95 Ga. 218 | Ga. | 1894
Cook and his wife brought shit against the County of DeKalb for damages for personal injuries resulting to Mrs. Cook in consequence of a fall by her from a public bridge constructed by the County of DeKalb across a stream which was the dividing line between DeKalb and llockdale counties. It appeared that the bridge in question was constructed in 1887 by the County of DeKalb, the county authorities of Rockdale county refusing to participate in or contribute anything toward the construction thereof. The County of DeKalb, by its authorities, caused this bridge to be constructed under contract, and failed to take any bond from the contractor in accordance with section 671 of the code. Before the expiration of seven years the bridge got out of repair. Of this fact the road commissioners of the County of DeKalb had due notice, and, being so notified, permitted the bridge to remain with a hole in it, variously estimated by the witnesses to be six inches wide, two feet
The special ground upon which the court rested its judgment for granting a nonsuit does not appear in the record, but its judgment was awarded generally upon the insufficiency of the evidence. In the argument before this court, the principal contention, however, of the defendant in error was, that the court ruled correctly upon the idea that one county has no authority, under the statute law of this State, of its own motion, to construct a public bridge across a stream dividing it from another county, and that if it assume to construct such a bridge and is in any respect negligent, the person injured is without remedy. This is the only ground upon which it could be seriously contended that the judgment of nonsuit was right; for the reason that the plaintiffs established their claim by such testimony as, if presented to the jury, might have been satisfactory to them, and, if believed to be true, would have justified a verdict in favor of the plaintiffs. ¥e do not think the contention of the defendant is well founded. The act of 1881, entitled “An act to regulate the manner of letting out contracts to build or repair public bridges over watercourses which divide one or more counties from each other,” etc., is cumulative and explanatory of section