Walker v. Von Wedel

1925 OK 485, 237 P. 86, 108 Okla. 292, 1925 Okla. LEXIS 177
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedJune 2, 1925
Docket14533
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 1925 OK 485 (Walker v. Von Wedel) 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
Walker v. Von Wedel, 1925 OK 485, 237 P. 86, 108 Okla. 292, 1925 Okla. LEXIS 177 (Okla. 1925).

Opinion

LESTER, J.

The plaintiff commenced this action in the district court of Oklahoma county. Okla., by filing her petition, in which she alleged that she was an employe of the Anadarko Steam Laundry, located at Ana-darko Okla., and while engaged in her duties as such .employe her right hand was caught in the machinery of said laundry and her hand and fingers thereof were severely bruised and injured. That the said Anadarko Steam Laundry was insured and indemnified against such injuries by and through what is known as the Associated Employers’ Reciprocal, as insurance carrier; that soon after said injury the said Anadar-ko Steam Laundry and the said insurance carrier, by its agents, caused the plaintiff to come to Oklahoma City for the purpose of examination and treatment by their medical employe; that pursuant thereto, the plaintiff received medical treatment from the defendant, Dr. C. Von Wedel a duly licensed phjsician and surgeon, and an employe of the Anadarko Steam Laundry and its insurance carrier. Plaintiff further stated and alleged in her petition that the defendant caused the plaintiff to be placed upon an operating table, whereupon the defendant placed the plaintiff under the influence of anaesthetics, and while under the influence *293 of anaesthetics and unconscious, said defendant, without the knowledge or assent of plaintiff, forcibly bent the fingers of plaintiffs right hand backward and bandaged same on a board of some sort.

Plaintiff further alleged in her petition the following:

“(5) Plaintiff states that she was discharged from said hospital by defendant on or about November 8, 1920, but, at the instance and demands of defendant, returned for examination and treatment to said defendant at various times until on or about December 21 1920, she was dismissed entirely by defendant.
“(6) Plaintiff further states that immediately after the bending backward or straightening of her injured fingers, as aforesaid, by defendant, her physical pain greatly increased and extended to and constantly affected her right hand and fingers, right arm and shoulder; that she could not obtain rest from sleep and suffered an almost complete phiytsieal and nervous collapse; that her pains constantly increased in magnitude until on February 12, 1921, she had the injured fingers aforesaid amputated and secured release from her great physical and mental suffering and pain.
“(7) Plaintiff further states that defendant so conducted himself in and about his treatment of plaintiff’s injury, so unskillfully, negligently and unprofessionally, that by reason of such improper treatment and unskillful and negligent conduct of the defendant, that said injured hand and fingers were not and could not by such treatment be cured and directly caused the great physical and mental pain and suffering of plaintiff as aforesaid. Plaintiff states, further, that she believes and alleges that the treatment of said injured hand and fingers by defendant, as aforesaid, was done deliberately and with no thought as to saving plaintiff such suffering and was done for the express and deliberate purpose and intention of preventing plaintiff from recovering the statutory award for loss of a hand, by the State Industrial Commission of Oklahoma, as against the said insurance carrier represented by defendant, which would have been greater than the statutory award for loss of fingers alone and that the treatment of said injury by defendant was malicious and in utter disregard of his professional duty towards plaintiff herein.”

The plaintiff, for and on account of the suffering and mental anguish caused by the acts of the defendant, alleged that she was thereby damaged in the sum of $20,000, and prayed for judgment in that amount.

The defendant filed his answer, in which he stated that he gave to the plaintiff the benefit of conscientious, faithful, diligent, and skillful treatment and that his treatment of the plaintiff’s injuries were successful and that her condition yielded as fully and completely to the treatment which the defendant accorded plaintiff as could be reasonably .expected. That the plaintiff was an employe of the Anadarko Steam Laundry; that while she was engaged in its employment her injuries arose out of and in the course of her employment in said laundry and that the plaintiff presented herself for treatment to the defendant, and that thereafter the plaintiff was fully compensated for all damages sustained by her by reason of the injuries received while she was employed and that the plaintiff thereby is precluded from maintaining this action against the defendant.

Plaintiff filed a reply to the answer of defendant, in which she admitted that she received the sums of money from an award made by the Industrial Commission, and that same was received because of the injuries occurring to plaintiff while in the employ of the Anadarko Steam Laundry.

Defendant filed his motion for judgment on the pleadings; said motion was by the court sustained and judgment rendered thereon. from which judgment the plaintiff prosecutes this appeal.

In the case of Deming Investment Co. v. Reed et ux., 72 Okla 112, 179 Pac. 35, it is said:

“A motion for judgment upon the pleadings is in the nature of a demurrer. It is in substance both a motion and a demurrer. It is a demurrer for the reason that it attacks the sufficiency of the pleadings, and it is a motion for the reason that it is an application for an o-rter for judgment. Like a demurrer it admits the truth of all well-pleaded facts in the pleadings of ’ the opposing party. It may be carried back and sustained against a prior pleading of the party making the motion and the court will consider the whole record and give judgment to the parity who, on the whole, appears entitled to it.”

Upon examination of the pleadings filed In said cause we find that the plaintiff stated that she was an employe of the Anadarko Steam Laundry; that while in such employment her injury arose out of the duties to which she was assigned as such employe, and that she was thereafter directed by her employers to report to the defendant for medical treatment; that while under the influence of anaesthetics and unconscious, the defendant maliciously, unskillfully, negligently, and unprofessionally bent the fifi-gers of plaintiff's hand backward, and *294 plaintiff thereafter suffered greatly by reason and on account of the treatment administered her by the defendant; that such suffering was so intense that she could not rest or sleep, and as a result therefrom she experienced almost a complete breakdown, and that thereafter, on account of such suffering and intense pain, it was necessary to amputate the said bruised and mangled fingers from the hand. That the treatment of said injuries by the defendant was malicious and in utter disregard of the defendant’s professional duties toward plaintiff, and that such acts on the part of defendant were done and performed deliberately with no thought as to saving plaintiff from such suffering and were done for the express and deliberate purpose and intent of preventing her from recovering the statutory award for the loss of her hand.

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

Related

Stuckey v. Bank of Trumann
459 S.W.2d 572 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1970)
Hull v. Wolfe
1964 OK 118 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1964)
Orchid Shoppe, Inc. v. Sherwood Shoe Co.
1936 OK 715 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1936)
Alexander v. Von Wedel
1934 OK 572 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1934)
Markley v. White
1934 OK 283 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1934)
Aetna Life Ins. Co. v. Watts
1931 OK 54 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1931)
Thompson v. Kiester
1930 OK 17 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1930)
Ferrell v. Town of Mountain View
1927 OK 314 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1927)
State Ex Rel. Com'rs of Land Office v. Wilson
1927 OK 99 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1927)
Blair v. Blair
1926 OK 872 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1926)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1925 OK 485, 237 P. 86, 108 Okla. 292, 1925 Okla. LEXIS 177, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/walker-v-von-wedel-okla-1925.