Case Title: Belshe v. Industrial Commission

Citation: 404 P.2d 91, 98 Ariz. 297

Docket Number: 

State: arizona

Court: Arizona Supreme Court

Date: 1965-07-16T00:00:00Z

Document:
98 Ariz. 297 (1965) 404 P.2d 91 Murray BELSHE, Petitioner, v. The INDUSTRIAL COMMISSION of Arizona, Mahout Construction Co., Inc., J.T. Smith Company, and J.T. Smith, Respondents. No. 8245. Supreme Court of Arizona, In Division. July 16, 1965. *298 Robert K. Corbin, Phoenix, for petitioner. Edgar M. Delaney, Phoenix, for The Industrial Commission of Arizona, respondent. UDALL, Justice. This appeal by certiorari is from a decision upon a motion for rehearing of an order affirming findings and award entered by the Commission on January 20, 1964, denying compensation for the loss of sight of the right eye of petitioner. Murray Belshe will be referred to hereinafter as "petitioner", the defendant-employers as "respondents", and the Industrial Commission as the "Commission". The facts are that on October 30, 1962, while the petitioner was employed by respondents at Payson, Arizona, petitioner struck the front part of his head, about two inches over his right eye, on a 2 x 4 scaffolding. The force of the blow knocked him down. Immediately thereafter a sizeable lump appeared upon the forehead of petitioner at the place where the injury occurred. The accident was reported to respondents' foreman immediately after it happened and it was observed by one Douglas Powell, a fellow employee. Immediately thereafter petitioner experienced a severe headache, which he claims was caused by the accident. Petitioner continued to work at his employment until the evening of November 2, 1962. Petitioner returned to his home on November 3, 1962, and when he awoke on the morning of November 4 he was nearly blind in both eyes. For several days after the accident he had a severe headache in the area where his head struck the scaffolding. The testimony shows that from November 4th the sight of the left eye began to improve, and in the course of four or five days thereafter the vision of his left eye was restored to normal. Thereafter petitioner filed a claim with the Commission and in due course the Commission made findings and award that petitioner's loss of vision in his right eye was noncompensable. Thereupon petitioner filed his notice of protest of award and made application for a rehearing. On November 15, 1963 a formal hearing was held and on November 22, 1963 the referee made his report affirming the findings and award of April 3, 1963. Objections to the referee's report were filed and the matter was submitted for review and decision. Again the Commission affirmed the previous award of April 2, 1963 denying petitioner compensation for the loss of his right eye. It is the contention of petitioner that the evidence submitted by the petitioner at the hearing on November 15, 1963 showed that the loss of the sight of petitioner's right eye was the result of the injury sustained on October 30, 1962 during the regular course of petitioner's employment. *299 The evidence is uncontradicted that on October 30, 1962, petitioner while in the course of his employment sustained an injury to his forehead as heretofore recited. It is also uncontradicted that immediately after the injury the petitioner suffered severe headaches which continued for several days thereafter. The petitioner testified that he had never had this type of headache before. The evidence also shows that on the morning of the 4th of November when petitioner awoke he found that he was nearly blind in both eyes; that some five days later the petitioner regained the sight of his left eye. The principal and only question to be determined in the case is whether petitioner lost the sight of his right eye as a result of the injury, or whether the loss of his vision was caused by hardening of the arteries or a thrombosis which brought about an occlusion of the central retinal artery of petitioner's right eye. Respondents and the Commission contend that loss of the vision of petitioner's right eye was caused by hardening of the arteries. To substantiate their contention, Dr. Harry J. French, an ophthalmologist who examined the petitioner on February 2, 1963, testified that in his opinion there was a "thrombosis of the central retinal artery" or "occlusion of the central retinal artery." "Both eyes exhibited a certain amount of attenuation." This is consistent with what is called hardening of the arteries or arterio-sclerosis. He did not attribute the bump as having caused all these profound changes in the eye. He testified "there is no possible way for a blow or trauma to produce such extensive damage in the eye." The only conclusion he could arrive at was that "indigenous or metabolic changes within his own system could produce such profound and extensive changes." Dr. French also testified that the metabolic changes could have been caused by "high cholesterol, heredity, toxic poison in the system." He admitted that he made no tests to determine if there was high cholesterol in the petitioner's system, nor did he make any tests or inquiry to determine if petitioner had any toxic poison in his system at the time of the injury. Likewise, he did not make inquiry of petitioner to determine if heredity could have been a cause that brought about damage to the eye at the time of the alleged injury. The following questions were propounded to the doctor and answers made: The doctor also testified that where blinded, as a result of hardening of the arteries, the blood supply has been cut off and where that occurs for any length of time it will die permanently. He testified in this case that the blindness in the right eye was permanent. Dr. Lorenzen, an ophthalmologist, who was called by the petitioner, testified that to determine whether a person has hardening of the arteries in the eye, one would have to have a "combined analysis of the small vessels of the eye and the blood chemistry and blood pressure and other general results of tests." The record shows that Dr. French did none of these things except to look into the eye of the petitioner. Dr. French was of the opinion that a blow or trauma such as petitioner sustained could not cause the loss of the sight of the eye, whereas Dr. Lorenzen testified that "optic atrophy or blindness in a person's eye can be caused by `trauma' so slight as a blow on the forehead with a potato", and "an incidental and apparently trivial fall into a hedge." Both Dr. Lorenzen and Dr. French agree that the "optic atrophy" or exotropia found in petitioner's right eye was caused by the shutting off of blood to the eye at the time of the occlusion. Dr. Lorenzen, however, is of the opinion that the occlusion could have been caused by "trauma," whereas Dr. French insists that the cause could not be trauma but that the occlusion was caused by arterial sclerosis. Dr. French is firm in his opinion that if the occlusion was caused, as he says it was in this case, by hardening of the arteries, then the petitioner has lost the sight of his right eye forever. Counsel then asked the following question and received the following answer: The undisputed fact, however, is that on June 24, 1963, Dr. Lorenzen examined the petitioner and found that he could see out of his right eye and was able to count fingers. Further, at the time of the hearing before the Board on November 15, 1963, the petitioner, in the presence of the referee, demonstrated that he could see out of his right eye. Therefore there is no competent testimony in the record showing that the partial loss of the right eye was not due to the accident of October 30, 1962. Dr. Lorenzen explained how a blow on the forehead can cause blindness such as was sustained by the petitioner in his right eye. He testified it would take about five days from the time of the injury for the sight of the eye to be lost. He further testified that the severe headaches felt by the petitioner after October 30th would indicate that the blow was severe enough to cause hemorrhaging within the sheaf of the optic nerves, which would cause the occlusion. If the hemorrhaging caused the occlusion in the course of four or five days, that not only would account for the severe headaches experienced by the petitioner but would account for the atrophy and exotropia found in petitioner's eye when he was examined by Dr. French some three months after the accident. We have held that when there is no substantial evidence to support the crucial finding of the Commission, that said finding is clearly erroneous and the award of the Commission should be set aside. Jenkins v. Industrial Commission, 77 Ariz. 377, 272 P.2d 601 (1954). There is no competent evidence in the record which shows that the loss of the sight of petitioner's right eye was caused by thrombosis of the central retinal artery and was the result of hardening of the arteries or "arterial sclerosis", since Dr. French admits that if that was the cause the sight would be permanently lost. Equivocal testimony cannot create a conflict in medical testimony. Rahar v. Industrial Commission, 94 Ariz. 170, 382 P.2d 656 (1963); Helmericks v. Airesearch Manufacturing Co. of Arizona, 88 Ariz. 413, 357 P.2d 152 (1960). On the other hand, the testimony of Dr. Lorenzen shows that a trauma could have caused the loss of the sight of the right eye. His testimony is corroborated by the testimony of Dr. Helmes since he admitted that it is possible for a head injury such as was sustained by the petitioner to cause blindness. We therefore conclude that the Commission had no credible medical evidence before it upon which to base its *304 award of no compensation. Where this is the case the award will be set aside. Rahar v. Industrial Commission, supra. Award set aside. LOCKWOOD, C.J., and McFARLAND, J., concurring.