McElhiney v. Friedman-Shelby Shoe Co.
McElhiney v. Friedman-Shelby Shoe Co.
Opinion of the Court
This is an action for damages for personal injuries which plaintiff claims he sustained while working in the employ of defendant at its factory in Mexico, Missouri. The machine he was operating is what is known as a “Hercules Leveling Machine, ’ ’ a very lengthy and accurate description of which is set out in the petition and a photographic representation is in the abstract. The machine is used in the manufacture of shoes. We will give the description of the machine and its operation hereafter. It is averred that it was out of repair and in such a dangerous and defective condition that the plaintiff in operating it, lost the thumb of one of his hands, suffered great pain, etc. It is also alleged that
The answer was a general denial. At a trial before the court and a jury there was a verdict for plaintiff for one thousand dollars. From this defendant, interposing its motion for a new trial, which was overruled, has duly perfected its appeal to this court.
There was testimony tending to show that plaintiff, who was 22 years old, had been in the employ of defendant at this work for about 9 months prior to the time he ■ received his injury. He had worked there something like 8 months of that time on another machine of somewhat different construction than the “Hercules” and had worked on the “Hercules” about a month. There was testimony also tending to prove that a screw which was attached to the machine and' was used in the regulation of it had frequently become loose and that when this occurred, as well as when oil had accumulated on the runner over which the last moved, this “kicking back” of the last and form would occur, and that the attention of defendant’s foreman had been called to the fact that the machine, was defective and did not move properly some time before the accident happened and he was aware of the liability of the last and form to “kick back,” but that he told plaintiff it was all right for him to keep at work with it, that he would see to having the defect remedied,
At the instance of plaintiff the court gave two instructions. The first is as follows:
“The court instructs the jury that it was the duty of the defendant to keep its leveling machines in its factory at Mexico, in a reasonably safe condition for its employees who worked at such machines.
*323 If, therefore, the jury believe from the evidence in the case that at the time plaintiff was injured he was in the employ of the defendant as an operator of one of its leveling machines, in defendant’s factory at Mexico, and that it was his duty to put shoes on an iron last and put said machine in motion by pressing a treadle with his foot, and that when said shoe was sufficiently pressed between said iron lasts and the iron form above it, he was to press another treadle with his foot and said iron last should stop when it had finished its outward stroke and that while plaintiff was working at said leveling machine, on or about the 15th day of September, 1909, said machine was, by reason of the negligence of defendant, if you believe from the evidence that defendant was negligent, so defective and out of repair that at times said iron last and the form above it on the right hand side of said machine, when put in motion by pressing a treadle, would not stop when said machine was properly treadled to stop them, but would continue their motion, and that defendant or its foreman in charge of its leveling machines and those operating them, knew or by the exercise of ordinary care might have known of the defective condition of said machine, if you believe from the evidence it was defective and dangerous, in time to have repaired said machine and thereby avoided plaintiff’s injury; and if you further believe that plaintiff put a shoe on the iron last on the right hand side of said machine and put said last and the iron form above it in motion by pressing a treadle on said machine, and that when said shoe was sufficiently pressed that plaintiff again pressed a treadle in the proper way to stop said last so he could take said shoe off of it, and that when said last came to the position at which it usually stopped when said machine was treadled for the purpose of stopping' said shoe in the usual way and that said last failed to stop, but continued its motion and full backward stroke, and*324 that by reason thereof plaintiff’s thumb was caught between said shoe and the iron form above it and was thereby mashed, crushed or injured, then your verdict must be for the plaintiff.”
The second instruction was as to the measure of damages and no objection is made to it.
At the instance of defendant the court gave eight instructions. The first was to the effect that if the-jury found that the machine on which plaintiff was injured was in a defective condition and that fact was known to defendant prior to plaintiff’s injury; that if they further found that for a day or two prior to his injury plaintiff himself knew that the machine would cause a shoe placed on it to jump back and would not stop where it should stop when he treadled it, and knew it would jump back so far that the shoe could not be removed from it and if they found that if plaintiff knew or by the exercise of ordinary care would have known that on account of that action of the machine it was not reasonably safe for him to place his thumb over the shoe which was in it and try to remove it while the machine was in motion, and notwithstanding these facts plaintiff placed his thumb over a shoe and attempted to remove it while the machine was in motion and was thereby injured, and if they found that the danger of so placing his thumb under the circumstances was so apparent that a reasonably prudent person of plaintiff’s age and experience would not have done so, plaintiff could not recover. The second- and third instructions were as to the credibility of the witnesses and are in the usual and approved form. The fourth told the jury that if they found that the machine on which plaintiff was injured was in a reasonably safe condition at the time of his injury, plaintiff was not entitled to recover. The fifth told the jury that defendant- could not under any circumstances be held liable in this case for an injury to plaintiff’s thumb resulting from any act of a witness named. (The
The seventh instruction is as follows:
“By ordinary cáre, as used in these instructions, is meant that degree of care which would be used by a person of ordinary prudence under like or similar circumstances.”
The eight instruction is as follows:
“Negligence as used in these instructions, means that the party guilty thereof has done something which a reasonably prudent man, under the circumstances, would not have done, or failed to do something which a reasonably prudent man under the circumstances, would have done. ”
Of its own motion the court gave instructions as to the form of the verdict and the number of jurors necessary to concur in reaching á verdict. These as well as the two given at the instance of plaintiff were excepted to by defendant.
Appellant assigns three errors here: First, that the petetion does not state facts sufficient to constitute a cause of action against defendant; second, that the court erred in overruling the demurrer to the evidence ; third, that the court gave an improper instruction at the request of plaintiff.
The second proposition, that there was no evidence to sustain the verdict is equally untenable. "Without setting it out, it is sufficient to say that there was evidence tending to show that this machine was defective in the way it operated; to prove, in fapt, all the averments of the petition. Whether the defect which occasioned the injury was from a loose screw or from an accumulation of oi-1 on the runway or gearing, is not so material; the gravamen of the charge is lack of reasonable care in furnishing a reasonably
The third assignment of error is untenable. It is true that the first instruction given at the instance of plaintiff starts out with an incorrect proposition.' It is not the law that it was the unqualified duty of defendant to keep its leveling machines in its factory at Mexico in a reasonably safe condition for its employees who worked at such machines. The employer is not an insurer, either against defective machinery or accidents. The whole duty of defendant toward plaintiff and its employees was to use ordinary care in furnishing a reasonably safe place in which, and reasonably safe tools with which, to work. If this clause of the instruction -had stood alone it would have been reversible error to have given it. But that was n,ot so, either as to this instruction, or when the in
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.