Torgerson v. Minneapolis, St. Paul & Sault Ste. Marie Railway Co.

194 N.W. 741, 49 N.D. 1096, 1923 N.D. LEXIS 54
CourtNorth Dakota Supreme Court
DecidedJune 28, 1923
StatusPublished
Cited by19 cases

This text of 194 N.W. 741 (Torgerson v. Minneapolis, St. Paul & Sault Ste. Marie Railway Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering North Dakota Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Torgerson v. Minneapolis, St. Paul & Sault Ste. Marie Railway Co., 194 N.W. 741, 49 N.D. 1096, 1923 N.D. LEXIS 54 (N.D. 1923).

Opinions

JOHNSON, J.

This is an appeal from an order of the district court of Ramsey county, sustaining a demurrer to the complaint.

The plaintiff alleges that for about three years prior to the date of the injury described, he was employed by the defendant as a section hand; that he was fifty years of age; that on or about the 29th day of July, 1921, he was ordered by the foreman of the defendant to unload a box car containing grain doors; “that the said foreman did not inspect the interior of said car or instruct the plaintiff as to the manner in which plaintiff was to proceed with the unloading of said car; that said car was fully loaded with certain grain doors and in the following manner: a pile in the center of the car and two piles on each side thereof; that plaintiff had no previous experience in unloading cars like the car he was ordered to unload; that he did not know and appreciate the danger to himself in the sudden shifting or sliding of the piles of doors during the process of unloading; that he had no reason to anticipate that the piles of doors in either end of the car might, on the removal of the central pile, slide and topple over on him; that an inspection of the place where he was ordered to work would not reveal the immiiient danger he would be exposed to; that defendant, thru its section foreman, failed to discharge the duty that it owed to, plaintiff, its servant, to inspect said premises where plaintiff was ordered to work and to warn plaintiff, prior to his entering the car, of the existing danger of said grain doors suddenly shifting, sliding or toppling over upon him when the central pile had been removed and he started to work on the next pile.”

Then follow allegations to the effect that the plaintiff proceeded to unload the car and, when he had removed the central pile of doors, a pile next thereto shifted its position and toppled over on plaintiff and injured him before he could escape. The plaintiff then continues: “That the proximate cause of plaintiff’s said injuries suffered by him, as aforesaid, was the failure of the defendant to provide a reasonably safe place in which he was to work and to warm plaintiff before he en[1102]*1102tered on said work of the existing danger to him while so performing said work hereinbefore referred to; that the existing danger to plaintiff, while performing the work he was so ordered to do, was known, or in the exercise of due care should have been known to the defendant and was not known to the plaintiff and could not have been seen and thereby anticipated by plaintiff upon inspection of the inside of said car before or during the progress of the work he was set to do by the defendant.” Plaintiff then alleges in general terms that the injuries wore occasioned by the negligence of the defendant “as aforesaid” and were not caused by any “contributory negligence on the part of this plaintiff.”

The trial court sustained a demurrer to the complaint upon the ground that it did not state facts sufficient to constitute a cause of action.

Section 7458, Comp. Laws 1913, provides that “in the construction of a pleading for the purpose of determining its effect, its allegations shall be liberally construed with a view of substantial justice between the parties.”

It is elementary that the complaint must allege facts which show actionable negligence on the part of the master and that the injuries complained of were the proximate result of such negligence. It is also elementary that if the pleading clearly shows on its face that there was no negligence on the part of the defendant, and that the risk was an ordinary risk which the plaintiff assumed as a matter of law, the demurrer was properly sustained. Kommerstad v. Great Northern R. Co. 120 Minn. 376, 139 N. W. 713.

* A demurrer admits the truth of all well-pleaded facts, but not necessarily the inferences or conclusions drawn therefrom, though alleged in the complaint; facts presumed or reasonably or necessarily inferred from those alleged are also admitted. 31 Cyc. 335, 336. Legal conclusions or inferences of fact which are not presumed or which may not be reasonably or necessarily inferred from the facts alleged, are not admitted by the demurrer.

It will be noticed from the portions of the complaint heretofore set out that the proximate cause of the plaintiff’s injury is alleged to be: First, the negligent failure on the part of the defendant to furnish a reasonably safe place in which to work, and secondly, a negligent fail-. [1103]*1103ure on tbe defendant’s part to instruct plaintiff bow to proceed to unload tbe doors and to warn plaintiff of tbe danger that tbe remaining pile or piles of doors might shift and topple over upon plaintiff, when the central pile was removed. We shall discuss these propositions in the order stated.

Plaintiff alleges “that an inspection of the place where he was’ ordered to work would not reveal the imminent danger he had been exposed to.” Taking this allegation as true, “the imminent danger” to plaintiff must have resulted from the prosecution''of the work he was engaged to do — the manner of the removal of the grain doors from the car. The premises, including the car and the piles of doors, were not, in themselves, dangerous, or unsafe; the danger or risk came into existence only, if at all, after the work of unloading commenced and by reason of the actual prosecution of the work, of changing conditions and of the manner in which the work was done. We .think that the rule that the master must furnish the servant a reasonably safe place to work has no application in this case. Gulf, C. & S. F. R. Co. v. Drennan, - Tex. Civ. App. -, 204 S. W. 691; Riley v. Neptune, 181 Ind. 228, 103 N. E. 406, 7 N. C. C. A. 352; Hostager v. Northwest Paper Co. 110 Minn. 408, 125 N. W. 902.

Did the defendant owe a duty to the plaintiff to instruct him how to proceed to unload the doors and to warn him of the risk and danger thát the pile of doors on either side of the central pile might topple over when the latter was removed? It seems to be fundamental that the duty to warn exists only when the master possesses knowledge of risks or dangers, or should, in the exercise' of ordinary care for the servant’s safety, have such knowledge, not within the knowledge of the servant, or discernible by the latter in the exercise of ordinary care. In order to hold that the complaint in this case states facts constituting actionable negligence on the part of the master for not anticipating danger to the plaintiff, we would be required to hold.that the defendant should, in the exercise of ordinary care, have - anticipated that the plaintiff would remove ‘the central pile first, leaving the other piles untouched, and that one or both of the other piles would fall on plaintiff. We do not understand that to be the law. The master-'was not; under the facts alleged, required to assume'or anticipate that the 'servant would ignore natural laws, adopt a'method of work manifestly [1104]*1104dangerous, or one wbicb a person of his age and experience, in the exercise of ordinary care, must have known to be dangerous under the circumstances. There can be no liability for failure to anticipate danger to a servant and to warn him thereof, unless the master’s knowledge of the danger, or opportunity to have knowledge thereof, having in mind the master’s primary duty to make inquiry, is superior to that of the servant. Ahern v. Amoskeag Mfg. Co. 75 N. H. 99, 21 L.R.A.(N.S.) 89, 71 Atl. 213.

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Bluebook (online)
194 N.W. 741, 49 N.D. 1096, 1923 N.D. LEXIS 54, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/torgerson-v-minneapolis-st-paul-sault-ste-marie-railway-co-nd-1923.