Ball v. Ransome Concrete Machinery Co.
Ball v. Ransome Concrete Machinery Co.
Opinion of the Court
, The opinion of the court was delivered by
The writ of error brings up a judgment of the Supreme Court upon a postea, from which it appears that, upon a trial of an issue, the trial judge, at the close of the evidence put in on behalf of the plaintiff, directed a nonsuit. The motion to nonsuit was made upon several grounds, but the bills of exception show that the trial judge directed the nonsuit upon a single one.
The action in which this course was taken was brought by plaintiff to recover from the defendant company damages for
The building contained a traveling crane, used for the purpose of moving heavy machinery. It ran upon wheels upon iron rails, supported by beams, near the roof. Plaintiff was familiar with the operation of the crane by observation, and by seeing it move during the short time that he had been employed on the building.
• At the time he was injured he was working upon a scaffold, and was aiding others in placing joists on the unfinished side of the building, upon which the covering of the side was to be placed. Having to nail the top of a joist at a point which, it may be assumed, he was unable to reach while standing on the scaffold, he, without raising the scaffold, or using other means to raise himself so as to perform the work without danger, stepped upon a studding above the scaffold, and there, it may be assumed, occupied a position that required him to support himself, to some extent at least, with his left hand. In doing so he placed that hand on the top of the rail, and the traveling crane then moving, his hand was caught under one of the wheels and injured. There was no signal given of the intention to move the crane.
Upon this evidence the trial judge determined that the plaintiff showed that he had, by his conduct, subjected himself to a risk of injury which was perfectly obvious, and which he could not thus encounter without negligence.
In that conclusion we concur. It is impossible to conceive
The nonsuit might well have been granted on the ground that upon the evidence there was not disclosed any duty imposed on the defendant company to workmen on the side of the building in respect to the movement of the traveling crane inside of the building.
The judgment must be affirmed.
For affirmance — Mague, Chancellor, The Ci-iiee Justice, Garrison, Hendrickson, Pitney, Swayze, Eeed, Trenci-iard, Bogert, Vredenburgh, Vroom, Green, Gray, Dill, J.J. 14.
For reversal — None.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- FREDERICK BALL, IN ERROR v. RANSOME CONCRETE MACHINERY COMPANY, IN ERROR
- Cited By
- 1 case
- Status
- Published