187 Pa. Super. 466 | Pa. Super. Ct. | 1958
Opinion by
These appeals are from the refusal of the motion for judgment non obstante veredicto and the granting of a new trial and the granting of a nonsuit against two of the defendants. Edmund R. Hughes instituted an action in trespass against the Borough of Brook-haven, John Hanna and Sons and Edgar Mitchell as a result of an accident which occurred on East Brook-haven Road in Delaware County. On September 28, 1955, plaintiff was driving his car on East Brookhaven Road at a point about thirty feet east of Middleton Road in the Borough of Brookhaven. At that point the roadway collapsed, his vehicle stopped suddenly when the left front wheel entered this hole and he was thrown out sustaining injury to his neck and a right inguinal hernia.
At the trial, plaintiff alleged that the permanent restoration of the paving should have been completed prior to permitting traffic to travel thereon and the failure to do so was negligence on the part of the contractor, sub-contractor and the borough. The evidence disclosed, however, that the sub-contractor had nothing to do with the paving, and, after the plaintiff’s case, a nonsuit was entered on behalf of Mitchell. The case was submitted to the jury on the liability of the contractor and the borough, and it returned a verdict in favor of plaintiff against the Borough of Brook-haven alone. A motion for judgment n.o.v. was filed and argued and the court below refused the motion but granted a new trial limiting it against the borough alone on the ground that plaintiff’s expert witness was not, in fact, an expert and therefore should not have been permitted to testify. From this adjudication, plaintiff has taken this appeal and the borough has also appealed in the ground that the motion for judgment n.o.v. should have been granted and that limiting the new trial against it alone was improper.
The court below' properly ruled on the motion for judgment n.o.v. With the testimony of plaintiff’s witness, Lawler, the case was properly submitted to the jury on the question of the borough’s negligence. We have stated that in disposing of a motion for judgment n.o.v., the court lacks the power to eliminate evidence on the ground that it was inadmissible and then enter a judgment n.o.v. on the diminished record. Finkelston v. Kapnek, 184 Pa. Superior Ct. 174, 133 A. 2d 310. The Borough of Brookhaven concedes this but contends that judgment n.o.v. should have been granted on the record, including Lawler’s testimony. In view of this witness’ testimony to the effect that, by failure to cover the amesite covering with cement within a reasonable time, a dangerous condition was created by the borough, the question of negligence was for the jury and the motion was properly refused.
Plaintiff called Joseph Lawler as an expert witness to testify as to whether the paving as done was proper under the circumstances. In order to qualify as an expert witness, Mr. Lawler testified that he was the superintendent for Delaware County highway maintenance, employed by the Pennsylvania Department of Highways for a period of ten months. During this time, he observed and experienced the construction of sewers and the repaving of streets. Previous to this employment, he had served as superintendent of construction for various construction firms for three or four years throughout the country. Prior to getting with the Department of Defense, he was with the Army Engineers from 1940 to 1952, and during his service he was with the Air Corps building air bases
Concluding, as we do, that that testimony of Mr. Lawler was admissible, the question of negligence of the borough and of Hanna and Sons became a jury question. The verdict of the jury was not contrary to the weight of the evidence, excessive or capricious. The Borough of Brookhaven did not ask for a new trial and, under the circumstances, none should have been granted.