Trahan v. Travelers Insurance Co.

278 So. 2d 886, 1973 La. App. LEXIS 6433
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedMay 30, 1973
DocketNo. 9388
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 278 So. 2d 886 (Trahan v. Travelers Insurance Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Trahan v. Travelers Insurance Co., 278 So. 2d 886, 1973 La. App. LEXIS 6433 (La. Ct. App. 1973).

Opinion

CRAIN, Judge.

The matter before us involves another suit by an employee for damages for personal injuries against the employer and supervisory coemployees. Edward J. Trahan filed suit against Swiftships, Inc., his employer, and three of its executive or supervisory employees, namely, Archie Johnson, (plant superintendent), Gus Ackman, (plant supervisor), and James J. Owens, (supervisor and foreman), and their insurer, Travelers Insurance Company, for damages for personal injuries suffered because of the defendants’ negligence. He sued alternatively for workmen’s compensation benefits.

The defendants all filed exceptions of no cause or right of action. The corporate employer defendant urged that the accident resulting in the injury to the appellant occurred while he was acting in the course and scope of his employment and in furtherance of the employer’s business and therefore, the appellant’s sole remedy is in workmen’s compensation. Additionally, Swiftships, Inc. and its insurer filed an exception of prematurity to the appellant’s alternative demand for workmen’s compensation benefits. The executive co-employee defendants filed an exception of no cause of action contending that the appellant’s petition fails to allege the breach of any duty owed to the exceptors and simply alleged a breach of duty to the employer itself.

After hearing the argument on the exceptions of no cause of action, the trial court sustained the exceptions apd dismissed the appellant’s cause of action based upon negligence as against all the co-defendants. Additionally, the trial court did not allow additional time in which the appellant could amend his petition to state a cause of action. From these rulings the appeal is taken.

In his petition, the appellant alleges that he was injured on June 12, 1970 while working in the scope and course of his employment. He was operating a large electric skill saw when the blade flew off striking his shoulder and cutting it rather severely. The appellant further alleges that the employer customarily required that an employee, when faced with the task of cutting objects of a large diameter, remove the table from the skill saw in order for the saw to cut completely through the object. The appellant followed these procedures and was cutting through the clips of a tonnage door of an aluminum hull when the accident occurred. The appellant contends that the techniques and methods required in using the skill saw were not safe. Additionally, appellant contends that a lubricant called “Do All” was required to be used on the saw blades and that the use of this lubricant caused the accident to occur. He further alleges that the defendant-ap-pellees required the use of the lubricant without proper testing in order to ascertain whether or not it was suitable as a lubricant. The specific allegations of negligence contained in the original and supplemental petition of the appellant are as follows :

“The accident which occurred was due solely to the gross and wanton negligence of the defendants named herein, which negligence was the proximate cause of the accident and which consisted of but not exclusively, the following particulars, to-wit:
1. In failing to provide plaintiff with adequate and safe surroundings within which to work;
[888]*8882. In failing to provide plaintiff adequate and safe equipment with which to work;
3. In requiring plaintiff to perform an inherently dangerous task with inadequate and unsafe equipment and under dangerous circumstances;
4. In requiring plaintiff to use an inadequate and unsafe lubricant which it knew to be defective and inherently dangerous;
5. In failing to ascertain the true capabilities of the lubricant “Do All” before requiring the use thereof by the plaintiff;
6. In requiring your plaintiff to use a large, electric skill saw in an inherently dangerous undertaking without warning your plaintiff;
7. In requiring your plaintiff to remove the “table” from the large, electric skill saw which he was required to use, thereby causing the same to be more dangerous, without warning your plaintiff thereof;
8. In requiring your plaintiff to use a large, electric skill saw with an improper, inadequate, unsafe and defective blade guard;
9. Failing to provide immediate, adequate and competent first aid care and attention after the accident;
10. Failing to properly supervise and/or oversee the operation then being undertaken;
11. In failing to discover or, in discovering, failing to warn your plaintiff of the unsafe conditions of the large, electric skill saw and lubricant being used by your plaintiff;
12. In failing to inspect, maintain, repair and/or adjust the large, electric skill saw which your plaintiff was required to operate and/or in so inspecting, maintaining, repairing and/or adjusting said large, electric skill saw, doing such in an improper, inadequate and defective manner;
13. In failing to do what they should have done under the circumstances or, in so doing, doing such in an improper, inadequate and defective manner.
14. In instructing your plaintiff and other co-employees to remove the tables from the large, electric skill saws whenever required to make a deeper cut than could be made with the tables on, when they knew the same to be more dangerous and hazardous.
15. In instructing your plaintiff and other co-employees to use the inadequate and unsafe lubricant “Do All” when they knew the same to be more dangerous or hazardous.
16. In disseminating false and misleading information to plaintiff and other co-employees in connection with the use of the large electric skill saws.
11
Plaintiff further shows that the co-defendant, ARCHIE JOHNSON was the plant superintendent, GUS ACKMAN was the plant supervisor and JAMES J. OWENS was one of the supervisors and foremen for the “Employer” at the time of the accident in question herein and had under their direct supervision and control the operation and equipment involved herein, as well as all other activities and equipment of the “Employer” in their plant.
11A
Plaintiff further shows that the co-defendants, ARCHIE JOHNSON, GUS ACKMAN and JAMES J. OWENS, each owned unto plaintiff a duty to exercise due care not to injure him and said co-defendants breached this duty as outlined in Paragraph 10 of plaintiff’s original petition and amending petition and said breach was a proximate cause of plaintiff’s injuries and losses.
[889]*88911B
Plaintiff further shows that the co-defendants, ARCHIE JOHNSON, GUS ACKMAN, and JAMES J. OWENS, had knowledge of the hazards outlined in Paragraph 10 of Plaintiff’s original petition and amending petition by virtue of their positions and had authority to remove or prevent said hazards but failed to do so, all as outlined in Paragraph 10 of plaintiff’s original petition and amending petition.”

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
278 So. 2d 886, 1973 La. App. LEXIS 6433, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/trahan-v-travelers-insurance-co-lactapp-1973.