DeElse v. Wilf Bros. Appliances
DeElse v. Wilf Bros. Appliances
Opinion of the Court
Opinion by
Patrick DeElse and Yolanda DeElse, appellees, instituted this action in trespass against Wilf Brothers Appliances, appellant, for injuries sustained to the wife when she stepped on a broken glass jug in front of appellant’s premises. A jury returned verdicts for both appellees and this appeal is from dismissal of appellant’s motions for judgment n.o.v. and for a new trial.
On February 19, 1948, about 2:00 p.m., wife-appel-lee stepped out of an automobile which was stopped at or near the curb in front of appellant’s business premises. She looked down at the ice and snow which had accumulated on the pavement near the curb, saw noth
Appellant’s main contention is that the court below erred in refusing its motion for judgment n.o.v. in that appellant, as a matter of law, was not chargeable with constructive notice of the presence of the glass. Appel-lees made no effort to prove actual knowledge, but relied on the doctrine of constructive notice, viz., that the broken glass should have been apparent to appellant upon reasonable inspection. Wife-appellee described what she saw as follows: “Q. Could you see the curb where you stopped? A. No, I could not see it. Q. When you opened the door you looked down where you were going to step? A. Yes. Q. What could you see? A. I could see ice. Q. Could you see snow? A. There was a lot of snow around it. Q. Could you see anything else? A. No. Q. Could you see the glass? A. No, I did not”. She admitted that she could not see the glass; that all she could see was “a lot of snow around”. A witness, Joseph Blum, was called on behalf of appellees. Mr. Blum testified that he was employed next door to appellant’s store; that on the day in question he went out for lunch “between 12 and 12:30” and glanced down at the corner near Wilf Brothers and “something was shining and I looked down and saw some glass. I thought nothing of it. On the way back I glanced there, and it was still there”. He testified that he returned from lunch approximately three-quarters of an hour later and that the glass was still there.
The mere happening of an accident does not establish that one of the parties was negligent. The burden is on appellees to prove that appellant was negligent and that said negligence was the causative factor of the injuries complained óf. The -duty imposed upon an occupier of land in these-circumstances is' to maintain
Appellee’s testimony clearly discloses that tbe condition was not observable by her; that but for the sun’s rays at an angle Mr. Blum likewise would not have seen the dangerous condition. The length of time that such condition existed becomes immaterial where, as here, the defect is only observable by exacting a high degree of care from the occupier of the land. In light of this evidence, the court below erred in dismissing appellant’s motion for judgment n.o.v. It now becomes unnecessary to dispose of appellant’s complaint that a new trial should be granted.
Judgment reversed, and entered for defendant.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.