Calhoun v. Holland Laundry
Calhoun v. Holland Laundry
Opinion of the Court
Opinion by
The appellant was employed in appellee’s laundry, and while working upon a machine known as the Stone bosom ironer was injured and for this injury the present action was .brought.
The machine at which she was working consisted of a bosom board resting upon rollers which passed it under a hot cylinder. This board was covered with iron and ovér that was a rubber covering and also one of felt and finally one consisting of four-' or five plies of muslin. To it was attached a rod that ran to the loAver part of the machine, operated by a key, which was
While engaged at work appellant’s hand was suddenly caught beneath the cylinder and injured, and she contends that appellee’s negligence caused the accident and sprang from the defective character of the clamps on the bosom board, about which she had made complaint to appellee’s superintendent who had promised to fix it, and in consequence of his directions she was compelled to use her left hand in ironing the shirt, resulting in the accident. That the key regulating the rod had been taken away and that she was thus prevented from using it. That it was used for regulating the rod running to the bosom board and had been taken away by the superintendent and she was unable to stop the machine at the time of the accident, and if the key had been there she would have operated under high pressure and her hand would not have been caught under the hot cylinder. That the engine which was in the cellar was out of order and in consequence the machine at which she was working ran in jerks, which made the roller go-faster and carried the bosom board in “ quicker,” and that the unsatisfactory movement of the bosom board was caused because the engine was out of order and that this condition was known to the appellee,
In support of her contention appellant testified that the neck clamp was in front and caught the front of the shirt. That it. was about one quarter of an inch below the bosom board; that when the shirt was properly fastened by the clamps it was not necessary for her to use her hands. That she had much trouble because she was compelled to use her fingers as the clamp would not hold the shirt and that she had complained to the superintendent who had full charge and control of appellee’s laundry and that the reason the neck clamp would not work she testified to be that it was too low set-and that it:was set down, so
Upon cross-examination she testified that light pressure caused her hand to get caught and the engine running in jerks. As to the cause of the'accident she testified that she had just started to iron and that her fingers were upon the board and that the roller was just moving over and had caught right at the neck band and the engine giving a jerk her hand was in before she knew where it was. That by reason of the sudden jerk caused by the engine, the board and her hand beneath, at the same time went under the cylinder. That the engine jerked that morning and she complained to the superintendent and he told her to go ahead and it would be all right and three quarters of an hour afterward the accident occurred; that the clamp was too low set because of the padding and that she used her hand to keep the shirt smooth because the clamp did not work right. That she never worked where the clamp did not hold unless she had very high pressure. That the superintend
To rebut the presumption of negligence arising from this evidence, the appellee called the manufacturer of the Stone ironing machines and he testified as to the character of the machine, the uses of the key, the number of turns necessary to raise the board; that the key is used for the purpose of adjusting differences of padding and pressure; the position of the clamp and its projection above the surface of the board and that all laundrymen did not pad their machines alike.
The secretary of the company was called and he testified as to the general condition of the machinery on the day of the accident. That he was not there at the time of the accident but that he had been there during the morning and returned subsequent to it and that he was not an engineer. Also several witnesses who testified as to the different machines. Also one witness who was a workman who testified that the machine was in first-class condition, that the clamps were in proper condition and that in some laundries they did not allow the key to remain with the operator of the machine. There was evidence by appellee to prove that appellant had her head turned at the time of the accident and on the part of the appellant evidence denying that such was the fact.
It is apparent that in this case there was a well-defined conflict in regard to the facts connected with the accident and the reasonable inferences to be drawn therefrom. Such being the case, the contention of the appellant that the question of negligence under such circumstances was one for the determination of the jury, came within the grip of the established principle that where from the facts and reasonable inferences to be drawn from them, negligence may be presumed, its determination
The assignment of error is sustained, the judgment is reversed and a venire de novo awarded.-
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.