Suicide Which Results from an Irresistible Impulse Caused by a Work-Connected Injury Is Compensable Under the Texas Workmen’s Compensation Act

Examines the Texas Supreme Court case Saunders v. Texas Employers’ Insurance Association. Saunders suffered a work-related injury which lead to surgery. After surgery Saunders personality changed radically due to the large doses of pain medication that was prescribed to him after his surgery. He committed suicide seven months later and his widow and children sued under the Texas Workmen’s Compensation Act. The Court held that the work-related injury and the medical treatment for that injury caused an uncontrollable impulse to commit suicide that was compensable under the act.