Gould v. Aurora, Elgin & Chicago Railway Co.

141 Ill. App. 344, 1908 Ill. App. LEXIS 685
Appellate Court of Illinois·Decided April 15, 1908·No. Gen. No. 4,893·Published·Cited by 3 cases

Opinion

Mr. Justice Dibell

delivered the opinion of the court.

The fourth instruction given to the jury at the request of appellee was as follows:

‘‘ The court instructs the jury that if they find from the evidence that the plaintiff has made out his case by a preponderance of the evidence, as alleged in the declaration, then the jury should find the defendant guilty, and assess his damages at whatever sum the evidence shows, if any, under the iiistructions of the court, he has sustained.”

It is argued that this instruction excludes the defense of assumed risk, and that it was therefore error to give it. Appellee was fam'ilar with the place where he was at work and with all the surroundings. The open counter-weight shaft was in plain sight to any one who looked. The counter-weights were six feet high and passed up and down the shaft whenever the elevator moved and in the opposite direction from the elevator. There was nothing to obstruct the view of the weights as they passed up and down the shaft There was reasonable ground for appellant to contend before the jury that appellee assumed the risk of the condition to which his injury was due. The declaration did not charge that this was a risk which appellee did not assume. It did charge that appellee had no knowledge that the counter-weights had a shaft of their own outside of the elevator shaft. But that did not constitute an averment that appellee did not assume the risk nor was it equivalent to such an allegation. The servant assumes not only all • obvious dangers and all dangers which are known to him, bnt also all dangers which ordinary care for his own safety would have revealed to him (Jones & Adams Co. v. George, 227 Ill. 64), and he is chargeable with knowledge of all the conditions of which he, in the exercise of due care, has equal opportunity with his employer to know. E. J. & E. Ry. Co. v. Myers, 226 Ill. 358. The instruction under discussion, that if appellee had made out his case by a preponderance of the evidence as alleged in the declaration the jury should find appellant guilty and assess damages, in effect told the jury that appellant could be found guilty, even though appellee assumed the risk of that condition which caused his injury. This was reversible error. I. C. R. R. Co. v. Smith, 208 Ill. 608, 619; Terra Cotta Lumber Co. v. Hanley, 214 Ill. 243; Montgomery Coal Co. v. Barringer, 218 Ill. 327; Pioneer Fire Proofing Co. v. Clifford, 125 Ill. App. 352. Appellee contends that the declaration negatives the assumption of risk, under the authority of Kirk & Co. v. Jajko, 224 Ill. 338, to which may be added North Chicago St. R. R. Co. v. Auffmann, 221 Ill. 614, and Springfield Boiler Co. v. Parks, 222 Ill. 355. The amended declaration in this case does not contain any such averments as those set out in the cases cited, which were there held to relieve those servants of the assumption of the risks of the conditions which caused the injuries. Appellee also contends that the error in this instruction is cured by other instructions given at the request of appellant, which properly stated to the jury the law governing the assumption of risks by appellee. There would be force in this contention if the instruction in question did not direct a verdict, but when an instruction directs a verdict for either party, or directs a verdict in case the jury shall find certain facts, it must contain all the facts which will authorize the verdict directed. Pardridge v. Cutler, 168 Ill. 504; I. C. R. R. v. Smith, supra; Pitman v. C. & E. I. R. R. Co., 231 Ill. 581. This instruction was especially injurious in this case because under the evidence, which we have not fully stated, it is a serious question whether appellee did not have such means of knowledge as caused him to assume the risk of the conditions which resulted in his injury.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Gould v. Aurora, Elgin & Chicago Railway Co., 141 Ill. App. 344, 1908 Ill. App. LEXIS 685 (Ill. Ct. App. 1908).

141 Ill. App. 344 (Gould v. Aurora, Elgin & Chicago Railway Co.) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

Related

Johnson v. Johnson
166 Ill. App. 422 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1911)
Davis v. Gwinn
162 Ill. App. 72 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1911)
Lecklieder v. Chicago City Railway Co.
142 Ill. App. 139 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1908)