Roland v. Tift

63 S.E. 133, 131 Ga. 683, 1908 Ga. LEXIS 179
Supreme Court of Georgia·Decided December 16, 1908·Published·Cited by 14 cases

Opinion

Evans, P. J.

This case comes before us on an exception to the dismissal of the plaintiff’s case on general demurrer. The petition was brought by Joseph Roland against H. H. Tift, to recover damages for a personal injury, and contained the following allegations, in substance: In February, 1902, Tift owned and was operating a [684] 'sawmill. In connection therewith he operated a railroad (not chartered) for the purpose of hauling logs to the mill to be manufactured into lumber, and transporting his employees to and from their work at the mill and in the woods. Early in the morning, and before dajq petitioner, who was an employee, with other employees, was being transported on a log-train from the mill to the woods to begin work, and while on the way the log-train ran against a tree which had fallen on the track, and was wrecked. In the' collision of the log-train with the obstruction on the track petitioner sustained injuries specifically described. It was not a part of the duty of petitioner to run the train, nor to look after or keep the track in order. The plaintiff at the time of the injury was riding on one of the cars of the train, being carried to his work. lie was on the train by authority of the defendant, to be transported to his work, and was neither a trespasser nor a coemployee of the servants engaged in running the train. The negligence of the defendant consisted in running the train backwards, in a careless and reckless manner, without proper lights on the forward end of the train, without keeping a lookout for obstructions, and in the recklessness of the servants in charge of the train, who, upon discovery of the log on the track, attempted to. break the log or throw it from the track by greatly increasing the speed of the train. It was also alleged that the defendant knew or could have known that the tree was dangerously near the railroad track and liable to fall on the same. This latter allegation was amplified by an amendment alleging, that the defendant was negligent in permitting-the tree to stand in dangerous proximity to the railroa'd track, and in not removing the tree from a place where it could and did fall on the track; that the tree was in a bad and defective condition, being a dead tree and liable to fall on the track at any time; all of which was known to the defendant, or could have been known by the exercise of ordinary care. It is also alleged that petitioner could not have avoided the consequences of the defendant’s negligence by the exercise of proper care.

The relation of master and servant existed between the plaintiff and defendant at the time of the former’s injury. The plaintiff predicates the defendant’s liability (1) upon the negligence of the servants in the operation of the train, and (3) upon the negligence of the master in permitting a dead tree which was liable to fall [685] at any time to stand in dangerous proximity to the railroad track. As to the first ground of liability: It does not appear what was the exact character of the plaintiff’s work; but as it is alleged that he was being transported to his work in the woods at the time he sustained his injuries, and that the train on which he was riding was a log-train, employed in hauling logs to the mill, he was probably a wood-cutter. Whether employed as a wood-cutter or performing other work in the woods, it clearly appears that the plaintiff’s employment was connected with the operation of the sawmill. There is an averment that the plaintiff was not a coemployee of the servants engaged in operating the train. This allegation, however, is but the statement of the legal conclusion that the relation of fellow-servant did not exist between the plaintiff and the servants in charge of the train, from the facts alleged. This conclusion is unwarranted. The petition discloses that the master was engaged in operating a sawmill, and in the conduct of his business used various instrumentalities, and assigned his servants to the discharge of duties in the different departments of his enterprise. One set of servants managed the train which conveyed other servants to and from their work in the woods, and hauled the logs cut by them to the mill; another set of servants cut the trees "into logs ready to be manufactured into lumber; others loaded them on the train to be conveyed to the mill; and still other servants operated the mill. All of these servants were efigaged in labor for the furtherance of the general purpose of the business in which they had contracted to serve, and were fellow-servants within» the purview of the Civil Code, §2610, which provides, that, “Except in case of railroad companies, the master is not liable to one servant for injuries arising from the negligence or misconduct of other servants about the same business.” Ga. Coal & Iron Co. v. Bradford, 131 Ga. 289 (62 S. E. 193); White v. Kennon, 83 Ga. 343 (9 S. E. 1082); Ellington v. Beaver Dam Co., 93 Ga. 53 (19 S. E. 21); Railey v. Garbutt, 112 Ga. 288 (37 S. E. 360). Whether the transportation of the plaintiff was gratuitous, or whether it was included in the contract of service, in either ease (there being no special payment for the transportation) the plaintiff’s transportation to the woods was incident to the service which the plaintiff was to perform, and closely connected with it. Gillshannon v. Stony Brook R. Corp., 10 Cush. 228; McGuirk v. Shattuck, 160 Mass. 45 (39 Am. St. R. [686]*686454, 35 N. E. 110); 2 Labatt on Mas. & Serv. §624. So that tbe alleged acts of negligence of the defendant’s servants in tbe operation of tbe log-train .afford no basis for an action against tbe defendant. They and petitioner were fellow-servants, and tbe defendant is not liable for any injury occasioned to tbe plaintiff by tbe negligence of bis coservant in operating tbe train.

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Roland v. Tift, 63 S.E. 133, 131 Ga. 683, 1908 Ga. LEXIS 179 (Ga. 1908).

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