Case Title: Lucero v. CR Davis Contracting Co.

Citation: 375 P.2d 327, 71 N.M. 11

Docket Number: 

State: new-mexico

Court: New Mexico Supreme Court

Date: 1962-10-16T00:00:00Z

Document:
375 P.2d 327 (1962) 71 N.M. 11 Ursomop LUCERO, Claimant, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. C.R. DAVIS CONTRACTING CO., Employer, and Indemnity Insurance Company of North America, Insurer, Defendants-Appellants. No. 6967. Supreme Court of New Mexico. October 16, 1962. McAtee, Toulouse, Marchiondo, Ruud & Gallagher, Albuquerque, for appellants. Lorenzo A. Chavez, Arturo G. Ortega, Melvin L. Robins, Albuquerque, for appellee. *328 CASWELL S. NEAL, District Judge. This is an appeal from an award made by the trial court under the Workmen's Compensation Act (§ 59-10-1 et seq., N.M.S.A., 1953) to claimant Lucero against his employer and insurance carrier. The case was tried before the court without a jury, resulting in a judgment allowing claimant $825.00 as a lump sum representing 5% disability from the date of the accident to the date of judgment; 5% partial permanent disability until further order of the court; medical bills of $1,054.84, and $325.00 attorney's fee. The trial court's Finding of Fact No. 2 as follows: is challenged by appellants as not sustained by the evidence, in two respects, namely: No other question is presented by the appeal. A review of the evidence, in the light of certain well-established rules of law, is indicated. In reviewing evidence on appeal, all disputed facts must be resolved in favor of the appellee and all reasonable inferences drawn from the evidence should be indulged in to support the judgment. The evidence must be viewed most favorable to the judgment. Totah Drilling Co. v. Abraham, 64 N.M. 380, 323 P.2d 1083; Martinez v. Archuleta, 64 N.M. 196, 326 P.2d 1082; Waters v. Blocksom, 57 N.M. 368, 258 P.2d 1135. The Workmen's Compensation Act is remedial in nature; is given a liberal interpretation by both the trial and reviewing courts; reasonable doubts must be resolved in favor of the employee; its beneficent purposes may not be thwarted by technical refinement or interpretation; as to such cases liberality of construction as to the weight and sufficiency of the evidence is indulged. White v. Valley Land Co., 64 N.M. 9, 322 P.2d 707; Montell v. Orndorff, 67 N.M. 156, 353 P.2d 680; Valencia v. Stearns Roger Mfg. Co. (D.N.M. 1954), 124 F. Supp. 670; Wilson v. Rowan Drilling Co., 55 N.M. 81, 227 P.2d 365; Armijo v. Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District, 59 N.M. 231, 282 P.2d 712. Turning now to the evidence with reference to whether the claimant sustained an "accident" in the course of his employment. The undisputed evidence shows that claimant was 39 years of age at the time of the trial, and had quit school in the seventh grade. He engaged in heavy labor cleaning forests, went to the C.C. Camps where he was a truck driver and did heavy labor. He served in the army four years with the Fifth Armoured Division from North Africa to France, Italy and Germany. He had no trouble with his chest or lungs. He then went to a pottery (ceramics) school about a year and nine months. Worked as a rodman for the Highway Department. Worked for a plumbing company doing heavy work such as digging ditches about a year. He then worked two years for a power line contractor digging post holes and dragging a line. He then worked for the City of Albuquerque Water Department, driving a truck, cutting down trees and working on pipe lines. He worked eight years for Allison & Haney Construction, doing heavy construction work. He then went to work for the defendant employer about two weeks before this incident, helping lay pipe, breaking manholes with a sledge hammer and jack hammer. Up to this time he had never had any trouble with his lungs or chest. On the morning of July 8, 1958, he had been laying pipe. In the afternoon he was assigned to the *329 job of sweeping the streets, apparently by hand. A power broom was being used to sweep the streets near by. Claimant testified: This in the court's opinion fully supports the court's finding an "accident" within the meaning of the Workmen's Compensation Act. The sudden breathing of heavy dust-laden air, caused by the nearby operation of a power broom sweeping the streets, which when taken into his lungs caused a coughing spell and a resulting sudden hemorrhage, is sufficient to establish a "mishap" or "fortuitous happening." It can be said to produce an "unintended," "unexpected," and "unlooked for" result, requiring the court to characterize the event as accidental. Teal v. Potash Company of America, 60 N.M. 409, 292 P.2d 99. This evidence is sufficient to sustain a finding of accidental injury in the course of employment within many decisions of this court. Christensen v. Dysart, 42 N.M. 107, 76 P.2d 1; Stevenson v. Lee Moor Contracting Co., 45 N.M. 354, 115 P.2d 342; Webb v. New Mexico Pub. Co., 47 N.M. 279, 141 P.2d 333, 148 A.L.R. 1002; Clower v. Grossman, 55 N.M. 546, 237 P.2d 353; Barton v. Skelly Oil Co., 47 N.M. 127, 138 P.2d 263; Henderson v. Texas-New Mexico Pipe Line Co., 46 N.M. 458, 131 P.2d 269; Gilbert v. E.B. Law & Son, Inc., 60 N.M. 101, 287 P.2d 992. The undisputed evidence in the case shows that the claimant in his early life suffered from tuberculosis resulting in a Ghon tubercle, which is defined as "primary lesion in juvenile pulmonary tuberculosis." Blastick's New Gould Medical Dictionary, 1st ed. "The primary lesion in tuberculosis of the lung in children." Dorland's Medical Dictionary, 23d ed. This fact, however, does not preclude claimant from compensation, even though one without such a condition would not have been so adversely affected from breathing a sudden heavy concentration of dust. The aggravation by accident of a pre-existing condition, whether the result of a disease or a congenital weakness, is nevertheless compensable. Christensen v. Dysart, supra; Elsea v. Broome Furniture Co., 47 N.M. 356, 143 P.2d 572; Gilbert v. E.B. Law & Son, Inc., supra; Seay v. Lea County Sand and Gravel Co., 60 N.M. 399, 292 P.2d 93; Reynolds v. Ruidoso Racing Association, Inc., 69 N.M. 248, 365 P.2d 671. When claimant was admitted to the hospital he was given a bronchoscopy, which is an insertion, under local anesthesia, of a lighted tube for the internal examination of the windpipe and major branches. The doctor found a little clot of blood in the right lower lobe, bronchial tube, and some blood issuing from the right middle lobe. Sputum was taken for microscopic examination and he was discharged about 4 p.m. *330 with antibotics after the streaking of blood stopped. He was readmitted to the hospital in a few days because the pathologist reported the sputum contained cells which were felt to be characteristic of cancer. A bronchogram was performed, which is a dilation of the bronchial tubes, which was interpreted as indicating a possible tubular bronchiectasis, which is a spindley dilation of some of the tube in the right lobe of the lung, and a Ghon tubercle by the right hilus. A Ghon tubercle was described by the doctor as a healed scar caused by childhood tuberculosis. On July 28th a right thoractomy was performed and a mass compatible with a Ghon tubercle was removed from the rear of the left lobe without requiring suture of the lung tissue. It could be removed without producing significant bleeding. The remaining areas were checked without encountering probable pathology. The operation was performed expecting a malignant tumor, which was not found. The operation was performed as a calculated risk, and deemed necessary under the circumstances. The incision was made from the back. The claimant had had no previous bleeding prior to the hemorrhage on July 8th, although he had had some pain in the right armpit and stomach when he had worked shortly before with a pneumatic drill. The doctor testified: It is significant that in the employer's report to the insurance carrier it reported "possible dust" as the thing causing injury. This evidence, taken in consideration with the fact that all through a life of heavy work the claimant, though suffering from tuberculosis in infancy resulting in a scarred lung, had never before hemorrhaged, and for the first time did so while coughing as the result of suddenly breathing heavy dust hereinabove described, provides an ample evidence to sustain a causal connection between the accident and claimant's disability. In White v. Valley Land Co., supra, we said: In Teal v. Potash Company of America, supra, we said: The latest case in which we have considered proof of causal connection between the accident and injury is the case of Salazar v. County of Bernalillo, 69 N.M. 464, 368 P.2d 141. In that case we said: In Alspaugh v. Mountain States Mutual Casualty Company, 66 N.M. 126, 343 P.2d 697, relied upon by appellants, we held that a causal relationship must be established between the accident and injury, and between the injury and death. No different rule is applied to this case. The evidence in this case, with the reasonable inferences to be drawn therefrom, was far above surmise or speculation. In the Alspaugh case three months elapsed between deceased's second heart attack and his death. There was not the most remote medical evidence of the slightest causal connection. Here, claimant's hemorrhage followed the instant he breathed the dust-laden air, and his disability followed the hemorrhage. No relief can be gained by appellant from the Alspaugh case. The rule there announced is inapplicable to the facts in the case now before the court. Aranbula v. Banner Min. Co., 49 N.M. 253, 161 P.2d 867, cited by appellants, has no application here. There the court simply held that silicosis, developed through many years of breathing mine dust, was *333 an occupational disease and not within the terms of the Workmen's Compensation Act. The authorities from other jurisdictions are all distinguishable from the case at bar. We do not deem it necessary to review them. We have ample authority in decisions of this court requiring us to sustain the decision of the court below. The judgment below is affirmed. Attorney's fees in this court in the sum of $750.00 are allowed. COMPTON, C.J., and MOISE, J., concur.