Andrews v. Bloom

29 S.W.2d 284, 181 Ark. 1061, 1930 Ark. LEXIS 385
CourtSupreme Court of Arkansas
DecidedJune 23, 1930
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 29 S.W.2d 284 (Andrews v. Bloom) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Arkansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Andrews v. Bloom, 29 S.W.2d 284, 181 Ark. 1061, 1930 Ark. LEXIS 385 (Ark. 1930).

Opinion

Smith, J.

Appellee recovered judgment for personal injuries and for damages to his automobile, resulting from a collision -with, the automobile which he was driving with one owned by appellant. There ivas a conflict in the testimony as to whose negligence caused the injury, but that question was submitted to the jury under instructions conceded to be correct,, and has been settled by the verdict of the jury.

Another question in the case arises out of testimony about which there is no substantial conflict. It is to the following effect. Mr. Will Ragsdale owns and operates a garage in the city of Helena, and does a general repair business, and, as an incident to his business, sends out and gets cars, when requested by the car owner, and has them brought to his place of business. This is a part of the service which he has rendered for a number of years for those patrons who desire that service. On the morning of the collision the wife of appellant called Ragsdale and advised him that she wanted her car greased and the oil changed and a door of the car repaired. The car belonged to her husband, and she gave this order at his request. Upon receiving’ the order Ragsdale sent Oscar G-ullett and Fred Sims, two of his employees, for the car, and while Gullett was driving it to Ragsdale’s garage by a direct route the collision occurred. Gullett and Sims were regularly employed by Ragsdale, and were, paid by him.

There was nothing unusual about this service, as it was one rendered to all regular customers, such as appellant was, and no extra charge was made against appellant, or other similar customers, for going out and getting cars. Ragsdale would have charged the same price for the service rendered if the car had been driven to the garage and left there, and it was for appellant’s convenience tliat lie sent for tlie car. This and other similar services are rendered without charge to customers like appellant who pay their hills regularly and as an incident to the business for which charges are made. It is Ragsdale’s custom, in order to get the business, to send for cars, which his employees bring to his garage, and no extra charge is made for this service. He does not advertise that he renders this service without charge, and he does it as a favor when requested so to do by the owners, and he does it for their accommodation. The facts stated all appear from the testimony of Ragsdale himself.

Under this undisputed testimony the question' for decision is, whose servant was Gullett at the time of the collision?

The facts stated do not, in our opinion, present the case of a borrowed servant. There are many decisions holding one liable for the negligence of a servant temporarily or specially employed, although no compensation is paid for the service during the temporary relation of master and servant.

The case of Janik v. Ford Motor Co., 147 N. W. 510, 52 L. R. A. (N. S.) 294, which appellee cites and upon which he relies for an affirmance of the judgment here appealed from, is such a case. The Supreme Court of Michigan there said: “The essence of the best considered cases upon the temporary loan or hire of a servant for a special purpose is thus well stated in 26 Cyc. 1522: A person who avails himself of the use, temporarily, of the services of a servant regularty employed by another person may be liable as master for the acts of such-servant during the temporary service. The test is whether, in the particular service which he is engaged or requested to perform, he continues liable to the direction and control of his original master, or becomes subject to that of the person to whom he is lent or hired, or who requests his services. It is not so much the actual exercise of control which is regarded, as the right to exercise such control. To escape liability the original master must resign full control of the servant for the time being, it not being sufficient that the servant is partially under control of a third person. Subject to these rules the original master is not liable for injuries resulting from acts of the servant while under the control of a third person.’ ”

That case was a suit against the Ford Motor Company, whose servant, at the request of the purchaser of a car, undertook to drive the car to the city limits, where it was to be turned over to Wemer, the purchaser, who was a dealer in cars and who had bought the car to be delivered to a purchaser from him, 'but before reaching the city limits the car ran into a man as he was alighting from a street car. It was there held, in a suit for the damage thus occasioned, that the motor company was not liable, because its employee, who was driving the car at the time of the collision, was not acting as its servant, but was the servant of the purchaser of the car. Other facts in that case are to the effect that, having bought the car and paid for it, Werner asked the salesman of the motor company, from whom he had purchased the automobile, if they would let him have a driver to take them to the city limits, as Werner was not familiar with the city streets. Further stating the facts, the court said: “In the instant case there was no agreement or suggestion, as a part of the negotiations and purchase, that the motor company should assume or undertake any instructions to the purchaser relative to operating the car, or to see that when it left the salesroom it was properly run for any length of time, or to any place. He was a dealer in cars himself, experienced in their use, and knew what was necessary. The deal was closed, he had his receipt, and the car had been delivered to him at the time he asked for the accommodation. Groholski was sent along to drive as a ‘mere favor to the purchaser.’ At the time of the accident Werner, an experienced driver, not only owned the car, but was in actual occupation and possession of it, riding with a prospective purchaser out from the city towards their home. He was in no sense helpless, looking to, and dependent upon, the driver, as would he the case of an inexperienced purchaser. Like many other experienced drivers from the country or small towns, he felt less confidence in driving-through the congested thoroughfares of a, large city, and for that reason asked the loan of a driver to the suburbs. The fact that he found no occasion to give instructions to the driver, except to tell him along what street to drive, and relied upon his skill and experience, in no way affected Werner’s absolute rig-ht to control him in everything he did in connection with the ear. Samuelian v. American Tool & Mach. Co., 168 Mass. 12, 46 N. E. 98, 1 Am. Neg. Rep. 447. Under the undisputed testimony, the motor company had no control over nor interest in the car after it left its salesrooms, nor in the manner in which it was run, nor in where it went. It could not dictate how the car should be run; the most it could do would be to recall from this special employment the servant it had loaned. Luring Groholski’s absence from the salesrooms in this service he was doing the work of Werner, to whom he was gratuitously loaned, on the initiative and request of Werner, who had full right to dictate as to his own property and direct in what manner the car should be operated. He unquestionably could have taken charge and driven it himself, if he saw fit at any time, and, if so disposed, could have discharged the driver and proceeded without him; he was therefore for the time being the special master.”

We think that case was correctly decided under the principles there announced and herein applied.

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Bluebook (online)
29 S.W.2d 284, 181 Ark. 1061, 1930 Ark. LEXIS 385, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/andrews-v-bloom-ark-1930.