Belliveau v. Knutson
Belliveau v. Knutson
Opinion of the Court
These two actions are both brought to recover for the death of the plaintiff’s intestate, a boy seventeen years and five months of age, which occurred between Saturday, December 8, and Monday, December 10, 1945, on a fishing vessel then lying in navigable waters at a wharf in the port of New Bedford. The first action is against the master of the vessel and is an attempt to recover under the Massachusetts death statute. The second action is against the executrix of the will of the owner of the vessel and is brought under the Jones act, U. S. C. (1946 ed.) Title 46, § 688. The plaintiff excepts to the direction of verdicts for the defendants and to the exclusion of certain evidence.
The only testimony as to the instructions given the deceased came from Knutson. He testified that he told the deceased that the forecastle was locked up, that there was no fire there, and that he did not have to go there. He further testified that the pilot house was heated by radiators; that he told the deceased that he was to watch the boat from the pilot house and showed him the keys to the pilot house, but did not show him the key to the forecastle; that he did not tell him about the slide in the ventilator, nor how to operate the coal stove, nor about the need for keeping the hatchway open. The jury, however, would not have been obliged to believe the parts of this testimony unfavorable to the plaintiff, and there was evidence that it was customary for the watchman to make a fire in the forecastle to keep warm, to make coffee, and to cook food. There was no evidence that the deceased made coffee or did any cooking.
In our opinion there was no evidence for the jury of negligence of either defendant. The stove was an ordinary coal stove. There was no defect in it or in the forecastle or in any of the equipment of the vessel. The only negligence claimed is failure to warn. There was no evidence that the
The excluded evidence need not be discussed. We have dealt with the case as if it had been admitted.
What has been said disposes of both cases without consideration of other questions.
Exceptions overruled.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.