Title: Miller Transporters v. Seay's Dependents

State: mississippi

Issuer: Mississippi Supreme Court

Document:

350 So. 2d 689 (1977) MILLER TRANSPORTERS, INC. and Fireman's Fund Insurance Company v. DEPENDENTS of Daniel L. SEAY. No. 49664. Supreme Court of Mississippi. September 21, 1977. Rehearing Denied October 26, 1977. *690 Daniel, Coker, Horton, Bell & Dukes, Joel W. Howell, III, Jackson, for appellants. Bridgforth, Love, Norquist & Stewart, Bradford M. Stewart, Yazoo City, for appellees. Before INZER, ROBERTSON and BROOM, JJ. ROBERTSON, Justice, for the Court: This is a workmen's compensation case. The administrative judge found: He, therefore, denied the claim of the dependents of Daniel L. Seay, deceased, for full death benefits against the employer and carrier. The full Commission affirmed the order of the administrative judge. On appeal, the Circuit Court of Yazoo County reversed the order of the full Commission, and found: and that Seay's dependents were entitled to recover full death benefits. The sole question is whether or not the death of Daniel L. Seay arose out of and in the course of his employment with Miller. Seay was employed as a truck driver by Miller Transporters, Inc., and worked out of the Yazoo City-Crupp terminal. At approximately 3:30 A.M., Friday morning, September 13, 1974, Seay received a phone call from C.C. Mauldin, dispatcher for Miller. Mauldin told Seay that Billy Thomas had just called in sick and could not take a load of asphalt to Dundee, Mississippi. Mauldin testified: Mauldin further testified that he was calling in accordance with the dispatch procedure set up under the union contract which guaranteed Seay a minimum of $155.60 per week. Section 20.9 of the labor agreement also provided: The testimony was uncontradicted that Seay had completed his work week and that a new week would not begin until Saturday, September 14th. Mauldin also testified: The labor agreement also provided that when a driver is called after cutoff time (6:00 P.M.) that he shall be paid a minimum guarantee of four (4) hours pay at the regular hourly rate of pay. Mauldin stated that this was about a four-hour trip one way, and at least an eight-hour round trip. So this was a good assignment. Seay was driving his own van on his regular route, old Highway 3, to the Yazoo City-Crupp terminal, which was about 10 miles from his home, when on a straight stretch of the highway he apparently went to sleep and was killed when he ran into a cedar tree approximately 140 yards from the entrance to the terminal. The general rule with reference to going to or returning from work is stated in Aetna Finance Co. v. Bourgoin, 252 Miss. 852, 174 So. 2d 495 (1965): One of the exceptions to this general rule is where the employee is on a special mission or errand for his employer or where he is accommodating his employer in an emergency situation. The circuit court, acting as an appellate court, in its opinion made this observation: and then found: The testimony does not support the circuit court's observation or finding. Where the uncontradicted testimony was that it was a four-hour trip to Dundee, the asphalt did not "have to roll" and there was no emergency situation. Also, there was no pressure on Seay to accept this load. It was free and voluntary on his part and he apparently accepted it because it was a good-paying load. Mrs. Jacquelyn S. Seay, his widow, testified on direct examination: Then, on cross-examination, she testified: There was substantial evidence supporting the full Commission's finding that "the decedent's death did not arise out of and in the course and scope of his employment with Millers Transporters, Inc." The circuit court, acting as an appellate court (on the record only) should not have reversed the Order of the Commission. The Order of the circuit court is, therefore, reversed, and the Order of the Workmen's Compensation Commission reinstated. REVERSED AND RENDERED. PATTERSON, C.J., INZER and SMITH, P. JJ., and SUGG, WALKER, BROOM and LEE, JJ., concur. BOWLING, J., took no part.