Fulwider v. Trenton Gas, Light & Power Co.

116 S.W. 508, 216 Mo. 582, 1909 Mo. LEXIS 350
CourtSupreme Court of Missouri
DecidedFebruary 25, 1909
StatusPublished
Cited by22 cases

This text of 116 S.W. 508 (Fulwider v. Trenton Gas, Light & Power Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Missouri primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Fulwider v. Trenton Gas, Light & Power Co., 116 S.W. 508, 216 Mo. 582, 1909 Mo. LEXIS 350 (Mo. 1909).

Opinion

LAMM, P. J.

Suing for the wrongful death of their father and putting in their evidence in that behalf, an adverse verdict was coerced by an instruction [588]*588in the nature of a demurrer at the close of their case, and plaintiffs appeal.

The petition counts on two theories. One is that defendant corporation, Fulkerson and Carnes were running and operating an electric light, gas and power plant in the city of Trenton and used in their said business certain dangerous machinery, consisting of engines, belts, drums, shaftings, gearing, etc., which machinery was negligently left unfenced, whereby J. E. Fulwider, father of plaintiffs and an employee of defendants, was killed. That is to say, by the first theory of the case a duty was raised to fence dangerous machinery by statute and that there was an actionable breach of this duty, resulting in Mr. Fulwider’s death. The other theory is that defendants owed a common law duty to Mr. Fulwider to furnish him a reasonably safe place in which to work and breached such duty, in that they (to quote from the petition) “failed and neglected to furnish their said employees a reasonably safe and suitable place in which to work, and carelessly and negligently suffered and permitted the floors in the building in which said machinery and other appliances above mentioned were situated and where their said employees while engaged in running and operating the same had to work, to become rough and uneven with boards and timbers nailed across and over the same and permitted the same to become and remain covered with grease and to become and remain unsafe, and failed and neglected, carelessly and negligently, to furnish sufficient lights so as to enable their said employees to perform their said work with reasonable safety.”

The petition further charges as follows:

“Plaintiffs further state that on said 27th day of January, 1904, their said father, J. E. Fulwider, was in the employ of the defendants assisting in running, operating and working about said plant and establishment and the said shafting, belts, gearing, drums, [589]*589engines and other machinery and appliances therein, and that while he was so engaged and employed .in the discharge and performance of his duties, and without fault or negligence on his part, hut by reason of the said failure and neglect of the defendants to safely and securely guard and protect the said engines, belts, shafting, drums and other machinery and appliances as aforesaid, and by reason of the said failure and neglect of the said defendants to furnish their said deceased employees a reasonably safe and suitable place in which to work and sufficient lamps and lights to enable him to see in doing his said work, the said J. E. Fulwider was unable to see so as to discharge his said duties in safety and slipped or stumbled upon said rough, uneven and greasy boards and floor and thereby and by reason thereof and by reason of the said failure and neglect of defendants to properly guard, enclose and protect said machinery, engines, belts, shafting, gearing, drums and appliances as aforesaid, he fell or was thrown against and onto ■one of the said exposed and unguarded belts and gearing of said plant and establishment and was dragged or drawn into the said machinery, wheels, drums and gearing of said plant and establishment and ivas thereby crushed, mangled and killed

Two- answers were filed, one by the corporation and the other by the individual defendants.- These answers make an issue on the appointment of Homer Hall as curator of the minor plaintiffs and allege that the probate court making it had no jurisdiction to do so. These features are not germane to any error assigned, and may be laid on the shelf. A plea of contributory negligence is common' to both answers. There is, too, a common averment of assumption of risks and a general denial.

The answer of the individual defendants is more than a general plea of contributory negligence. It [590]*590specifies a bundle of acts which in the aggregate go to make up the alleged negligence of decedent, vis.:

Defendants further say that the death of said J,. E. Fulwider was caused and occasioned by his own negligence and carelessness in the manner -as they are informed and believe and aver the facts to be, when he undertook to perform certain duties of the Trenton Gras, Light and Power Company in that he wrongfully and negligently undertook to stop the engine, in use by defendant Gras, Light and Power Company, and of which, as well as the other machinery and appliances, he had charge, management and control, by the use of a certain iron ro.d and'physical exertion and efforts upon his part and by placing himself in an improper and unnecessary position, without stopping said engine by the use of certain throttle valve and appliance made, intended and provided for that purpose, and without'after applying said throttle valve and appIE anees so made, intended and provided for the stopping thereof, waiting, as common prudence and proper regard for his own safety would and did require he should, for said engine to stop1 of its own momentum and volition, and that except for the reckless, negligent and careless acts and conduct of deceased, which contributed directly and in fact caused his death, he would have received no injury resulting in his death or otherwise.”

The answer of the individual defendants further pleads a misjoinder of parties defendant. It complains that the petition does not aver that there was a partnership between the corporate defendant and Carnes and Fulkerson in carrying on the business of manufacturing and selling gas, light and power. It complains that there is no allegation showing a joint operation of the plant or joint liability of defendants.

The case was heard as if a reply was filed, though we find none in the record.

[591]*591Any facts material to a determination of questions raised on appeal will appear in the opinion.

I. If facts showing a misjoinder of parties plaintiff or defendant do not appear on the face of a petition so the objection can be raised as an issue at law by demurrer as provided by statute (R. S. 1899, sec. 598), they are well pleaded by answer. In this case the individual defendants plead no facts in their answer showing a misjoinder of parties defendant, but by frugal short-cut in procedure they cut around a demurrer and raise a demurrable issue by answer. If an answer can swap places with a demurrer, then the ancient and honorable office of the latter is vacated by one stroke once for all. If we tolerate that view then the plea of demurrer becomes a vermiform appendix (to speak metaphorically) in the body of the law, fit only for the present fashionable use of being cut out as with a surgeon’s knife, and all the learning on that score is reduced to dust and ashes. We must adhere to established rules or we will have chaos instead of order in administering law.

Defendants insist there was a misjoinder of parties defendant and that the peremptory instruction may be sustained on that theory. On this head, we hold, first, that they did not properly raise the question below; second, that they waived it by answer; and, third, that the petition is sufficient in the particulars assailed. This latter, mainly because tortfeasors are liable jointly or severally. I may sue one or all of those doing me a negligent injury. The ultimate fact I must plead is that defendants negligently injured me in this, that or the other way.

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Bluebook (online)
116 S.W. 508, 216 Mo. 582, 1909 Mo. LEXIS 350, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/fulwider-v-trenton-gas-light-power-co-mo-1909.