Alexander v. Maryland Steel Co.
Alexander v. Maryland Steel Co.
Opinion of the Court
Neither of the specifications of error can be sustained.
In affirming the first two sentences of the defendant’s third point, recited in the first specification, the learned trial judge rightly instructed the jury: “ Where a person is injured by a falling body while lawfully engaged upon the property of another, it is not sufficient to show that the accident happened. The injured person, in such a case, in order to recover, must also show negligence upon the part of the defendant.” In refusing to affirm the remaining sentence of same point, by which he was substantially requested to direct a verdict for the defendant, he was undoubtedly right. The case depended on questions of fact which were clearly for the jury, and were submitted to them with fully adequate and proper instructions. There is therefore no merit in the first specification.
The subject of complaint in the remaining specification is the refusal of the learned trial judge to give binding instructions to find for the defendant. In view of the evidence such instruction would have been manifest error.
Judgment affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Emanuel Alexander v. Maryland Steel Company
- Cited By
- 4 cases
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- Negligence—Injury by falling body—Evidence. Where a person is injured by a falling body while lawfully engaged upon the property of another it is not sufficient to show merely that the accident occurred, the injured person, in order to recover, must also show negligence upon the part of the defendant. In an action to recover damages for personal injuries it appeai'ed that the plaintiff was employed by a contractor in the erection of a building. While so employed he was injured by the fall of a scaffold which had been put up by another and independent contractor. The uncontradicted testimony was that the scaffold was built of the best material, but the evidence as to whether it had been built in a proper way was conflicting. Held, that the case was for the jury, and that a judgment and verdict for plaintiff should be sustained.