McNeill v. Director General of Railroads
McNeill v. Director General of Railroads
Opinion of the Court
Opinion by
Joseph V. McNeill, a brakeman of defendant, while working on its right-of-way, was struck by another train and received injuries from which he died the same day. His widow, on behalf of herself and their minor children, presented a claim petition under the Workmen’s Compensation Act; the referee held that decedent was engaged in interstate commerce at the time of the injury and hence the claim was not compensable; the Workmen’s Compensation Board and the court below sustained this ruling, and from the judgment of the latter tribunal plaintiff appeals.
It is admitted there were interstate cars in the train on which decedent was working, but it is alleged the train crew were engaged in a “purely shifting operation or local movement,” and hence, under Murray v. Pgh.,
It is further contended by appellant that since decedent was injured by the negligent act of a railroad which was not his employer, the federal law does not apply, and hence she may invoke the provisions of our Workmen’s Compensation Act. To this it need only be said that the evidence fails to disclose the basic fact upon which the claim is made, namely, that decedent was injured by a railroad which was not his employer. All that is shown touching this point is that decedent was killed by “a train from Washington to New York, operated over the Royal Blue Line; over the Reading, B. & O., and Central Railroad of New Jersey”; it does not
The judgment of the court below is affirmed.
Reference
- Cited By
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- Status
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- Syllabus
- Workmen’s compensation^-Railroads — Master and servant — Interstate commerce. 1. Where a train has any interstate cars in it, it must be treated as an interstate train, in determining -whether or not the carrier is liable for an accident occurring in its operation. 2. Interstate commerce is directly affected and the rules applicable thereto apply when a train containing interstate cars is being cut, so that a new car may be added at such a place in the train as to facilitate its delivery and the delivery of the other cars, when they reach their destination. 3. The movement of a train containing interstate cars, to a point where it is to be broken up into a number of separate trains, is a movement in interstate commerce. 4. Not decided whether or not an employee engaged in interstate commerce can obtain relief under the Workmen’s Compensation Act, if he is injured by another carrier than his employer. 5. Murray v. Pgh., C., C. & St. L. R. R. Co., 263 Pa. 398, distinguished.