National Malleable Castings Co. v. Luscomb

19 Ohio C.C. 673
CourtOhio Circuit Courts
DecidedJanuary 15, 1895
StatusPublished

This text of 19 Ohio C.C. 673 (National Malleable Castings Co. v. Luscomb) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Circuit Courts primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
National Malleable Castings Co. v. Luscomb, 19 Ohio C.C. 673 (Ohio Super. Ct. 1895).

Opinion

SCRIBNER, J.

The defendant in error, plaintiff below, while in the employ of The National Malleable Castings Company, about the 25th of January, 1893, lost a portion of one of his hands, while at work upon a machine known as a jointer, or planer, operated in the establishment of the defendant below. He brought an action against the company to recover damages, alleging negligence on its part as the cause of his injury, on the 25th of March, 1893. The case was tried in the court of common pleas, and, on the 22d of June, 1894, a verdict was rendered for the plaintiff below, the present plaintiff in error. The defendant below duly filed its motion for a new trial, for causes assigned [675]*675in the motion. This motion was overruled,and judgment was rendered on the verdict on the 26th of June, 1894. The defendant below, in due form, took its bill of exceptions, which was regularly filed in the case, and on the 14th of July, 1894, filed the present petition in error in the circuit court, to reverse the judgment which had been rendered against it in the court of common pleas upon the verdict returned by the jury.

The plaintiff below, in his petition in the court of common pleas, averred, in substance, first, that prior to the time of the accident, the plaintiff had been employed by defendant to labor in its establishment as a carpenter and joiner, and sec-ond, that on the 26th of January, 1893 — which, as I have stated, was the-day of the accident — he-was wrongfully ordered by the defendant to operate a machine known as a buzz planer; that this was outside of the scope of the plaintiff’s employment; that this machine was a very dangerous and difficult, machine to operate; that plaintiff was not acquainted with nor accustomed to the use thereof, and that he was ignorant of the danger incurred by him in operating the same. Further, that the defendant was informed by the plaintiff, at the time of or shortly after his employment, that be did not know how to operate or run machinery of that character, and did not want to operate it. That the defendant negligently failed to inform the plaintiff of the dangerous character of the machine, or instruct him in its use. Also, that the defendant negligently failed to provide proper and suitable guards or other protection to the dangerous and exposed parts of said machine to protect the operator from injury, or to provide suitable and proper tables, rests, benches, or other supports, to enable the plaintiff to properly and safely operate said machine and work the material furnished him to be dressed on said machine; and also that it required two persons to safely operate said machine; and defendant negligently failed to furnish any help whatever to the plaintiff to assist him, but wrongfully ordered him alone to dress said lumber; and-also that said machine had been recently moved and was out of alignment, with the driving shaft; that it was at the time adjusted and operated by inexperienced men and not kept in good condition-—causing it to be unsafe and defective in its operation — and this with the knowledge and consent of defendant.

It was further alleged in the petition that the plaintiff was-ignorant of the dangerous character of the machine; also ignorant of the necessity for safeguards or other appliances, or that it was unsafe to operate it without help, or that it was-in an unsafe and defective condition. And the plaintiff further averred that he was injured while endeavoring to carry out the defendant’s orders; that this injury was caused by reason. of the defendant’s negligence and without fault ón hiapart.

It will be noticed that the petition does not aver that thejointer was improperly or defectively constructed. It is averred that it was difficult and dangerous to operate, but not that it was imperfect or defective, either in its material or in its-construction. As to the machine itself, complaint is mad that it was not placed in alignment with the driving shaft; that it had been operated and adjusted by inexperienced men [676]*676and not kept in good condition, and was caused thereby to be defective and unsafe in its operation.

The other grounds of complaint do not relate to the machine itself, but are based upon the alleged failure of the company to inform the plaintiff of the dangerous character of the machine, or to instruet him in its rise, or to provide suitable guards, rolls, or other protection to the dangerous and exposed parts of the machine, or to provide suitable and proper tables, rests, benches' or other supports, to the lumber while being dressed on the machine; also in neglecting to furnish the plaintiff with a helper while operating the machine.

Much testimony was introduced to the jury, both by the plaintiff and the defendant below, on tke trial of the case. We have gone carefully through all this testimony — through the material portions of it twioe — and conclusions which we have reached, and which I shall proceed to announce, are based, so far as the facts are concerned, and so far as the law to be applied thereto is in question — upon a very full and careful consideration of the case and of the legal principles involved.

After the testimony had been introduced, various requests were made by the parties upon either side, for constructions to be given to the jury by the court. .

The charge of the court is set forth and contained in the bill of exceptions. The material portions are below stated, leaving out of view certain propositions not necessary to be here repeated.

The court read separately and gave to the jury certain of the plaintiff’s requests. Others were refused or modified.

The court also gave in charge to the jury certain of the deendant’s requests. Others were refused or modified,and then the court proceeded as follows:

Gentlemen of the jury: We give you the following instructions in pursuance of the requests submitted on the part of the plaintiff:

Thereupon the court read the several requests of the plaintiff, to which I have already called attention, and then gave them plaintiff’s request No. 15, modified so as to read as follows.

“If you find that it was brought directly to the knowledge of this defendant, that plaintiff was inexperienced, had never worked on or about this kind of a machine, or any other kind of a machine, and that he did not know anything about machinery, thén this defendant cannot escape liability by claiming that plaintiff ought to have known of the dangers which threatened him, unless such dangers were apparent to such inexperienced person.”

And then the presiding judge added:

“ We also give you the following requests presented by deendant:

And thereupon the court read to the jury certain requests of the defendant already referred to, and said:

“The further duties of the oourtare very brief. We read you the additional instructions as follows:
“Should the jury find for the defendant, your verdict will simply say ‘We find for defendant.’
“Should the jury find for the plaintiff, then it will be your duty to estimate in plaintiff’s favor such sum, within the amount claimed in plaintiff’s petition, as will compensate [677]*677plaintiff for the loss he has sustained.

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Bluebook (online)
19 Ohio C.C. 673, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/national-malleable-castings-co-v-luscomb-ohiocirct-1895.