Whitcomb v. Standard Oil Co.

55 N.E. 440, 153 Ind. 513, 1899 Ind. LEXIS 74
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedNovember 28, 1899
DocketNo. 18,667
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 55 N.E. 440 (Whitcomb v. Standard Oil Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Whitcomb v. Standard Oil Co., 55 N.E. 440, 153 Ind. 513, 1899 Ind. LEXIS 74 (Ind. 1899).

Opinion

Hadley, C. J.

The appellant sued the appellee for damages for the loss of his hand while in the employ of appellee engaged in attempting to couple cars.

The complaint filed in May, 1897, alleges that at the time of the grievance complained of, appellee, in connection with its oil plant in Lake county, Indiana, operated a railroad, and handled all sorts of freight cars which it received from and sent out over its own and other railroads; that it conducted its business in an unusually negligent and extra hazardous manner in this — that it controlled, used, and operated in a negligent manner a large number of cars of various styles and kinds; that some of them were of defective construction and out of repair; that some of them were negligently constructed, with the body of the car and the draw-bars and couplings of various heights, and some so constructed with jams or buffers on either side of the draw-bars, some parallel with, and some extending above the draw-bars, which rendered the coupling of the cars more difficult and dangerous, and is a style of cars and a system of coupling abandoned and no longer in use by well regulated railroads; that appellant had no notice or knowledge of the kinds of couplings he would be called upon to make, and had not been notified of the hazardous character of the coupling; that on the 10th day of April, 1897, the plaintiff, by and under the direction of the head switchman or yard foreman in charge of making up trains and coupling of cars, and while in the line of duty, and without negligence, attempted to couple two [515]*515cars, one of them which had been negligently cut loose and kicked onto the switch at a high and dangerous rate of speed, and negligently allowed to run of its own momentum up to and against a standing car upon defendant’s said switch, and, not having been notified by the defendant or informed, the plaintiff did not know whether the couplings, links and pins in the cars to be coupled were in good repair or defective, or whether the draw-bai’s and couplings on the cars were uniform or otherwise; that one of the draw-bars had a dog in it and the other did not, and the draw-bar on one of the cars had a link and pin in it that was defective and crooked so that it .could not be removed without appliances, and was negligently suffered by defendant to remain bent and defective; that there were buffers on either side of the draw-bars extending above that came together in making a coupling, of which the plaintiff had no previous notice or knowledge; that, as he advanced to make the coupling, using due care, he observed that the draw-bar in the stationary car had a dog in it to hold the link horizontal, and that the moving car had a link in it but no dog; that he endeavored to remove the link from the moving .car to place it in the other, but found it fast by reason of -being bent, or too large, and, to accomplish the coupling as the link entered the draw-bar of the other car, he attempted to tip the pin into the link, and not observing the buffers, and while his hand was elevated, the buffers came together, caught and crushed his hand.

There was no demurrer to the complaint and the case went to the jury upon the general denial; and, at the close of appellant’s evidence, upon motion of appellee, the court directed the jury to return their verdict for the defendant. The only error assigned is upon the overruling of appellant’s motion for a new trial, and the only question propounded thereunder involves the construction of two provisions of the act of March 4, 1893, (Acts 1893, p. 294), commonly known as the employers’ liability act. It is af [516]*516firmed that, since by the act of March 7, 1895 (Acts 1895, p. 148), repealing §2 of the act of 1893 (being §7084 Burns 1894), the remaining section, to wit, 7083 Burns 1894, should receive a broader construction than was justifiable while the two original sections stood together, the contention being that the repeal of §7084 should be accepted as evidence of legislative intent, that the remaining §7083 should be construed as overthrowing the common law doctrine of assumed risks, so far as to charge the master with the assumption of all risks from defective machinery and appliances while the servant is engaged in performing acts under the direction of a superior, though the injured servant saw and knew the nature and extent of the peril, or might have done so by the exercise of reasonable care.

The statute and the two specifications thereunder brought under review are as follows: “§1. That every railroad or other corporation, except municipal, operating in this state, shall be liable for damages for' personal injury suffered by any employe while in its service, the employe so injured being in the exercise of due care and diligence, in the following cases: (1) "When such injury is suffered by reason of any defect in the condition of ways, works, plant, tools and machinery, connected with or in use in the business of such corporation, when such defect was the result of negligence on the part of the corporation or some person entrusted by it with the duty or keeping such ways, works, plant, tools or machinery in proper condition. (2) Where such injury resulted from the negligence of any person in the service of such corporation, to whose order or direction the injured employe at the time of the injury was bound to conform, and did conform.”

We know of no warrant for this court to accept the intention of the Assembly of 1895 as controlling the construction of a statute passed by the Assembly of 1893, especially where we are required to determine that intention by implication, and we must, therefore, confine ourselves to ap[517]*517proved rules of construction and look rather to the intent of the legislature that gave the statute origin, if there is anything obscure.in its provisions. But there is nothing obscure in the provisions before us, and nothing in them to justify the contention that the employe is thereby relieved from that caution and care of himself required by the common law. There are no express words to "authorize such construction, and a principle of the common law so long established and universally-approved can not be subverted by implication. The construction contended for would constitute a railroad company the absolute insurer of the safety of its employes against the ordinary and usual perils incident to the unexpected and excusable impairment of its ways, works, etc.; and thus to invest the employe with the sense of indemnity would in large measure strike down that salutary principle of public policy which requires everyone in every situation to be alert in the preservation of life and limb.

We held in Louisville, etc., R. Co. v. Wagner, ante, 420, that the second specification created a new liability, but we perceive nothing in the provision before us that modifies or restricts the rule concerning the assumption of risks as it existed prior to the passage of the act.

To sustain his appeal appellant must produce some evidence fairly tending to prove, under the first specification or clause of the statute, each of the following elements: (1) That he was in the observance of due care and diligence at the time of the injury. (2) That he was injured by a defect in the condition of the cars or their appliances. (3) That such defect was the result of appellee’s negligence. (4) That he was damaged. Ór, under the second specification, he must produce like evidence to support each of the following elements: (1) That he was without fault. (2) That he was injured while conforming to the orders of a person in the employ of appellee to whose orders he was bound to conform.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
55 N.E. 440, 153 Ind. 513, 1899 Ind. LEXIS 74, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/whitcomb-v-standard-oil-co-ind-1899.