Bryant v. Fissell

86 A. 458, 84 N.J.L. 72, 55 Vroom 72, 1913 N.J. Sup. Ct. LEXIS 119
CourtSupreme Court of New Jersey
DecidedMarch 24, 1913
StatusPublished
Cited by174 cases

This text of 86 A. 458 (Bryant v. Fissell) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of New Jersey primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bryant v. Fissell, 86 A. 458, 84 N.J.L. 72, 55 Vroom 72, 1913 N.J. Sup. Ct. LEXIS 119 (N.J. 1913).

Opinion

[74]*74The opinion of the court was delivered by

Trenchard, J.

This writ brings up for review a judgment of the Essex County Common Pleas Court in an action brought by Elizabeth Bryant, administratrix, &c., and widow of Bichard Brj^ant, deceased, on behalf of herself and the next of kin, to recover from Bichard Bryant’s employer compensation for his death.

The action was based upon an implied acceptance by the employer of the provisions of section 2 of the "Employers’ Liability act” of 1911. Pamph. L., p. 134, ch. 95.

A judgment in favor of the claimant, and against the employer, was entered, computed upon the basis allowed by the act, and the employer sued out this writ.

The learned trial judge found, among others, the following matters of fact: “That Biehard Bryant, deceased, was on the 25th day of April, 1912, employed by respondent (prosecutor), William PI. Eissell, as a journeyman carjDenter; that on the said 25th day of April, while engaged in his duties as carpenter, in the employ of the respondent (prosecutor), he received injuries by reason of a heavy bar of metal falling upon his head from one of the upper stories of a building being erected at the corner of Market and Beaver streets, in the city of Newark, which said injuries caused the death of the said Bichard Bryant; that the falling of the said bar of metal was not caused by any of the employes of the said respondent (prosecutor), but by an employe of some other and independent contractor, who had work to do on said building; that said injury arose out of and was in the course of Ins employment.”

It is conceded that there was legal evidence to warrant such findings of fact, hence they will be accepted in this court. Sexton v. Newark District Telegraph Co., post p. 85.

Paragraph seven of section 2 of the act provides that: “When emplojrer and employe shall by agreement, either express or implied, as hereinafter provided, accept the provisions’ of section 2 of this act, compensation for personal injuries to or for the death of such emplo3re by accident arising out of [75]*75and in the course of his employment shall be made by the employer without regard to the negligence of the employer,” &c.

The prosecutor’s reasons for reversal are embraced in the proposition that the death of Bryant was not caused by “accident arising out of and in the course of his employment.”

Hitherto the pertinent language of paragraph seven of our act, “by accident arising out of and in the course of his employment,” has not been construed by this court.

But .the language is identical with the language of the British Workmen’s Compensation act of 1906 (6 Edw. VII., c. 58), and therefore cases in that jurisdiction construing that language in their act will be useful in construing the same language in our own.

To warrant a recovery, it must appear that Bryant’s death was caused by (a) an accident, (5) arising out of, and (c) in the course of, his employment. Even though the injury arose out of and in the course of the employment, if it be not an “accident,” within the purview of the act, there can be no recovery. Even if there be an accident which occurred “in the course of” the employment, if it did not arise “out of the employment,” there can be no recovery; and even though there be an accident which arose “out of the employment,” if it did not arise “in the course of the employment,” there can bo no recovery. Fitzgerald v. Clarke & Son (1908), 2 K. B. 796; Craske v. Wigan (1909), Id. 635.

The burden of furnishing evidence from which the inference can be legitimately drawn that the death of an employe was caused by “an accident arising out of and in the course of his employment” rests upon the claimant. Barnabas v. Bersham Colliery Co. (1910), 102 L. T. 621; and on appeal (1910), 103 Id. 513.

The question whether or not an injury is an “accident” within the purview of the act is a mixed one of law and fact. Roper v. Greenwood (1900), 83 L. T. 471. When applied to ascertain facts, it is a question of law. Fenton v. Thornley & Co. (1903), A. C. 443.

[76]*76Within the purview of the act, an “accident” is an unlooked for mishap or untoward event which is not expected or designed. Fenton v. Thornley & Co. (1903), A. C. 443; Clover, Clayton & Co. v. Hughes (1910), Id. 242.

In the present case the ascertained facts were that the decedent was killed by “a heavy bar of metal falling upon his head from one of the upper stories” of the building upon which he was at work, and that thé falling of the bar was caused by another workman. Clearly such finding justified the conclusion that decedent’s death was caused by “an accident” within the purview of the act. It is to be observed that there was no evidence from which it might be inferred that the other workman intentionally caused the bar to fall on the decedent, and the presumption is to the contrary. We are therefore not now concerned with the question whether when an employe is intentionally injured by another, it may be properly characterized as an accident, as was held in Nisbet v. Rayne & Burn (1910), 2 K. B. 689, it being there said that the occurrence must be judged from the victim’s point of view.

It remains to be considered whether the accident arose both “out of and in the course of his employment.”

For an accident to arise out of and in the course of the employment, it must result from a risk reasonably incidental to the employment. As was said by Mr. Lord Justice Buckley in Fitzgerald v. Clarke & Son (1908), 2 K. B. 796. “The words ‘out of’ point, I think, to the origin and cause of the accident; the words ‘in the course of” to the time, place and circumstances under which the accident takes place. The former words are descriptive of the character or quality of the accident. The latter words relate to the circumstances under which an accident of that character or quality takes place. The character or quality of the accident as conveyed by the words ‘out of’ involves, I think,, the idea that the accident is in some sense due to the employment. It must be an accident resulting from a risk reasonably incident to the employment.”

[77]*77We conclude, therefore, that an accident arises “in the course of the employment” if it occurs while the employe is doing what a man so employed may reasonably do within a time during which he is employed, and at a place where he may reasonably bo during that time.

That the findings of fact in the present case justified the conclusion that the accident to Bryant occurred “in the course of” his employment, is beyond dispute.

We are also of opinion that the conclusion of the Common Pleas judge that the accident arose “out of” the employment was likewise justified.

The prosecutor argues that there can be no recovery because the bar of metal which killed Bryant was caused to fall by a workman of an independent contractor doing work on the same building.

We think there is no merit in this contention.

In Challis v. London and Southwestern Railway Co. (1905), 2 K. B.

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Bluebook (online)
86 A. 458, 84 N.J.L. 72, 55 Vroom 72, 1913 N.J. Sup. Ct. LEXIS 119, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bryant-v-fissell-nj-1913.