Title: Day v. Zenith Paper Stock and Rag Company

State: minnesota

Issuer: Minnesota Supreme Court

Document:

134 N.W.2d 4 (1965) Fred DAY, Respondent, v. ZENITH PAPER STOCK AND RAG COMPANY, et al., Relators. No. 39447. Supreme Court of Minnesota. March 12, 1965. *5 Reavill, Neimeyer, Johnson & Killen, Duluth, for relators. Paul J. Louisell, Duluth, for respondent. THOMAS GALLAGHER, Justice. Certiorari to review a decision of the Industrial Commission wherein it granted additional compensation to Fred Day for permanent total disability and additional medical expenses for the aggravation of an injury sustained in an industrial accident which occurred on July 12, 1955, while the employee was in the employ of Zenith Paper Stock and Rag Company, which aggravation was due to a subsequent nonindustrial back injury sustained by the employee on March 14, 1959. On appeal relators, the employer and its insurer, contend that employee's subsequent back injury was not a consequence of his original accident; and further that the evidence failed to establish that the employee was permanently totally disabled within the meaning of Minn.St. 176.101, subd. 5.[1] In his findings the referee determined: On appeal the commission found: In its opinion the commission set forth the following: The evidence disclosed that on August 17, 1956, the employee had been referred to the Duluth office of the State Division of Vocational Rehabilitation where a physical examination had been authorized for which the employee never reported; that this division had made numerous attempts to get in touch with the employee over a 2-year period without success; and that since his injury of July 12, 1955, he had not attempted work of any kind except for hoeing on his brother's farm for 5 or 10 minutes at a time and picking berries for himself. On November 24, 1961, the employee filed a petition with the Industrial Commission, claiming permanent total disability subsequent to September 27, 1961, because of the injury of July 12, 1955, which led to the loss of his right forearm. In this petition no claim was made for disability based upon the employee's back injury. The employee was examined by Dr. Dan R. Goldish who reported to the commission on October 24, 1961, that in his opinion the employee was then employable in so far as employment might be obtainable by a man with only one arm. On December 13, 1961, at the request of employer, the employee was examined by Dr. S. S. Houkom who reported on December 19, 1961, that in his opinion the employee was then not totally and permanently disabled. *7 On January 12, 1962, employee's claim petition was amended to delete any claim for permanent total disability and to assert a claim based solely upon the employee's total loss of his right forearm. For such loss he was awarded and has been paid compensation by the relators in accordance with statutory requirements. On May 16, 1962, the employee filed with the commission a new petition in which he claimed permanent total disability because of the July 12, 1955, accident. In this petition no reference to a back injury and no claim for compensation therefor was made. On November 21, 1962, when the employee appeared for hearing before the commission, this petition was amended to include a claim for a back injury sustained on March 14, 1959. At this hearing Dr. James S. Spang testified that he had examined the employee on September 17, 1962, and expressed the opinion that he was totally disabled for any gainful employment; that his lack of a right forearm would affect his ability to control a fall such as that which occurred on March 14, 1959; that a hernia which affected the employee in itself disqualified him from manual labor; that his back condition and hernia made him unemployable as a plumber's helper, a painter's helper, a carpenter's helper, a pulp cutter, or a fisherman, without reference to his loss of an arm; and that the loss of his right forearm, when considered with his age and educational background, totally disabled him for any gainful employment regardless of his hernia or back injury. He expressed the opinion that the employee's inability to maintain a proper balance at the time of his fall was because of the absence of his right forearm and, accordingly, causally related the subsequent injury to the original injury sustained on July 12, 1955. Mr. Orville Hage, district supervisor for the State Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, testified that "at his [employee's] age now and with the use that he has * * with the right arm, I would see very little that he could do as far as benefiting from retraining"; and that he knew of no useful purpose which would be served through an attempt at retraining. Mr. Roy Anderson, manager of the State Employment Service in Duluth, in answer to hypothetical questions testified that with the employment skills possessed by the employee and the loss of his arm the witness knew of no jobs presently available for employee. The witness directed attention to the fact that some 3,000 people, most of whom were able-bodied, were looking for jobs in the Duluth area where the employee resided. With respect to the employee's back injury, the evidence established that as a result of his fall he had sustained a compression fracture of his first lumbar vertebra as well as other disabilities. Employee's testimony was that "I just slipped and fell on my back on account I wasn't balanced"; and that "I done the best I could; I landed on this side, and I swung this arm up to keep from jarring it, and if I had this arm, I wouldn't have had that crack to the back." 1. The sole question for determination is whether the evidence as above outlined was adequate to support the commission's finding that the employee was permanently totally disabled as a result of the July 12, 1955, accident. The record discloses substantial testimony which would support this finding. There is the testimony of Dr. Spang to the effect that when he examined employee on September 17, 1962, in his opinion the employee was then totally and permanently disabled for any gainful employment; that this was causally related to the industrial accident of July 12, 1955; and that the employee would have been so disabled regardless of the accident of March 14, 1959, and regardless of other disabilities with which the employee was afflicted at the time of his examination. The only medical evidence submitted in opposition to the foregoing were the reports of Dr. Goldish and Dr. Houkom *8 above referred to. Both of these had reference to physical examinations of the employee made in the latter part of 1961, approximately a year prior to Dr. Spang's examination. Each of these doctors expressed his opinion that the employee was not permanently totally disabled at that time. The commission, of course, was entitled to give credence to the testimony submitted by Dr. Spang as against such reports which related to employee's condition approximately a year before the hearing. Olson v. F. I. Crane Lbr. Co., 259 Minn. 248, 107 N.W.2d 223; Anderson v. City of Minneapolis, 258 Minn. 221, 103 N.W.2d 397; Schoch v. Minnesota Min. & Mfg. Co., 247 Minn. 288, 76 N.W.2d 801; Schmillen v. Dave Schroeder Grocery, 250 Minn. 561, 85 N.W.2d 740. 2. In addition to the testimony of Dr. Spang, the employee submitted that of Mr. Orville Hage, district supervisor for the State Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, to the effect that when consideration was given to the employee's age, education, and training in conjunction with the loss of his right forearm, little benefit would be gained for him by a retraining program, and that he knew of no useful purpose which would be served thereby. He was asked. 3. On a number of occasions we have expressed the rule governing total permanent disability. Thus, in Lee v. Minneapolis St. Ry. Co., 230 Minn. 315, 319, 41 N.W.2d 433, 436, it was stated: See, also, Berg v. Sadler, 235 Minn. 214, 50 N.W.2d 266; Green v. Schmahl, 202 Minn. 254, 278 N.W. 157; Olson v. Griffin Wheel Co., 218 Minn. 48, 15 N.W.2d 511, 156 A.L.R. 1338; Lorentz v. Aetna Life Ins. Co., 197 Minn. 205, 266 N.W. 699. From the foregoing it follows that since there was evidence to sustain the commission's finding that the employee was permanently totally disabled, we have no choice but to affirm its decision, particularly where no substantial medical testimony was submitted which would require a contrary finding. Peterson v. The Ruberoid Co., 261 Minn. 497, 113 N.W.2d 85; Olson v. F. I. Crane Lbr. Co., 259 Minn. 248, 107 N.W.2d 223. Respondent is allowed $250 attorney's fees in this court. Affirmed. [1] Minn.St. 176.101, subd. 5, provides: "* * * any * * * injury which totally incapacitates the employee from working at an occupation which brings him an income constitutes total disability."