Miles v. Brown Transport Corp., No. 64366

CourtUnited States Court of Appeals (Georgia)
Writing for the CourtBIRDSONG; McMURRAY, P. J., and BANKE
Citation294 S.E.2d 734,163 Ga.App. 563
PartiesMILES v. BROWN TRANSPORT CORPORATION.
Docket NumberNo. 64366
Decision Date16 September 1982

Page 734

294 S.E.2d 734
163 Ga.App. 563
MILES

v.
BROWN TRANSPORT CORPORATION.
No. 64366.
Court of Appeals of Georgia.
Sept. 16, 1982.

[163 Ga.App. 565] James Elkins, Jr., Columbus, for appellant.

John W. Denney, Miller P. Robinson, Columbus, for appellee.

[163 Ga.App. 563] BIRDSONG, Judge.

Summary Judgment. Sara Miles was employed by Brown Transport Corporation. Her duties were as a general clerk, including dispatch duties, dock duties and work in and around the warehouse area. She worked from 9:00 a. m. until finished. This might require her to work a 30-hour week or a 70-hour week, but she was guaranteed only a 40-hour pay period. Mrs. Miles was allowed a lunch break each day and that break was taken at whatever time the work load permitted. She often did not leave the premises and simply ate a sandwich on the job. On occasion she would perform employer-related activities while on her lunch break although this was a rare requirement.

On March 12, 1980, Mrs. Miles was at work. She started to leave the premises on her lunch break. Her purpose was to go see

Page 735

her daughter who was in the hospital awaiting a tonsillectomy. While exiting the building, a heavy wooden door (one of two similar double doors) which was standing open was caught in a gust of wind. As Mrs. Miles was starting to descend a flight of about four steps, the door swung into Mrs. Miles causing her to lose her balance and fall to the pavement below the steps. Mrs. Miles suffered injuries which caused her to lose approximately six months of work. Initially Brown disputed that the accident was subject to the Workers' Compensation Act because Mrs. Miles was on her lunch break. However, subsequently Brown paid certain medical bills and charged the cost to its workers' compensation insurance. There is no indication that Mrs. Miles was aware of that payment, and no other payments were ever made to Mrs. Miles under the workers' compensation coverage. Apparently, however, up to as much as 80% of her medical expenses were paid under a group insurance plan.

Mrs. Miles brought the present complaint alleging that by its tortious negligence in failing to secure the door in question, Brown was responsible for Mrs. Miles' injuries. Brown moved for summary judgment asserting that the injury presumptively was work-related as it occurred upon the work site and out of her employment and therefore Mrs. Miles' sole source of recompense was under the [163 Ga.App. 564] Workers'...

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13 practice notes
  • Frett v. State Farm Emp. Workers' Comp., A18A0820
    • United States
    • United States Court of Appeals (Georgia)
    • November 2, 2018
    ...and is not compensable.(Citation omitted; emphasis supplied.) Id. at 24 (1), 202 S.E.2d 208. See Miles v. Brown Transport Corp. , 163 Ga. App. 563, 564, 294 S.E.2d 734 (1982) (scheduled break exception did not apply to employee’s injury sustained on employer’s premises while employee was le......
  • Frett v. State Farm Emp. Workers' Comp., S19G0447
    • United States
    • Supreme Court of Georgia
    • June 16, 2020
    ...cannot be construed as an altogether personal pursuit, as is the case during scheduled breaks"). See also Miles v. Brown Transp. Corp., 163 Ga. App. 563, 563, 294 S.E.2d 734 (1982) (exclusive workers’ compensation remedy applied to employee who was injured during her lunch break while on he......
  • Stokes v. Coweta Cnty. Bd. of Educ., No. A11A2062.
    • United States
    • United States Court of Appeals (Georgia)
    • May 7, 2012
    ...will be considered as arising out of and in the course of employment[.]” (Citations omitted.) Miles v. Brown Transport Corp., 163 Ga.App. 563, 564, 294 S.E.2d 734 (1982).4 Under the deviation rule, “[w]here [an] employee breaks the continuity of [her] employment for purposes of [her] own an......
  • Dixie Roadbuilders, Inc. v. Sallet, No. A12A0884.
    • United States
    • United States Court of Appeals (Georgia)
    • October 26, 2012
    ...they all involve employees who were at their workplace when they were injured during the break. See Miles v. Brown Transport Corp., 163 Ga.App. 563, 294 S.E.2d 734 (1982) (an employee who fell on stairs at her workplace as she was in the process of leaving to take a lunch break had an injur......
  • Request a trial to view additional results
13 cases
  • Frett v. State Farm Emp. Workers' Comp., A18A0820
    • United States
    • United States Court of Appeals (Georgia)
    • November 2, 2018
    ...and is not compensable.(Citation omitted; emphasis supplied.) Id. at 24 (1), 202 S.E.2d 208. See Miles v. Brown Transport Corp. , 163 Ga. App. 563, 564, 294 S.E.2d 734 (1982) (scheduled break exception did not apply to employee’s injury sustained on employer’s premises while employee was le......
  • Frett v. State Farm Emp. Workers' Comp., S19G0447
    • United States
    • Supreme Court of Georgia
    • June 16, 2020
    ...cannot be construed as an altogether personal pursuit, as is the case during scheduled breaks"). See also Miles v. Brown Transp. Corp., 163 Ga. App. 563, 563, 294 S.E.2d 734 (1982) (exclusive workers’ compensation remedy applied to employee who was injured during her lunch break while on he......
  • Stokes v. Coweta Cnty. Bd. of Educ., No. A11A2062.
    • United States
    • United States Court of Appeals (Georgia)
    • May 7, 2012
    ...will be considered as arising out of and in the course of employment[.]” (Citations omitted.) Miles v. Brown Transport Corp., 163 Ga.App. 563, 564, 294 S.E.2d 734 (1982).4 Under the deviation rule, “[w]here [an] employee breaks the continuity of [her] employment for purposes of [her] own an......
  • Dixie Roadbuilders, Inc. v. Sallet, No. A12A0884.
    • United States
    • United States Court of Appeals (Georgia)
    • October 26, 2012
    ...they all involve employees who were at their workplace when they were injured during the break. See Miles v. Brown Transport Corp., 163 Ga.App. 563, 294 S.E.2d 734 (1982) (an employee who fell on stairs at her workplace as she was in the process of leaving to take a lunch break had an injur......
  • Request a trial to view additional results

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