84 N.J.L. 243 | N.J. | 1913
The opinion of the court was delivered by
The defendant John Creagh, an infant under the age of fifteen years, was injured on the 18th day of July, 1911, while employed by the prosecutor. He earned four dollars a week. His employment was under section 2, paragraph 11, of the Workingmen’s Compensation act. Pamph. L. 1911, p. 134. The ends of the index, middle and ring fingers of Creagh’s right hand were crushed and slightly deformed; the end of the index finger of his left hand was crushed leaving a scar but not interfering with its use; the middle and ring fingers of his left hand were so badly crushed
The prosecfftor’s contention is that no compensation can be awarded under more than one clause of paragraph 11 of section 2 of the act.
The argument made is that to permit a recovery under a combination of clauses (a) and (c) would make the act absurd, unless the act contained a provision limiting the recovery under a combination of clauses (a) and (c) to the maximum recoverable under clause (b). But even if the construction' put on paragraph 11, by the trial judge, would lead to the result that a recovery under clauses (a) and (c) might exceed the maximum recoverable under clause (b) we cannot say that such result wras not contemplated by the legislature, any more than we can say that it is reasonably inferable from such a result that the legislature in fixing the maximum recoverable under clause (b) did not put it high enough. To attempt to do so in either case would be to disregard the plain language of the act. If the act works unscientifically, absurdly or unjustly that is for the legislature to correct. We think that both the language and spirit of the act favor the construction put upon it by the trial judge. The object of the act is to provide for compensation to workingmen who have sustained injuries in their respective employments. This compensation is based and fixed upon
The judgment will be affirmed, with costs.