Southern Indiana Gas & Electric Co. v. Caine

198 N.E.2d 14, 136 Ind. App. 379, 1964 Ind. App. LEXIS 188
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedApril 29, 1964
DocketNo. 19,903
StatusPublished

This text of 198 N.E.2d 14 (Southern Indiana Gas & Electric Co. v. Caine) 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
Southern Indiana Gas & Electric Co. v. Caine, 198 N.E.2d 14, 136 Ind. App. 379, 1964 Ind. App. LEXIS 188 (Ind. Ct. App. 1964).

Opinion

Mote, J.

In the appeal before us appellee submitted her claim for damages against appellant by a third amended complaint which, omitting the formal parts, is in the words and figures following, to-wit:

“Plaintiff, Deborah Caine, for her complaint against the defendant, Southern Indiana Gas & Electric Company, states:
1.
Plaintiff, Deborah Caine, is a young child, only seven years old, and brings this suit by Betty Caine, her Mother and best friend.
2.
Defendant, Southern Indiana Gas & Electric Company, is now and was at all times mentioned in this complaint, a corporation organized _ and existing under the laws of the State of Indiana.
3.
Defendant, Southern Indiana Gas & Electric Company, is now and was at all times mentioned in this complaint, in the business of distributing natural gas for household use within the city of Evansville, Indiana and selling this natural gas to the public for use in heating and cooking.
4.
This natural gas sold by the defendant gas company is now and was at all times mentioned in this complaint, an inflammable and explosive substance and highly dangerous to human life and property, all of which was well known to the defendant gas company at all times mentioned herein.
[381]*3815.
Some time in October, 1957, the exact date of which is known to the defendant gas company, it received an order to discontinue gas service to the house located at 2828 C Street in Evansville, Indiana.
6.
Defendant gas company thereupon sent its agent and employee, Paul C. Snyder, to the house located at 2828 C Street in Evansville, Indiana.
7.
At all times mentioned in this complaint, said Paul C. Snyder was acting as agent and employee of defendant gas company and within the scope of his agency and employment as such.
8.
After defendant gas company’s said employee reached said house at 2828 C Street in Evansville, Indiana, he found the house was vacant and unlocked. After entering the house, he noticed that the gas meter was turned off. But he failed to inspect the house for any uncapped gas lines, although, at that time there was an open and uncapped gas pipe in the house, which he should have seen in the exercise of reasonable care. He then read the gas meter, hung a tag on it and left the house. But he failed to remove the gas meter and plug the gas line, he failed to seal the gas line, he failed to lock the gas meter, and he failed to discontinue gas service to the house, although defendant gas company knew that said house was vacant and unlocked and could reasonably foresee that someone might turn on the gas which could escape into the house and become ignited and explode, causing injury to anyone who might be in the house at the time.
9.
On the 30th day of November, 1957, plaintiff Deborah Caine, who was then a small child only four (4) years old, was visiting the occupants of said house with her Mother, Mrs. Betty Caine.
[382]*38210.
At that time plaintiff’s father was helping the occupants move into said house, which they had just rented and assisted them in turning on the gas in order to obtain gas for heat and cooking.
11.
After the gas had been turned on and a gas heater in the bathroom was lit and burning, as a proximate result of the carelessness and negligence of the defendant gas company which is described below, gas escaped inside the house through the open pipe and was ignited by the gas heater in the bathroom, causing a violent explosion which painfully and severely injured plaintiff Deborah Caine, as is more fully described below.
12.
Said carelessness and negligence of the defendant gas company which proximately caused this violent explosion, severely injuring the plaintiff, Deborah Caine, consisted of each of the following:
(a) Defendant gas company carelessly and negligently failed to remove said gas meter and gas valve attached to said meter by which gas could be turned on, although defendant knew that the house was vacant and in the exercise of reasonable care should have foreseen that someone might turn on the gas which might escape into the house and become ignited and explode:
(b) Defendant gas company carelessly and negligently failed to lock and seal said gas valve and gas meter, although defendant knew that the house was vacant and in the exercise of reasonable care should have foreseen that someone might turn on the gas which might escape into the house and become ignited and explode:
(c) Defendant gas company carelessly and negligently failed to inspect the house for any open gas pipes, and to cap said pipe or exercise reasonable care to prevent anyone from turning on the gas which would escape from said open pipe when it discontinued service, although defendant in the exercise of reasonable care should have discovered [383]*383said open gas pipe and could have reasonably foreseen that someone might turn on the gas which would escape into the house and which might become ignited and explode:
(d) Defendant gas company carelessly and negligently failed to discontinue furnishing gas to the house until the pipes inside the house were made safe for its reception, although it in the exercise of reasonable care should have discovered that injuries might result to persons in said house by defendant’s continuing to furnish its gas through its pipes to said house.
13.
As a proximate result of each of said acts of carelessness and negligence on the part of defendant gas company, gas escaped inside said house through the open pipe and was ignited by said gas heater causing a terrific explosion which wrecked and demolished the house which plaintiff was visiting, ignited her clothing and severely burned her all over her entire body.
14.
This explosion, which was proximately caused by the aforesaid carelessness and negligence of the defendant gas company and which severely burned the plaintiff, caused her intense suffering and severe shock, required her to be confined to the hospital in severe pain for twenty-five days, and has required and will in the future require extensive medical attention.
15.
As a further proximate result of these burns which the plaintiff suffered, caused by the aforesaid carelessness and negligence of the defendant gas company, plaintiff has been scarred for the rest of her life, she has sustained permanent injuries and she has suffered and will suffer much pain and mental anxiety for the rest of her life, all to her damage in the sum of Sixty-five Thousand Dollars ($65,000.00).

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Bluebook (online)
198 N.E.2d 14, 136 Ind. App. 379, 1964 Ind. App. LEXIS 188, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/southern-indiana-gas-electric-co-v-caine-indctapp-1964.