Rauch v. McDonnell Aircraft Corp.

303 S.W.2d 226, 1957 Mo. App. LEXIS 608
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedJune 18, 1957
DocketNo. 29539
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 303 S.W.2d 226 (Rauch v. McDonnell Aircraft Corp.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Missouri Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Rauch v. McDonnell Aircraft Corp., 303 S.W.2d 226, 1957 Mo. App. LEXIS 608 (Mo. Ct. App. 1957).

Opinion

RUDDY, Presiding Judge.-

This is an action brought by plaintiff (respondent) Edmund Rauch, against defendants (appellants) McDonnell Aircraft Corporation and W. H. Wermuth, its employee, for damages for personal injuries sustained by plaintiff when an object known as a fixture was caused to drop on plaintiff’s foot. A trial in the Circuit Court resulted in a verdict and judgment for plaintiff and against both defendants in the sum of $3,000. Both defendants have appealed.

Plaintiff’s petition alleged that he was an invitee on the premises of the McDonnell Aircraft Corporation and that while there defendant Wermuth, an employee of the defendant McDonnell Aircraft Corporation, “caused, suffered and permitted a heavy object, probably what is known as a ‘fixture,’ to drop on plaintiff’s foot” and that the incident described was the direct result of the negligence of both defendants.

Plaintiff’s principal instruction required the jury to find that jigs or fixtures were placed on a two-wheel dolly and moved into a position on the dock of the defendant McDonnell Aircraft Corporation where they could be loaded into Rauch’s truck, and that Wermuth undertook to help Rauch load such material onto his truck. Said instruction further required the jury to find from the evidence that Rauch stepped into his truck with his left foot after telling Wermuth to wait a moment while he straightened up some material in the truck so that it could receive such jigs or fixtures, and that while he was in that position his (Rauch’s) right foot was on the dock near the lower end of the dolly, and that Wermuth then lifted one of such jigs or fixtures from the dolly, causing it to become overbalanced and to throw one or more of such jigs or fixtures onto Rauch’s right foot, and that Wermuth knew or should have known that Rauch was in the position described above and that removal of a fixture was likely to cause the truck or dolly to become overbalanced and to drop its load as aforesaid, and that in removing such fixture or jig from the truck under the circumstances aforesaid, Wermuth failed to exercise ordinary care.

Defendants contend that the trial judge committed error when he failed to direct a verdict for defendants at the close of the evidence and when he failed to set aside the verdict and enter judgment for the defendants for the reason that the evidence wholly failed to establish an essential element of the plaintiff’s case, namely, knowledge of the danger or likelihood that the alleged action by defendant Wermuth would cause injury to plaintiff. It is the position of defendants that the evidence in the case failed to supply any facts or circumstances which would warrant a finding or inference that defendant Wer-muth either knew or should have known of the danger or likelihood of injury to Rauch.

This contention of the, defendants requires an examination of the evidence. In our review of the evidence we must state the facts most favorable to plaintiff and must give to plaintiff all favorable inferences that may reasonably be drawn from those facts.

Plaintiff was engaged in operating a tool and die shop under the name of Rauch Tool Manufacturing Company. He had [229]*229operated this business approximately three years, and before that time he worked for the McDonnell Aircraft Corporation. In his business he rebuilt tools, jigs and fixtures. A jig or fixture is a tool used to hold parts which are being worked on by a mechanic. It was a part of his duties to obtain jobs and give estimates on the jobs and to instruct the foreman in his shop how the job was to be performed. In the performance of this work he had to be on his feet and had to drive his car considerably. Prior to the incident under scrutiny he had picked up, as he described it, pieces of work and would take them to his plant and perform the required work on these fixtures and then deliver them back to the McDonnell Aircraft Corporation.

Plaintiff testified that usually these fixtures were taken off his truck by employees of the McDonnell Aircraft Corporation. However, if it was a very small fixture, one that he could lift, he would take it off himself. On the occasion in question, namely, October 23, 1953, he went over to the McDonnell Aircraft Corporation to pick up some work and drove over in his truck. He backed the truck against the dock of the McDonnell Aircraft Corporation at which point the floor of the truck was approximately two feet lower than the dock. The back of the truck was to the north and the truck was facing south and had been backed up against the edge of the dock. Certain paper work had to be performed in advance of obtaining the fixtures and tools. He was given shipping slips which contained a list of the parts to be picked up. These shipping slips showed that seven parts were to be picked up that day. It was the duty of defendant Wermuth to get these fixtures ready for those who would pick them up and take care of the necessary paper work. It was also his duty to assist in getting the fixtures up to the edge of the dock and, if they were too heavy, to assist in loading them on the truck. Two of the fixtures to be picked up were large fixtures weighing approximately one hundred and fifty pounds each, and the other five were jig fixtures which were estimated to weigh from fifteen pounds to twenty-five pounds each.

Plaintiff testified that on other occasions he had helped load mateidal onto his truck. He testified that on this occasion, “I had to sign the paper work and the tools we loaded onto the barrel truck. Whether I helped him (Wermuth) or not I am not positive. I have gone over there so many times, I know there are times when I have helped him and there are times when he helped me. This time in question whether I helped him or not I wouldn’t say for sure.” Plaintiff admitted' it was possible that he had helped to load the fixtures on the barrel truck.

The barrel truck referred to was also called a two wheel dolly. It was about three feet wide and about four feet long with hooked handles on one end. There was a steel lip on the other end of the barrel truck. This lip consisted of two forks on the outer edges of the barrel truck which were connected by a flat piece of steel across the top and the top edge of this flat piece of steel extended about five inches above the bed of the barrel truck. Two wheels are set back eight inches from the end having the steel lip. On the other end of the barrel truck close to the hooked handles two stands are provided, one on each handle, so that when the truck is set on the floor the two stands and the wheels are the same height. When the truck is set down on the wheels and on the stands, it provides a level surface on the top of the truck with the steel lip extending up five inches above the surface of the barrel truck. When the barrel truck is in this position, the foot of the truck- containing the steel lip extends beyond the location of the wheels.

Wermuth testified that only the two large fixtures were loaded on the barrel truck and wheeled outside to the truck of plaintiff. However, plaintiff testified that all [230]*230seven tools were put on the truck and wheeled outside by Wermuth. The facts most favorable to plaintiff in this connection show that two large fixtures and five small fixtures or jigs were loaded on the barrel truck. In describing the position of the two large fixtures on the barrel truck plaintiff testified, “They were sitting longwise on the truck, * * * They were sitting length-wise on the truck.”

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Bluebook (online)
303 S.W.2d 226, 1957 Mo. App. LEXIS 608, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/rauch-v-mcdonnell-aircraft-corp-moctapp-1957.