Johnson v. C. C. & O. Railway Co.

131 S.E. 390, 191 N.C. 75, 1926 N.C. LEXIS 10
CourtSupreme Court of North Carolina
DecidedJanuary 27, 1926
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 131 S.E. 390 (Johnson v. C. C. & O. Railway Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of North Carolina primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Johnson v. C. C. & O. Railway Co., 131 S.E. 390, 191 N.C. 75, 1926 N.C. LEXIS 10 (N.C. 1926).

Opinion

Clarkson, J.

The plaintiff’s allegation of negligence in the amended complaint was that plaintiff, on 4 October, 1922, while in the employ of defendant, at Erwin, Tennessee, was permanently injured. “That it was the duty of the defendant (in the exercise of ordinary or reasonable care) to furnish the plaintiff and other employees working with him a reasonably safe place in which to perform the duties required of him and them in their labor, and to furnish a sufficient number of competent men to safely do said work. . . . That by the wrongful, careless and negligent acts on the part of defendant in not furnishing sufficient men to perform the labor aforesaid, and in furnishing an inexperienced and incompetent man to assist in doing said heavy work, and on account of the carelessness and negligence of said inexperienced and incompetent colaborer or fellow-servant of the plaintiff who was assisting him in doing said work in the manner hereinbefore alleged by and under the directions and command of the defendant, the plaintiff has been permanently injured and incapacitated for doing any work,” etc.

Plaintiff set forth two causes of action: (1) Defendant was engaged in intrastate commerce at the time of the alleged injury, (2) Interstate commerce. It is conceded on both sides that the plaintiff was not employed at the time of the injury in interstate commerce.

The defendant denied that it was engaged in interstate commerce and alleges that it was engaged in intrastate commerce and sets up the defenses: “That at the time of the injury complained of, the defendant was engaged in intrastate commerce, entirely within the State of Tennessee, and the plaintiff was employed by the defendant in said intrastate commerce, and any action which plaintiff has against the defendant is governed by the acts of the Tennessee Legislature of 1919, chap. 123, and amendments thereof, known as the Tennessee Workman’s Compen[77]*77sation Act, which, defendant here pleads and relies upon. . . . And that plaintiff’s action should have been brought before the Tennessee tribunal provided for in said act, and that this Court has no jurisdiction in this action. And if plaintiff has any cause of action against the defendant, which defendant denies, his said action is governed exclusively by said Tennessee Workman’s Compensation Act. That, as defendant is informed and believes, the injury complained of was caused or directly contributed to by the negligence and want of care on the part of the' plaintiff, who was in charge of, and directing, the work on said car at the time said injury is alleged to have been received or by the negligence or want of care on the part of the fellow-servant; and defendant pleads said negligence of plaintiff and his fellow-servant in bar of any recovery herein. And especially pleads that under the law of Tennessee contributory negligence and negligence of a fellow-servant are bars to recovery in a common-law action and pleads and relies upon said law. . . . That the plaintiff failed to give to the defendant written notice of the injury within thirty days after the occurrence of the accident, and the plaintiff failed to file with the tribunal having jurisdiction to hear and determine the matter, a claim for compensation under the provisions of the act of the Tennessee Legislature of 1919, chap. 123, and amendments thereof, within one year after said accident, and failed to commence this action within one year after the alleged injury as required by the statute of limitations of the State of Tennessee, and the defendant especially pleads said failure and neglect on the part of the plaintiff as a bar to his right to recover in this action. That the plaintiff by accepting employment, accepted the provisions of said statute and is bound thereby in this action.”

Summons in the action was issued 6 January, 1923, and served on defendant 8 January, 1923. Original complaint was filed 29 January, 1923. At July Term, 1924, plaintiff, over objection of defendant, was allowed to amend his complaint which was filed 12 September, 1924.

Plaintiff’s evidence showed that he was and had been a resident of Avery County, North Carolina, for about 40 years. He was 52 years old. The contract was made in Erwin, Tennessee. Henry Davis came to see him and in consequence of what he said, plaintiff went to Erwin, Tennessee. He was a carpenter and was put .to work on the repair yard. He did the woodwork on freight cars. He commenced work for defendant on 6 September, 1922, and was injured 4 October, 1922. Did general repair work on the cars.

Plaintiff, testified, in part: “Before starting at this work, I had spoken to the foreman about it. I had asked him to furnish some more hands. He went to start away when he gave us these instructions, and I called to him and said, ‘Mr. Broyles, can’t you give us two more men; [78]*78we bave only two men and two of our men are gone, and tbis is pretty bard work and unbandy work.’ And be just dropped bis bead for a moment and said,-‘Well, do tbe best you can, boys.’ Tbis is tbe first work of tbat kind I bad done and three men bad been working witb us up to tbe present. Tbe three men included myself. We commenced witb four and tbe four only worked a few days, and they cut one off. When I told Mr. Broyles we needed more men, there was just Mr. Woody and myself, and we went ahead witb tbe work tbe best we could. I was down under tbis car on tbe ground and Mr. Woody was up on tbe car, and there was a bench there and be bad to get up on tbis bench, up high to let tbis rod down through tbe top plate. We bad jacked tbe car. Tbe jack worked by lever: Tbe size of the piece of timber tbat we bad from tbe roof of tbe car down to tbe top of tbe jack was four by six, yellow pine, perfectly square on each end, and somewhere from four to five feet long. Tbe base of a twenty top jack is about twenty inches. Tbe top of tbis ratchet bad a foot on it. I suppose would set up something like six inches up above tbe top of tbe jack, and then it would run up something like tbe length of tbe jack. Tbat would bring tbe bottom end of tbe piece' of timber up something like 3% to 4 feet up above tbe fioor of tbe car. I was on tbe ground. It was about five feet from tbe floor of tbe car down to tbe ground — down to tbe top of tbe track. I bad gotten down to take tbis rod, and Mr. Woody 'let tbe rod down, and so we needed a band. He could not attend to both jobs at one time. I bad taken tbis iron rod and placed it down through tbe sill, and bad stooped down to start a nut in tbe rod, and as I went to start tbis nut, I looked and discovered tbat Mr. Woody bad bis band on tbe lever of tbat jack. I took my eyes from him and started tbis nut on tbe rod and I don’t remember if I bad got tbe nut started on tbe rod or not, but not more than two seconds from tbe time I took my eyes off of him, tbis timber all of a sudden struck me on tbe top of tbe bead,” etc. It was further alleged in tbe complaint tbat only one man was furnished to assist in doing tbe heavy work. “Tbe said young man so furnished being young, inexperienced and incompetent to assist in doing said work.” The evidence showed tbat Eli Woody, tbe young man, was about 20 years of age.

Tbe following appears of record: “After tbe jury bad been empaneled and tbe pleadings read, tbe court inquired of counsel for plaintiff and defendant as to their contentions! in regard to tbe law under which tbis case should be tried. Counsel for plaintiff contended tbat tbe common law applied or tbat tbe case should be tried under tbe Federal Employers’ Liability Act.

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

Related

Jonathan Woodner Co. v. Mather
210 F.2d 868 (D.C. Circuit, 1954)
Floyd v. Vicksburg Cooperage Co.
126 So. 395 (Mississippi Supreme Court, 1930)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
131 S.E. 390, 191 N.C. 75, 1926 N.C. LEXIS 10, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/johnson-v-c-c-o-railway-co-nc-1926.