National Fire Proofing Co. v. Smith

99 N.E. 829, 55 Ind. App. 124, 1912 Ind. App. LEXIS 299
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedNovember 20, 1912
DocketNo. 7,578
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 99 N.E. 829 (National Fire Proofing Co. v. Smith) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
National Fire Proofing Co. v. Smith, 99 N.E. 829, 55 Ind. App. 124, 1912 Ind. App. LEXIS 299 (Ind. Ct. App. 1912).

Opinion

Felt, J.

Appellee brought this action to recover damages for injuries, resulting in the death of the decedent, Prank Shearer, while in the employ of appellant. Trial by jury resulted in a verdict for appellee in the sum of $4,000, upon which judgment was rendered.

Appellant’s assignment of errors challenges the sufficiency of the facts alleged in each paragraph of appellee’s amended complaint to state a cause of action. The first paragraph, after the formal averments, charges in substance that appellant owned and operated a plant for the manufacture of tile, brick, tile-roofing and other like products; that several months prior to his injury, Shearer was employed by appellant as a carpenter to work in said plant and was so engaged exclusively up to the time of his injury; that during all of that time, appellant employed in said plant one John Pierce, as master mechanic, who had charge of all the machinery, shafting, pulleys, belts, tools and appliances in the plant and whose duty it was to keep the same in proper repair, and to see to the oiling and running thereof; that on March 23, 1907, Pierce was temporarily called away from said plant, and decedent was taken away from his regular work by the order and direction of appellant, through its agent [129]*129and vice principal, one Ben Butler, and temporarily directed to do a part of the work of Pierce during his absence; that Butler had charge of the running and operation of said plant and control of the men employed therein, including decedent; that he had power and authority to direct decedent to do temporarily the work of Pierce; that at the time of decedent’s injury, and for many months prior thereto, appellant maintained a certain main horizontal power shaft in its plant which was elevated about ten feet above the floor thereof; that on that shaft were many pulleys from which belts ran to other pulleys and operated the various machines in the plant; that none of the belts or machines could be operated separately, but it was necessary during all of said time to stop the whole machinery in the plant in order to stop any portion thereof, all of which was well known to appellant; that appellant, up to and at the time of decedent’s injury, carelessly and negligently used, for the purpose of propelling the machinery, an old, wornout and decayed belt which was dangerous to those whose duties brought them in contact with it, and was unsafe for the proper and safe operation of appellant’s machinery; that owing to its condition, the belt frequently came off the pulley over which it ran, and on many occasions prior to the time when decedent was injured, it was necessary for appellant to readjust the wornout belt upon the pulleys; that on account of its worn, thin and soft condition and long continued use it would give and stretch, and in order to make it stick to the pulleys over which it ran and which it operated, and in order to make it perform the work it was intended to perform, appellant had for many months prior to decedent’s injury carelessly and negligently used upon the belt a certain belt dressing called “stickum,” which was a sticky substance and which was used for the purpose of keeping the plies of the belt together, and in making it adhere to and move the pulleys and prevent the belt from slipping [130]*130upon the pulleys; that said “stickum” when used upon the belt in its defective condition made it liable to fold and double on itself when it came off the pulleys and to adhere to itself and adhere to the main shaft around which it was placed, and made it likely to stick to and enfold anything it came in contact with when it was off of its proper place on the pulleys; that by reason of the condition of the belt and the use of the “stickum” thereon, it was highly dangerous to the employes of appellant, working about it or near the shafting, all of which was at all times well known to the appellant, and which was neither known to nor appreciated by the decedent; that decedent was unlearned and unskilled in the duties of Pierce’s position, as alleged, to which he was so assigned on the occasion of his injury; that he did not know, realize or appreciate the danger of working in and about the belt, or in putting the belt on the pulley when it came off; that he did not know or realize the condition of the belt, nor did he know or realize that the “stick-um” was liable to cause the belt to fold on itself and to wrap about the shafting and about anything in close proximity thereto; that the decedent had not worked about said belt and machinery for more than fifteen minutes, at the time of his injury and was wholly unacquainted with the condition of the belt and of the dangers therefrom, and had had no experience whatever in readjusting such belts in the condition which such belt was in at the time, nor any experience or knowledge in the use of “stickum” on such belts; that the appellant knew, or ought to have known, during all of said time, that it was unsafe and highly dangerous to use the belt and that decedent was wholly ignorant of, and did not appreciate the dangers; that appellant negligently failed and refused to tell decedent, or in any manner notify or warn him of the danger or of the condition of the belt, or of its being likely to fold upon itself and upon the shaft and wrap about the same and about any person or thing coming in .contact with it, when it was off of the pulley; [131]*131that appellant negligently failed and refused at all times to provide any appliance, instrument, tool or machinery with which to adjust the belt from the floor and place the same upon the upper pulley when it came off of the same; that it had always been the custom and practice at and before the time the decedent was injured, to adjust the belt by placing a ladder, which appellant furnished for that purpose, against an upright post near to and within three feet of such upper shafting and pulley whereby the person adjusting the belt could climb to the top of the ladder and, with one arm around the post, reach out with the other, take hold of the belt and put it upon the upper pulley, while others put it upon the pulley below; that the upper pulley is about nine feet higher than the lower one; that; on March 23, 1907, the belt came off the pulleys over which it ran and, in obedience to the orders of appellant’s vice principal, Butler, and while temporarily in the performance of the duties of Pierce, decedent attempted to put the belt upon the upper pulley; that while decedent was upon the ladder in the manner aforesaid and attempting to adjust the belt and put the same upon the upper pulley, as aforesaid, in obedience to the orders and in compliance with his duty, his hand and arm were caught by the belt by reason of the belt doubling upon itself and adhering to the upper power shaft and pulley, and he was thereby and by reason thereof thrown into said belt and pulley and twisted around the pulley and shaft and could not extricate himself therefrom; that the shaft was at the time revolving at the rate of about three hundred revolutions per minute, which was its usual rate of speed when the machinery was in operation; that by reason thereof decedent was whirled so rapidly around the shaft and against the ceiling of the building that his arm was pulled off at the shoulder and he was so bruised, lacerated and injured thereby that he died within a few minutes thereafter from his injuries; that decedent’s injuries and death were due solely and entirely to the negligent acts of [132]*132appellant; that neither decedent nor appellee was guilty of any negligence whatever that contributed in any manner to decedent’s injuries or death.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
99 N.E. 829, 55 Ind. App. 124, 1912 Ind. App. LEXIS 299, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/national-fire-proofing-co-v-smith-indctapp-1912.