152 A. 576 | Conn. | 1930
This action is brought by the plaintiff to recover for hospital services rendered to Conrad Kessler, a pauper. Kessler was an elderly farmhand who had worked about in various towns, never staying long in any. He was first brought to the hospital in November, 1927, for treatment, from the town of East Hartford, remaining there until December 27th, 1927, and, while this action originally involved charges for services for this period, the bill for them was settled *405 by that town and is not in question upon this appeal. The services for which recovery is now sought began when Kessler was brought to the hospital on April 25th, 1928. On Monday, two days before, he came to the farm of John Kryger in Glastonbury to work. He worked Tuesday and until noon of Wednesday when he became ill and unable to see. Kryger sought advice as to what to do with him, took him to various places, and finally to the Hartford Hospital. Kessler was brought into the hospital upon a stretcher, his left extremities were almost completely paralyzed and he was in such a critical condition that immediate attention was vital. Treatment at a good hospital was the only humanitarian course that could be pursued. Some three or four days after his admission the social service department of the hospital informed the first selectman of the town of Glastonbury that there was a man in the hospital without funds, in need of attention, who had been brought there from that town and that the hospital looked to it for reimbursement. The trial court finds that this constituted seasonable and proper notice to the town. The first selectman thereupon made an investigation and disclaimed any liability on the part of the town.
The appellant seeks to have stricken out a number of paragraphs of the finding, but all of them, so far as material for the determination of the case, are supported by direct testimony or reasonable inferences. Section 1702 of the General Statutes begins as follows: "When a person not an inhabitant of the town in which he resides shall became poor and unable to support himself, the selectmen of such town shall furnish him with necessary support as soon as his condition shall come to their knowledge, and each selectman neglecting such duty shall be fined seven dollars." The object of this statute is to provide a way by which, *406
in case of need, a pauper who is actually within the limits of a town and falls into necessitous circumstances may be provided for, without a prior determination as to the town which ultimately will be liable, and the word "resides" is used in the statute in that sense. New Milford v. Sherman,
There is no error.
In this opinion the other judges concurred.