Nuss v. Rafsnyder
Nuss v. Rafsnyder
Opinion of the Court
Opinion by
It was the duty of the defendant to erect a suitable scaffold on which the plaintiff could properly and safely perform the work he was sent to do, and the first question to be considered in the case is whether this duty was discharged. The plaintiff submitted evidence tending to show that it was not, and that the neglect to discharge it was the cause of his fall. A part of this evidence was descriptive of the manner in which scaffolds were usually constructed for the performance of such work as the plaintiff was required to do and was to the effect that scaffolds so constructed were safe. It was also to the effect that a scaffold constructed as the plaintiff and his witnesses testified the one in question was, was unsafe. This branch of the plaintiff’s contention was answered by the defendant with evidence showing that the scaffold was constructed precisely as the plaintiff’s experts testified it should have been in order to make it secure and a proper place for the performance of the work. It will thus be seen that the parties agreed as to what should have been done by the defendant, and disagreed as to what was done by him. If, therefore, the plaintiff’s evidence on this point was believed it established the charge of negligence, and if the defendant’s evidence was credited there should have been a verdict in his favor. It was not possible to reconcile the con
The plaintiff also testified that he heard Krimmel complain to the defendant on Saturday that the scaffold was not “ in the way it should be; that there was something loose; it might cause an accident,” and the defendant replied that he was very sorry. This was all he heard the defendant say in regard to the complaint made by Krimmel, and the latter never claimed to him, until after his fall, that the defendant promised to repair the scaffold, or said that it should be attended to. It is plain therefore that the plaintiff was not induced to go upon the scaffold Monday morning by anything said to him or in his presence by the defendant or by Krimmel, his fellow workman.
Judgment reversed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Lewis C. Nuss v. Edwin Rafsnyder
- Cited By
- 4 cases
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- Negligence —Master and servant — Risk of employment. When an employee after having the opportunity of becoming acquainted with the risks of his situation, accepts them, he cannot complain if subsequently injured by such exposure. By contracting for the performance of hazardous duties, he assumes such risks as are incident to their discharge from causes open and obvious, the dangerous character of which causes he has had opportunity to ascertain. In an action by a workman against the owner of a building to recover damages for personal injuries alleged to have been caused by a defective scaffold, it appeared that plaintiff knew the scaffold differed in construction from other scaffolds on which he had worked. He worked on it with a fellow workman on a Saturday, and men observed that it appeared loose and it rocked up and down. Plaintiff’s fellow workman complained to the defendant of the condition of the scaffold, and the defendant said in plaintiff’s presence that he was sorry, but made no promise to repair the scaffold. On the following Monday plaintiff resumed work on the scaffold, noticing at the time that there had been no change in its condition since he left it on Saturday. While the plaintiff was at work (he scaffold broke, and plaintiff was injured. Held, that the plaintiff was guilty of contributory negligence, and not entitled to recover.