Weller v. State

11 Ill. Ct. Cl. 258, 1940 Ill. Ct. Cl. LEXIS 26
Court of Claims of Illinois·Decided May 14, 1940·No. No. 2869·Published

Opinion

Mr. Justice Linscott

delivered the opinion of the court:

The complaint in this case was filed on March 25, 1936, and alleges that- on the 28th day of September, 1935, the claimant was employed as a geography teacher by the Eastern Illinois St^te Teachers College at Charleston, being a body politic and municipal corporation organized under an Act of the Legislature of the State of Illinois, entitled “An Act to establish and maintain the Eastern Illinois State Normal School,” in force May 22, 1895,' and all amendments thereto; that the said Teachers College under the Acts of the Legislature was and now is a municipal corporation, with power to sue and be sued, and was wholly supported and maintained from revenues received from the State of Illinois, the respondent herein.

It is further alleged that on the said 28th day of September, 1935, claimant was accidentally injured while in the performance of her duties, in the following manner: On that day she was conducting her class enrolled in said Teachers College on a field trip, and while so engaged she took her class to a place located about six miles south of Paris, Illinois, to examine the topography of that place for purposes of instruction of her students; that at said time and place and while so engaged she slipped and fell on a clay bank, and as a result of the fall she received a fracture of the joint of her left knee; that she was removed to the Oakwood Hospital in Charleston, Illinois, for treatment, and from that date until the 10th day of March, 1936, she was totally incapacitated from performing any duties pertaining to her employment, and during that time she was unable to teach her classes, and expended large sums of money to cure herself of her injuries.

It is also charged that said school is a political subdivision of the State of Illinois and has no income or revenue except that received from tuitions and that which is appropriated by the Legislature.

It is further charged that said Teachers College is engaged and was engaged at the time of the injury to the claimant in extra hazardous enterprises and businesses as a part of the operation of said school, in that sharp-edged cutting tools were used by said school in maintaining its said enterprise, and that the said school also maintains a power plant at said college wherein heavy machinery and boilers are used, and is also engaged in such a business and enterprise which are regulated by statutory regulations by the State of Illinois providing certain means and modes of the operation of the said machinery and appliances so used by the college.

Notice was alleged to have been given on the day of the accident or the next day following.

It is also charged that claimant has expended the sum of $1,054.45 on account of medical care, hospital care and attendance necessarily incurred for her cure, which amount has been paid by her.

It is further charged that claimant was permanently and completely disabled for a period of twenty-three weeks, being from the date she sustained her said injury until the 11th day of March, 1936, at which last date she resumed her employment with said Teachers College, but that her fractured knee had not completely recovered and she did not know whether or not it would be a complete recovery.

It is further charged that she was receiving the sum of $87.50 per week, and had been receiving a like sum during the preceding year, and that her annual earnings for one year prior to the accident exceeded $3,600.00.

Claimant charges that she never received any moneys for payment of her doctor and hospital bills paid by her, and that the only moneys that she received from the Teachers College is the sum of $262.50.

Claimant also alleges that she was advised by her counsel to file her claim before the Industrial Commission of the State of Illinois against the Eastern Illinois State Teachers College at Charleston, her employer, which claim was filed prior to the filing of this claim in this court.

Claimant further alleges that she is a single woman and has no dependents and that she is sixty-two years of age.

The undisputed facts are that she is a school teacher employed by the Eastern Illinois State Teachers College at Charleston, Illinois, and that she is the head of the geography department of that college and has been for many years last past. That the Eastern Illinois State Teachers College in Charleston, Illinois, is a school for the training of teachers and is supported and maintained by the State of Illinois, and that the claimant’s salary is paid by the State of Illinois from an appropriation of the Legislature and is paid by the State Auditor. That the claimant’s annual earnings for the year preceding the.injury were $3,850.00. That on the 28th day of September, 1935, the claimant was employed as a teacher of the college, and that on that day, with the consent and approval of Robert Gr. Buzzard, President of the College, she took her class on a field trip to a place south of Paris, Illinois, that being a part of her regular work as a part of the course which she was teaching. That on the trip two of her teachers were with her; the purpose of the trip being to observe the geological phenomena of the region. That they went to the place where the accident occurred in automobiles, and three of the students with Miss Ruby Harris, one of the teachers, went with the claimant in her car. That at the' time of the accident the class was under the supervision of claimant. That at the time of the injury they were observing the rock areas and fossils, and the claimant was proceeding down a hill and slipped and received the injury. An X-ray was taken and claimant was taken to the Oakwood Hospital and remained there ten days, and ivas then taken to the Billings Hospital in Chicago. She was treated by Dr. N. C. Iknayan, her family physician, while in Charleston, and while in Chicago she was treated by Dr. Dragstadt, who is a bone specialist and bone surgeon. An operation was performed in Chicago upon her knee. She had a fracture of the left knee and the knee was cut open about nine inches, near the joint. Part of the cartilage was broken and it had gone in between the parts of the fracture and had to be removed. The bone was wired in place to hold it in position, and she was confined to her bed eight weeks in the Billings Hospital. Treatments were given her knee while at the hospital, under the advice and approval of her physician. She was in the hospital until the second week in January, 1936, approximately three and one-half months. She went back to Charleston the second week of January, 1936, in an automobile. Her knee at that time could not be bent more than ten degrees. She was under the care of her physician, Dr. N. C. Iknayan, upon her return. She used crutches, and used them after she resumed teaching at the school, her knee being then stiff and accompanied with pain. She used crutches until the last of May, 1936. She then used a cane, but could not walk a great distance. Claimant received pay for two full weeks and half pay for two weeks from the college, but has received no other compensation. She filed a claim with the Industrial Commission against the college, but the Attorney General ruled that the college was not liable for the claim. That on the trip she had with her a geological hammer (which was introduced in evidence), which is a sharp-edged tool; that it is standard equipment for teaching geography and used in all geological work.

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Weller v. State, 11 Ill. Ct. Cl. 258, 1940 Ill. Ct. Cl. LEXIS 26 (Ill. Super. Ct. 1940).

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