41 Barb. 366 | N.Y. Sup. Ct. | 1864
The defendant is a ship-builder, and in August, 1861, was engaged in constructing the gunboat Winona for the government, at the foot of Bridge street in the city of Brooklyn. In the progress of the work staging or scaffolding were placed, under the immediate direction of the defendant, across the vessel from side to side, about midway between the deck and the hold or bottom of the vessel. It was placed upon what the workmen termed spalls, which were cross-pieces of timber extending from side to side of the vessel, and upon which the planks for the scaffolding were laid, there being an upright support under the center of each spall, the ends of which were wedged against the sides of the vessel. Heavy white oak knees were being put into the gunboat, and men were upon the scaffolding employed in driving and riveting iron bolts through the knees into her sides. A short time before the occurrence which constituted the ground of the plaintiff’s action, the defendant with his assistants had piled some plank or lumber upon the scaffolding which was . there at the time. Between the scaffolding and the bottom of the vessel there was a space of 4£ feet in which the plaintiff was at work gathering chips and rubbish, by direction of the defendant, at the time he was injured. While in this situation the scaffolding fell and was precipitated into the hold upon the plaintiff, who was taken out insensible and much injured. Neither the spalls nor their upright supports
The relation between the parties, of employer and employed, the injury done to the latter by the falling of the scaffold, and that it was erected under the immediate direction of the former, are facts not in dispute. Primarily the defendant’s liability results from the existence of these circumstances; the presumption being that if the structure had been imperfectly and insufficiently made, for the uses to which it was applied, or overburthened with the weight of the lumber put upon it, or subjected to forces in driving and riveting the iron bolts, it would not have fallen upon the plaintiff Evidence however was offered and received upon both sides tending to affirm and disaffirm the sufficiency of the structure. And the verdict of the jury must conclude the parties upon this question.
The point made by the defendant, upon his motion to dismiss the complaint, cannot be maintained. It assumes as the law of the case, that when an injury happens to an employee through the negligence of his employer, he is without remedy against the latter. It is doubtless true that the employer is not responsible in damages to one employed for the negligence of another. But his responsibility for his own negligence is settled by adjudicated cases. (Ryan v. Fowler,
It appeared by the evidence of Cornelius Poillon, the defendant, that he superintended all the work upon the yard and in building the vessels, and that the lumber or plank spoken of, which was piled upon the platform or scaffolding, had been upon the floor of the vessel. That when the hold was cleared of blocks and rubbish, the men at the work, including the plaintiff, piled the planks upon the platform. This of course was done by his direction. When the judge came to charge the jury the counsel for the defendant asked
The order and judgment of the city court should he affirmed, with costs.
Brown, Scrugham and Lott, Justices.]