McGill v. Middletown Car Co.
McGill v. Middletown Car Co.
Opinion of the Court
Opinion by
This plaintiff received injuries in an accident which happened in the shops of the defendant company, in January, 1911. The uncontradicted testimony shows that the accident was caused by reason of the falling of a pile of iron. The iron had been unloaded from cars in an adjoining yard, and after being sheared into convenient forms was placed on piles near a hot stove. Owing to the weather conditions these iron plates were partially covered with ice and snow, and when piled next to the stove they were affected by the heat, the ice melted and caused the slipping of the pieces of iron in the pile. One of the contentions on the trial was, and is here, that the arrangement of these plates was such that a man' of ordinary prudence and caution would have directed that they be piled elsewhere than at the machine near to the heated stove. There was testimony from which the jury might find that the defendant was guilty of negligence in arranging its material and appliances for use by its employees in such a manner as to produce this result, and also that the plaintiff was not guilty of contributory negligence. But this was earnestly disputed, and it was rightly referred for a jury’s determination. A number of points for charge were presented and answered in such a satisfactory manner that they are not assigned for error. The charge of the court was so adequate and fair that no exception was taken to it. Nor does the defendant make complaint of the amount of the verdict. The only assignment of error being that under all of the evidence in the case, the court should have entered judgment for the defendant non obstante veredicto.
The fact in dispute narrowed down to the single question,- — -Was the leaving of these ice-covered plates, unsupported, near the heated stove such negligence, that the defendant was answerable therefor? These queries and the further question of the plaintiff’s contributory negligence, were resolved in favor of the plaintiff,’ and
The carefully considered opinion of the court below in entering judgment for the plaintiff, fully answers the contention of the appellant.
The judgment is affirmed.
Reference
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- McGill v. Middletown Car Company
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- Syllabus
- Negligence — Master -and servant — Unsafe place to work — Contributory negligence. In an action by an employee against his employer to recover damages for personal injuries, the question of the defendant’s negligence and plaintiff's contributory negligence is for the jury, where the evidence tends to show the injuries were caused to plaintiff by the falling of a pile of iron in the shop where he was working, that the iron had been unloaded from cars in an adjoining yard, that after being sheared into convenient forms, the forms were brought into the shop and placed near a hot stove, that owing to weather conditions these forms were partially covered with ice and snow, and when piled near to the stove they were affected by the heat, and that the ice melted, causing the slipping of the iron and injury to the plaintiff, as he was warming himself at the stove after returning from dinner.