Previous | Next
Part: 123456789 Session: 1 Page na123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990919293949596979899100101102103104105106107108109110111112113114115116117118119120121122123124125126127128129130131132133134135136137138139140141142143144145146147148149150151152153154155156157158159160161162163164165166167168169170171172173174175176177178179180181182183184185186187188189190191192193194195196197198199200201202203204205206207208209210211212213214215216217218219220221222223224225226227228229230231232233234235236237238239240241242243244245246247248249250251252254255256257258259260261262263264265266267268269270271272273274275276277278279280281282283284285286287288289290291292293294295296297298299300301302303304305306307308309310311312313314315316317318319320321322323324325326327328329330331332333334335336337338339340341342343344345346347348349350351352353354355356357358359360361362363364365366367368369370371372373374375376377378379380381382383384385386387388389390391392393394395396397398399400401402403404405406407408409410411412413414415416417418419420421422423424425426427428429430431432433434435436437438439440441442443444445446447448449450451452453454455456457458459460461462463464465466467468469470471472473474475476477478479480481482483484485486487488489490491492493494495496497498499500501502503504505506507508509510511512513514515516517518519520521522523524525526527528529530531532533534535536537538539540541542543544545546547548549550551552553554555556557558559560561562563564565566567568569570571572573574575576577578579580581582583584585586587588589590591592593594595596597598599600601602603604605606607608609610611612613614615616617618619620621622623624625626627628629630631632633634635636637638639640641642643644645646647648649650651652653654655656657658659660661662663664665666667668669670671672673674675676677678679680681682683684685686687688689690691692693694695696697698699700701702703704705706707708709710711712713714715716717718719720721722723724725726727728729730731 of 731
greatly exacerbated. He has ulcers. They break down and he is disabled. He can't stand on his legs even though the bone has healed.
We held in a series of cases that that exacerbation was the result of his accident. Therefore the disability was the result of the action. It was the disability for which compensation is paid, not the injury. You may have a very serious injury and after it gets well you are able to do your usual work, you are not entitled to anything, unless it's an injury that gives you what's called a permanent-partial disability. If you have a concussion of the brain, which is very serious and you're very serious, then it gets well, it heals, you go up and about and can do your usual work, you aren't entitled to five cents a week. You get nothing, because you had no continuing disability as a result of the accident. You only get paid during the weeks that you were laid up.
So we held where the injury did exacerbate a previous condition you were to be paid for disability. That was a new principle. That was sustained by the Court. We had to battle that through a number of things.
We also brought in the whole question of medical testimony, because so many times the company would come in and testify in a certain way. I remember one case in which
© 2006 Columbia University Libraries | Oral History Research Office | Rights and Permissions | Help