Lewis v. Mammoth Mining Co.

93 P. 732, 33 Utah 273, 1908 Utah LEXIS 8
Utah Supreme Court·Decided January 20, 1908·No. No. 1865·Published·Cited by 2 cases

Opinion

McCAKTY, C. J.

Plaintiff brought this action to recover damages for the death of her son Edward Lewis, alleged to have been caused through the negligence of the defendant while said Lewis was at work for defendant in its Mine at Mammoth, Juab county, Utah. The complaint alleges in part as follows: “That on or about the 13th day of October, 1904, while said Edward Lewis was. in the employ of said defendant and in pursuance of its directions, engaged at work in a shaft in said mine, about 2,160 feet beneath the surface, said defendant, without notice or warning’ to -said Lewis, and without fault on his part, wrongfully, negligently, and carelessly caused and suffered a bucket to fall down said shaft from a station therein about 160 feet above where said Lewis was at work, and to then and there strike said Lewis with great force.” Then follows a description of the injuries inflicted, from which injuries, it is alleged, Lewis died on or about September 22, 1905, at Richfield, Utah. Defendant in its answer admitted that Lewis was in its employ and at work at the time and place alleged in the complaint; but denied that he was killed through any negligence upon its part. A trial ■was had which resulted in a verdict in favor of plaintiff for the sum of $5,000. Erom the judgment entered on the verdict, the defendant prosecutes this appeal.

At the time of the accident described in the complaint, Edward Lewis, the deceased, was at work in the bottom of the shaft in defendant’s mine, 2,160 feet below the surface. A [275] cage was operated in tbe shaft between tbe 300 and-1,900 foot level by machinery located in tbe 300-foot level. It was tbe duty of one Forcey to run cars off and on to tbe cage at the 300-foot level, and sometimes, in tbe absence of tbe employee whose duty it was to put tbe loaded cars on tbe cage at tbe lower levels, Forcey would be directed by tbe superintendent or shift boss to “cage tbe cars,” or “ride tbe cage,” as tbe worlc was sometimes called. On tbe day in question be -yas at work on tbe 1,900-foot level, putting cars on tbe cage and sending them up to tbe 300-foot level, known as tbe “tunnel, level.” Tbe shaft extended downward from the 1,900-foot level about 160 feet, but tbe cage did not run below the 1,900-foot level. An iron bucket, attached to a cable which was operated by means of a donkey engine situated at tbe 1,900-foot level, was used in tbe shaft below said level. Defendant had in its employ one Jesse Meyers, who was a competent engineer, whose duty it was to operáte this donkey engine, and by means thereof to raise and lower the bucket up and down tbe shaft below said level.. This he would do upon bell signals from the men at work in tbe bottom of tbe shaft. Tbe engineer had no other duties aside from operating tbe engine. And Forcey’s duties on tbe day in question were, as stated, to “cage” tbe ore cars at the 1,900-foot level. This ■was the only work assigned to him by defendant, and his duties did not require him to operate the donkey engine. The testimony given by Forcey shows that he, was not. an engineer, and that he did not understand the method of oper- ■ ating an engine. On the day in question Forcey proposed to exchange work with the engineer, who was in charge of, and whose duty it was to operate, the donkey engine mentioned. To this proposition Meyers, the engineer, assented, and at once placed Forcey in charge of the engine. The facts in relation to what then took place are fully set forth by Forcey in his testimony, wherein he says: “I started to lower the bucket down the shaft below the 1,900. Lewis [referring to the deceased] was working down the shaft that is below the 1,900 in the bottom. ... I had received no signal to lower the bucket. , . . After I started to do it, I got rattled and [276] let it go, and the bucket- went down to tb© bottom. I don’t know wbetber I put on tbe brakes or not. ... It Has been a long while, and I kind of got frightened, and I don’t remember about it. The bucket went to the bottom. When I started to run the engine, there was a mark there to stop it by, and I didn’t know how to stop it I guess. ... I didn’t do anything. I was too scared to do anything. I never lowered a bucket before that time. It was the first time I ever tried.” Counsel for appellant, defendant below, in their brief concede that, when Forcey undertook “to- run said engine, he lost control of it, and the bucket fell down the shaft at a high rate of speed, striking said Edward Lewis and injuring him.”- And there is abundant evidence in the record to support the finding of the jury that his death was the result of the injuries received.

The court, among other things, instructed the jury as follows: “(12) Under the facts of this case, and the statutes of Utah [referring to section 1848, Key St. 1898], neither the engineer who had charge of the engine, who raised and lowered the bucket, nor Forcey, who manipulated the engine at the time of the accident, were fellow servants of the deceased, and, if the deceased was injured by the negligence of either the engineer or Forcey, or the combined negligence of both, the defendant is liable therefor; and, if the deceased died from injuries sustained by reason of the negligence of the engineer or of Forcey, or both combined, and he himself was free from contributory negligence, then your verdict must be for the plaintiff in such sum as will compensate her for such damages as she has proven.

“(13) That the engineer and Forcey in allowing Forcey to manipulate the engine acted contrary to the express orders of the defendant company does not relieve the defendant from liability for the results of any negligence,' if any is shown by the evidence of said engineer or Forcey while Forcey was so manipulating the engine.”

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Lewis v. Mammoth Mining Co., 93 P. 732, 33 Utah 273, 1908 Utah LEXIS 8 (Utah 1908).

93 P. 732 (Lewis v. Mammoth Mining Co.) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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