SMITH
v.
PACKER DISPLAYS, INC., ET AL.

Fla. | 1953-09-22
ROBERTS, C. J., and TERRELL and SEBRING, JJ., concur.
67 So. 2d 323 Florida Supreme Court (1953) Positive Treatment
Cited by 4 cases

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Synopsis

Smith appealed a workers' compensation claim denial after the Industrial Commission affirmed the Deputy Commissioner's finding that he failed to prove an on-the-job injury. The Florida Supreme Court affirmed, holding that even if an accident occurred, conflicting evidence about when, where, and how the injury happened supported the Commission's denial.


Holding

The Court affirmed the denial of benefits, holding that even assuming an accident occurred, the employee failed to prove where or how the injury happened or that it arose from employment. The Deputy Commissioner's factual findings were supported by competent substantial evidence and must be upheld.


Key Quotes

“It is the unexpected and unintentional effect of the strain or exertion that is covered by the Workmen's Compensation Law [F.S.A. § 440.01 et seq.], as an injury 'by accident,' and a literal showing of an 'accident' such as a slip, fall or misstep is not a prerequisite to recovery.”

Principle from Gray v. Employers Mutual Liability Insurance Co. establishing that literal accidents are not required, but distinguishing that case from the present dispute over whether any injury occurred at all.

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Facts & Procedural History

Employee Smith claimed he injured his back while standing on a truck bed, attempting to place a 30-pound water keg behind the cab. He alleged he immed…

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Opinion of the Court
MATHEWS, Justice.

MATHEWS, Justice.

This is an appeal from an order of the Circuit Judge affirming the Florida Industrial Commission, which had affirmed tire order of a Deputy. Commissioner. The Deputy Commissioner heard the evidence and thereafter made an order, which contained the following:

“From all of the above and foregoing, it does not appear to the undersigned deputy commissioner that said employee had an accident which resulted in an injury arising out of and in the course of his employment. Therefore,

“The claim of the above named employee is hereby denied.”

In affirming the Deputy Commissioner the full Commission entered an order, which among other things, contained the following:

“A review of the record reflects substantial testimony in support of the findings of fact and conclusions of law heretofore made by the Deputy Commissioner in his Order, and the Commission herein and hereby adopts such findings of fact and conclusions of law as its own. Wherefore, it is the

“Order of the Florida Industrial Commission that the Order of the Deputy Commissioner dated March 19, 1952, be and the same hereby is affirmed.”

It is strongly urged by the appellant that the case of Gray v. Employers Mutual Liability Ins. Co., Fla., 64 So. 2d 650, 652, is controlling in this case and that the case at bar should be reversed and remanded because of the holding in Gray v. Employers Mutual Liability Ins. Co., supra, which is also known as the “Bonnie Gray Case.” In that case her claim was denied on the ground that there was no accident preceding the injury. This Court in its opinior stated:

“It is the unexpected and unintentional effect of the strain or exertion that is covered by the Workmen’s Compensation Law [F.S.A. § 440.01 et seq.], as an injury ‘by accident,’ and a literal showing of an ‘accident’ such as a slip, fall or misstep is not a prerequisite to recovery.”

In the “Bonnie Gray Case” there was no question that there was an injury which occurred while she was on the job. The primary question decided in that case was that the injury was covered by the word “accident” in the Workmen’s Compensation Law. We have no such question presented in the present case.

In the present case the appellant’s claim was denied on conflicting evidence as to the question of whether or not the claimant sustained an injury on the job, regardless of whether or not the cause of the injury would be called an accident or a mere incident.

In this case the employee, Smith, claimed that he was standing on the back of a truck and hurt his back, while he was attempting to place a 30-pound water keg behind the cab of the truck. He claimed that he immediately advised his foreman of this fact. The foreman denied any knowledge of such incident and testified that the employee got into the cab of the truck immediately after placing a water keg on the same and rode beside him for a distance of between 8 and 10 miles to a job without saying anything about the injury, or the incident, until they got out of the truck to go to work. The foreman testified that the employee then told him that he had hurt his back but did not tell him how, when or where he had hurt it. This was the first time the claimant had mentioned the injury to the foreman.

The decisive point in this case is not whether or not there was an accident within the meaning of the work as construed in the “Bonnie Gray Case,” hut rather that even if there was an accident, there was no showing of where or how it happened, or of an injury arising out of and in the course of employment. There was a direct conflict in the evidence between the foreman’s testimony and the claimant’s testimony on these material questions of fact. From the record it is evident that the Deputy Commissioner believed the testimony of the foreman.

The findings of fact by the Deputy Commissioner should be upheld where there is competent substantial evidence to support the same. U. S. Casualty Co. v. Maryland Casualty Co., Fla., 55 So. 2d 741.

Affirmed.

ROBERTS, C. J., and TERRELL and SEBRING, JJ., concur.


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Citator

Cited By

  • Foxworth v. Fla. Indus. Comm'n, 86 So. 2d 147 (Fla. 1955)
    …that where there is evidence both ways about whether the alleged accident did occur or whether the injuries claimed resulted from an asserted accident, the findings of the Deputy Commissioner are conclusive. Smith v. Packer Display, Inc., Fla.1953, 67 So. 2d 323; City Ice & Fuel Division v. Smith, Fla.1952, 56 So. 2d 329; Four Branches, Inc., v. Oechsner, supra. In each of these cases the evidence was in conflict either as to whether an accident had occurred or whether a claimed injury resulted from an asse…
  • Furci v. State, 113 So. 2d 272 (Fla. 2d DCA 1959)
    …ed possession? Can you find, in anything the defendant has said, which would give him an explanation for the possession of this property on January 30? Has he explained his possession in any way by his defense ?” In the case of Way v. State, supra [67 So. 2d 323], the Supreme Court, in its opinion, said: “We do not consider our harmless error statute to be applicable in a case such as this in which it is demonstrated that a statute has been violated. When it appears that there has been a violation of Secti…

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