog in front of that right eye, and that it has been that way from the time of the accident up to the time of the trial. He was sent to the company doctor who treated him for about three months. He then told him that was all he could do for his eye; that doctor got the piece of steel out of his eye. At a later date, the week before the trial, this same doctor had examined him again and had given him some tests, during which he could see with his left eye but could not see with his right. The vision in the eye had not improved any since the date of the accident. In the opinion of the witness the loss of vision was going to last the rest of his life.

On cross-examination he made statements in regard to the extent of his vision or loss of vision in the right eye which the appellant points to as being admissions on his part that he had not lost the total use of his right eye, under the rule announced in the Richmond case. This testimony is quoted verbatim by the appellant in its brief and we will therefore quote it in the same way, as follows:

“Q. Put your hand over your left eye so you can’t see out of the left eye. Now you are looking out of the right eye? A. Yes, sir.
“Q. You can see me, can’t you? A. I can see you, but it looks like you are just a little bitty outfit over there.
“Q. You can see the lawyer over here, can’t you? A. I can see him but I can’t make him out.
“Q. Can you see this juror over here? A. No, sir..
“Q. Can you see the one over yonder? A. Which one? I see the one right here.
“Q. Now, 'Clarence, I am pointing, and you could see where I am pointing, couldn’t you? A. No, sir.
“Q. How did you know I told you to look at that man yonder? A. I’m looking at this one right here; I can’t see the one on the back.
“Q. Before you took your hand away from your eye, you couldn’t see me over here, could you? A. No, sir.
“Q. But you turned around over here where I was? A. I couldn’t see you.
“Q. Can you see the Judge over there? A. Yes, I can see the Judge that close. I can see that close, but far apart I can’t see.
“Q. How far can you see? A. About from here to the Judge here.

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Related

Ætna Casualty & Surety Co. v. Davis
196 S.W.2d 35 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1946)
Texas Employers Ins. Ass'n v. Thrash
136 S.W.2d 905 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1940)
Employers' Casualty Co. v. Watson
32 S.W.2d 927 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1930)
Travelers' Ins. v. Richmond
291 S.W. 1085 (Texas Commission of Appeals, 1927)
Traders & General Ins. Co. v. Dwyer
104 S.W.2d 63 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1937)
Maryland Casualty Co. v. Gunter
167 S.W.2d 545 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1942)

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Bluebook (online)
251 S.W.2d 414, 1952 Tex. App. LEXIS 1690, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-cas-co-v-barlow-texapp-1952.