Chatman v. Bryceland Lumber Co.
Chatman v. Bryceland Lumber Co.
Opinion of the Court
As the log road construction train of the defendant company, loaded with cross-ties, was going out into the woods upon a log road in course of construction, and the cross-ties were being thrown off the cars to the side of the temporary track as the train went along, the woods superintendent sat at .the top of the back end of the tender with his back towards the engine, and, at his left, on the other corner of the back end of the tender, sat the rail-laying superintendent; while the plaintiff in this case was on the first car, within eight feet of them, with his back towards the engine, engaged in throwing off cross-ties which another man was pushing down to him from the pile of cross-ties on the car. The forward movement of the train brought sharply against a small tree which stood near the track a cross-tie which plaintiff was in the act of pushing’ off, and this caused the other end of the cross-tie to recoil against plaintiff and knock him off the car between the car and the tender, so that the front truck of the car ran over one of his thighs. Strange to say, the bone was not broken, but the muscles were badly bruised and lacerated, and some of them severed. The shock caused plaintiff to lose consciousness. There was considerable loss of blood, and while he was being conveyed back to the sawmill, and until ansesthetics could be administered, his sufferings were very great. It was two months before he could leave his bed, and one month more before he could go about on crutches. By the time of the trial, 17 months after the accident, he could go about without crutches, but had not yet the full use of the limb, so as to be able to do hard work — plowing, for instance. And he still had pains in the member. The blow which he received from the
Plaintiff had had ample experience in the construction of temporary railroads of this kind for hauling logs out of the woods, and knew that, for economy’s sake, the clearance for the road was made no wider than absolutely necessary, and that therefore at any time a tree might be so close to the track as to be struck by a cross-tie that was being shoved off a car; in fact, he had assisted in cutting out the right of way at the very place where he was injured, and had been warned against the danger of a cross-tie striking against trees in that manner, and been advised to keep a lookout for such trees.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- CHATMAN v. BRYCELAND LUMBER CO., Limited
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- (Syllabus by Editorial Staff.) 1. BÍASTER AND SERVANT &wkey;>150(3) — INJURIES to Servant — Dutt to Warn — Keeping Lookout. Where the servant, unloading ties from a moving train on a logging road in a narrow passage among trees, as required by the work, stood back to engine, facing away from direction of the train’s movement, while foremen, seated on tender, faced him, the master, through the foremen, had the duty of keeping a lookout or warning him of dangerous proximity to the track, of a standing tree which, struck by a tie, threw it against plaintiff and caused him to fall under the cars. [Ed. Note. — For other cases, see Master and Servant, Cent. Dig. § 305;-Dec. Dig. &wkey;>150(3).] 2. Damages A young negro, earning $1.60 per day, struck by cross-tie, and caused to spit blood for 2 weeks and caused pain after 17 weeks, who, when struck, fell under the cars and suffered torn and severed muscles of his leg, but no fracture, suffered severe pain, and was confined to bed for 2 months, went about on crutches after 3 months, and after 17 weeks had not full use of his leg, is entitled to $2,500 damages, instead of $750, as assessed by jury. [Ed. Note. — For other cases, see Damages, Cent. Dig. § 370; Dec. Dig. &wkey;131(6).]