Case Title: Ferrell v. Montgomery & Aldridge Sales Co.

Citation: 136 S.E.2d 227, 262 N.C. 76

Docket Number: 

State: north-carolina

Court: North Carolina Supreme Court

Date: 1964-05-20T00:00:00Z

Document:
136 S.E.2d 227 (1964) 262 N.C. 76 Mrs. Margaret Dowdy FERRELL, Widow, Faye Elizabeth Ferrell, Daughter, by her Next Friend, Eugene C. Brooks, III, Lewis E. Ferrell, Deceased, Employee, v. MONTGOMERY & ALDRIDGE SALES CO., Employer, Travelers Insurance Company, Carrier. No. 671. Supreme Court of North Carolina. May 20, 1964. *228 Brooks & Brooks, by Eugene C. Brooks, III, Durham, for plaintiff appellees. Spears, Spears & Barnes, by Marshall T. Spears, Jr., Durham, for defendant appellants. HIGGINS, Justice. The evidence disclosed that Lewis E. Ferrell, on and prior to July 28, 1961, was service manager of the appliance and service department of Montgomery and Aldridge Sales Companydealers in refrigerators, ranges, and other appliances. "He was approximately six feet tall and weighed about 180 to 190 pounds, and was a muscular man," age 50 years. He had worked for the same employer for 17 years and had been out for health reasons "from September 21 through October 19, 1959, for a back injury operation." Thereafter he lost no time from work until his final attack on August 28, 1961. Mr. Ferrell's duties required him to supervise the unloading from railroad cars and from trucks of shipments of "refrigerators, ranges, laundry equipment, and home freezers." Mr. J. T. Gray succeeded Mr. Ferrell as service manager. As a witness for claimants, he testified: Dr. Page, a medical expert, testified Mr. Ferrell died in the hospital three days after his admission as a result of "a coronary thrombosis that produced * * * a miocardial infarction. * * * The autopsy shows that the causes of death of Lewis E Ferrell were multiple, all wrapped up together, and being arteriosclerosis, * * * hypertrophy of the myocardium, thrombosis, recent, * * * He was admitted through the emergency room after the cardiogram showed changes that were compatible with * * * myocardium infarction. The patient has had vague or sharp pains of a similar nature over the past month. * * * My opinion would be that with the preexisting disease that the labor would cause the heart attack * * * Referring to Mr. Ferrell, it would be equally fair to say that his myocardial infarction could have come about by reasons other than any exertion which he might have undergone. In a sense, it is a question of speculation as to exactly why this particular thing occurred." Dr. Gentry, a specialist in pathology who performed the autopsy, testified: "I found that Mr. Ferrell had generalized arteriosclerosis with particular involvement of the coronary arteries. The coronary thrombus had occurred in his left ventricle descending coronary artery, and it completely occluded that artery. The anterior septum and the anterior and lateral walls of the left ventricle were infarcted by reason of this thrombus. I found that he had very old scarring diffusely throughout the myocardium with hypertrophy of the myocardium so that the heart was leaning to one side and the weight half the times of its normal weight, 540 grams, and in addition to these old changes and this recent change which I have described consisted of the infarct which had the characteristic of being of the same age of the thrombus." In response to a question whether Mr. Ferrell's activities of two or two and one-half hours prior to the onset of the chest pain, Dr. Gentry testified: "This is considered an unanswered question as to whether there is any real correlation between activity or emotion and the formation of a thrombus. * * * It is well established that activity and emotion can bring about an infarction * * * in the face of narrowed vessels. This is known, but it is not known whether the emotional or physical stress can precipitate the actual occlusion such as this man had. I would say it would be highly unlikely for this thrombus to have occurred in Mr. Ferrell if he had not been suffering from arteriosclerosis." The sole question in this appeal is: Did the death of Lewis E. Ferrell result from "injury by accident within the meaning of the North Carolina Workmen's Compensation Act?" The claimants cite Gabriel v. Newton, 227 N.C. 314, 42 S.E.2d 96, in support of their contention that Mr. Ferrell, because of his extra exertion immediately before his attack, suffered an injury by accident. The evidence fails to show he did any work essentially different from that which had been his custom over the years. This case, therefore, is controlled and governed by Slade v. Hosiery Mills, 209 N.C. 823, 184 S.E. 844; Neely v. Statesville, 212 N.C. 365, 193 S.E. 664; West v. Department of Conservation and Development, 229 N.C. 232, 49 S.E.2d 398; and, especially, by Lewter v. Abercrombie Enterprises, Inc., 240 N.C. 399, 82 S.E.2d 410; and Bellamy v. Stevedoring Co., 258 N.C. 327, 128 S.E.2d 395. The case was fully developed before the Industrial Commission, well briefed, and ably argued here. We conclude, however, the evidence is insufficient to show Mr. Ferrell *230 suffered injury by accident within the meaning of our Workmen's Compensation Act. For that reason, the judgment entered in the Superior Court of Durham County is reversed. The cause will be remanded to the North Carolina Industrial Commission for the entry of an award denying compensation. Reversed.