Court Opinion

ID: 9662010
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-23 22:57:10.368429+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:14:35.926913
License: Public Domain

BIEGELMEIER, Chief Justice
(dissenting).
The opinion reverses an award of compensation benefits by a Commissioner of Labor affirmed by the circuit court. The award was based on a finding of fact that employee’s injury was caused by the compact car furnished by the employer which aggravated a previous injury to his back.
The opinion cites, quotes and relies on Howe v. Farmers Co-op Creamery, 81 S.D. 207, 132 N.W.2d 844, for reversal. *439Howe is not apposite, for there the finding of the Commissioner was against the employee and the employee’s sole contention for reversal of the finding was that as the “claimant has proved a compensable injury by a clear preponderance of evidence it was unreasonable for the trier of fact to fail to find affirmatively for him.” That evidence was medical testimony that the condition of claimant “ ‘could have’ ” resulted from the fall. The court held this evidence “did not compel a finding of causal connection” so as to require a reviewing court to set aside the finding of the Commissioner, the trier of fact, but it expressly avoided holding the evidence was insufficient to sustain a finding and award for claimant by saying:
“We need not determine whether the record would have precluded a finding that the condition of claimant resulted from or was aggravated by the alleged accident.” (emphasis supplied)
The testimony of the employee was that he experienced no difficulty or pain when he drove the Chevrolet Impala because of its large size, etc., but the seat of the compact car was such that “you sat real low on the floor * * * the back of the seat tilted * * * in such a way that instead of sitting square * * * you sat in a curve”, and with the small wheels “anytime you hit a hard bump, why, you hit the bottom of the floor.” After driving it muscle spasms and pain in the back resulted. This was evidence upon which a trier of fact could base a finding of causation; the medical testimony was only cumulative and supportive of the finding.
The opinion states that ordinarily a finding of the commissioner must be accepted by a reviewing court as a jury verdict. We also said in the cited Howe opinion that findings of fact must be accepted “unless so palpably erroneous upon the record as to be unreasonable”, and followed this in Joffer v. Crusy’s Power Brake & Supply, 1968, 83 S.D. 191, 156 N.W.2d 189. To me the finding is not subject to reversal on either test.