53 N.J.L. 233 | N.J. | 1890
Lead Opinion
The opinion of the court was delivered by
The plaintiff was a servant of the- deféndants in the business of refining crude oil, and while at work upon his employers’ premises received injuries, to- recover-damages for which this action was brought. The occurrence by which he was injured is thus described by the plaintiff, the only witness thereto : “ On August 21st, 1882, a pipe which was being fixed exploded and threw me into the yard ;• I came around from the stills; if the stills don’t run properly I have to see to the fires and open the drafts; I saw two men standing there, but I didn’t take any notice of wh-a-t they were doing; I didn’t hear that these men said anything to me; when I went into the tail-house I had a thermometer with me; just as I was going to put it down there was a terrible explosion, like the report of a gun, and threw me out of the tail-house, and the cap from my head, and my hair and my beard, and everything, was burned away; I didn’t know then what I was doing; I ran out, in my great féar, and the fire came flying out of the building.” Upon cross-examination, these-questions were put and answered:
“Q. What was the pipe that exploded used' for?
“A. Used for conducting the oil from the crude stills to-the other stills.
“Q. Did the pipe which exploded run into the still-house,, where you were working ?
“A. No.
“A. Nothing at all. •
“Q. You said that this pipe exploded; how do you know that ?
“A. The wails had been thrown away and one óf the tanks was moved.
“Q. You mean that there was an explosion, but you don’t know that the pipe exploded, do you ?
“A. Perhaps somebody else would know that.
“ §. Did you see it ?
“A. No, I didn’t see that.
“ Q. Don’t you know that the pipe- was not broken ?
“A. I don’t know whether it was broken.
“ Q. Then you do not feel sure just what was the immediate-cause of the accident, do you ?
“A. I heard that the pipe exploded; some people told me that this pipe exploded, and that it had been taken away from its original position and put into another position.
“Q. Then all you know about the explosion is that an explosion occurred, and somebody told you that this pipe-exploded, and, therefore, you think that was so ?
“A. Yes.
“Q. If oil leaks into the ground it generally forms a gas,, don’t it ?
“A. Yes.
“ Q. And that gas, if it comes in contact with the fire, will explode ?
“A. Yes.
“ Q. Those pipes frequently get to leaking, don’t they ?
“A. They don’t leak very often; sometimes; yes, a little.
“Q. Were not these two men that you speak of trying to-find out what was the matter, and where the leak was ?
“A. I didn’t see anything about that.
“ Q. Who were these two men ?
“A. Tom Winter and Mike Bernard.
“ Q. Isn’t it likely that the explosion was caused by gas,.
“A. I cannot insist upon that.”
The foregoing is all of the testimony which, at the close of the plaintiff’s ease, had been given as to the occurrence of the accident, or that in any way bore upon the negligence of the defendants in respect to it.
In this state of the proofs, the trial court directed a non-suit, upon the ground that a judgment against the defendants •could not be sustained by this evidence. The main stress of the argument before us to take off this non-suit was upon the •duty which an employer owes to his servants, a subject to which plaintiff’s brief was almost wholly directed, and in respect to which conclusions were reached in entire harmony with the accepted rule of law, viz., that employers must adopt and maintain all reasonable means for the safety of their servants while at work. The plaintiff’s case, however, was withdrawn from the jury, not from any misapprehension as to this rule of law, but because there was, in the opinion of the trial court, no testimony as to any fact by which the conduct of these employers towards this servant could be ascertained. When, in an action for negligence, the standard, of duty can be predicated as matter of law, the only question for the jury is, whether the conduct of the defendant fell short of that standard. What the conduct of the defendant was must appear in the case. If, from the facts in evidence, two inferences as to the defendants’ conduct may legitimately be drawn, one favorable and the other unfavorable to its negligence, a question is presented which calls for the opinion of a jury. If, however, there is no proof of any fact by which the conduct •of the defendant can be ascertained, there is nothing for a jury to pass upon. In the present case, giving to the plaintiff’s testimony its fullest significance, the only inculpatory circumstance is that an explosion occurred, which injured the plaintiff while he was at work upon the defendants’ premises. The case therefore presents, in the most direct manner, the
The principle is quite institutional, that whenever a right of action springs from the conduct of a defendant, the plaintiff must present proof of the facts necessary to the recovery which he seeks. It is, furthermore, the general rule of law,, that the mere proof of the occurrence of an accident raises no-presumption of negligence. These doctrines, which, if strictly applied, would lead to a non-suit in every case in which the plaintiff’s proof failed to demonstrate the specific act of negligence which he deemed the proximate cause of his injuries, have in practice an application which, while not losing sight of their normal character, leads to an intelligent adaptation in keeping with the requirements of the modern law of negligence. It may safely be asserted that no other department of jurisprudence presents so marked an illustration of the growth of a simple rule of conduct into a principle so widespread in its application to relationships which have grown and must continue to become more and more complex. A single illustration will suffice. The employment of each new mechanical force in commerce or manufacture must tend, not only to increase the already existing complexity of these relationships, but also to give rise to new and peculiar duties, which, in turn, must be met by rules of law characterized, not by novelty in principle, but by flexibility in application. That the development of the law of negligence has been, in these respects, both harmonious and consistent, evinces the soundness of the foundations upon which it rests. Keeping pace with the law, whose function it is thus to declare the nature of the duties arising from these new relationships, there has been a corresponding growth in the legal rules which guide the production of evidence and weigh the sufficiency of proof. It could not have been otherwise. The use of instrumentalities of enormous power, and of complicated' structure and operation, not only raises the standard of duty proportionately with the increase of danger; it also givés rise-to obligations springing from the exclusive control of these
In any aspect of the law, therefore, it must be conceded •that unless a plaintiff has presented the testimony which was
In the present case it is clear that the plaintiff has not brought himself within the rule thus stated. He was the only witness who testified to an occurrence of the circumstances which he admitted he knew nothing except by hearsay. At the time it occurred he had been in the employ of the defendants for about one year. After a few weeks,, absence he returned to the same employment and continued' therein, at the same wages and at the same work, for a period of over three years. To my mind it is inconceivable that during these three years, after the injured man returned to-work, he never inquired into the particulars of the accident by which he had ‘ been hurt, or, that having inquired, he-never learned a single circumstance concerning it, or the name of a single witness in respect to it. The two workmen he saw standing in the yard were known to him, and in his testimony lie calls them by name. He must also have known others of his fellow-workmen. From these he must have-learned something of the occurrence upon which his action is-based. His own testimony shows conclusively that material facts respecting this accident were communicated to him with more or less of detail. If he had called to the witness stand his informants he could doubtless, by them, have shown the location and, perhaps, the nature of the explosion—certainly its results, and possibly its cause—whether it was upon the premises of the defendants or in respect to some matter under their control—whether it occurred, as he himself stated, while a pipe was being fixed by his fellow-workmen. In fine, facts could have been presented which, if they spoke of the defendants’ negligence, would have called for a defence; or circumstances have been detailed showing that plaintiff had exhausted the sources of evidence open to him and was therefore entitled to the consideration of the court in calling-upon the defendants for explanatory evidence. In the present case neither was done; the facts showed simply that the plaintiff was injured, while the circumstances pointed conclu
Dissenting Opinion
(dissenting). In my opinion there was a prima facie-case made when this non-suit was ordered.
The plaintiff was the only witness testifying to the circumstances embracing the accident.
His narration was a brief one. He said he worked for the defendants in a building that was called a “ tail-house,” his function being to weigh the oil that came there through certain pipes. These are his words with respect to the accident: “ When I went into the tail-house I had a thermometer with me, and just as I was going to put it down there was a terrible explosion, like the report of a gun, and threw me out of the tail-house, and the cap from my head, and my hair and my beard and everything was burnt away ; I ran out, in my great fear, and the fire came flowing out of the building.”
With regard to the cause of the occurrence, he says it was occasioned by the bursting of a pipe. On cross-examination he was asked the question, “These pipes frequently get to leaking, don’t they ? ” and he answered, “ They don’t leak very often, but sometimes.” He further testified, “We have always gas in the tail-house.”
His further statement was that he saw some of his fellow-workmen near the point of accident, but did not know what they were doing.
Under this condition of facts, I think the matter ought to have gone to the jury.
The business was a dangerous one, unless carefully conducted. The defendants were bound to furnish, so far as possible, machinery and instruments appertaining to such business of approved strength and quality. So it was incumbent oh them to see that they were kept in that degree of repair that would result from the highest degree of care and attention.
It is not to be lightly inferred that instruments of the kind thus specified, and which had been thus supervised, would, in the absence of all known special cause, give way and burst under the ordinary pressure to which in the course of business they would be subjected, and consequently the bursting of this pipe, under such circumstances, would reasonably lead in the direction of a conclusion that it was in an imperfect condition. It is true that such conclusion would not, of itself, render the defendants liable, for such disruption of the pipe might have proceeded from a defect altogether inscrutable upon the most careful examination. But when we add to the fact of this explosion, so improbable in itself, in the absence of neglect, the further fact that their pipes had been leaking, more or less, and that there was constantly a smell of gas in their vicinity, it seems to me that there was plain proof to charge the defendants with the want of that high degree of care which the law exacted from them in an affair touching the safety or even the lives of their employes.
I cannot agree to the proposition, necessary to legalize this non-suit, that a manufacturer can leave pipes containing a combustible so explosive if it escape as to be dangerous to human life, in a leaky condition, and be exempt from all liability to account for such seeming neglect.
In my opinion, the facts as proved, unless explained or controverted, would have legally warranted a verdict against the defendants. I am, therefore, compelled to vote reverse this judgment.
For reversal—The Chief Justice. 1.