55 Ind. App. 124 | Ind. Ct. App. | 1912
Appellee brought this action to recover damages for injuries, resulting in the death of the decedent, Prank Shearer, while in the employ of appellant. Trial by jury resulted in a verdict for appellee in the sum of $4,000, upon which judgment was rendered.
Appellant’s assignment of errors challenges the sufficiency of the facts alleged in each paragraph of appellee’s amended complaint to state a cause of action. The first paragraph, after the formal averments, charges in substance that appellant owned and operated a plant for the manufacture of tile, brick, tile-roofing and other like products; that several months prior to his injury, Shearer was employed by appellant as a carpenter to work in said plant and was so engaged exclusively up to the time of his injury; that during all of that time, appellant employed in said plant one John Pierce, as master mechanic, who had charge of all the machinery, shafting, pulleys, belts, tools and appliances in the plant and whose duty it was to keep the same in proper repair, and to see to the oiling and running thereof; that on March 23, 1907, Pierce was temporarily called away from said plant, and decedent was taken away from his regular work by the order and direction of appellant, through its agent
The second paragraph contains in substance all of the allegations of the first paragraph with the additional averments that on the afternoon before the injury and death of decedent, one Owens, who was appellant’s general manager, and vice principal, made certain repairs on the belt which caused decedent’s injury; that he then pronounced the belt safe and sufficient until appellant had reasonable time to secure a new belt, which he said would be done in a few days; that decedent heard the assurance of safety by Owens, relied thereon, believed it to be true and that the belt was safe and sufficient; that he did not see any defects in the belt thereafter and could not, by the exercise of reasonable diligence and care upon his part, have known and discovered that the belt, notwithstanding the repairs and statements of the manager, was still old, wornout, unsafe, sticky and dangerous; that notwithstanding the repairs and statements, the belt was defective and practically and substantially in the same condition that it was in before the repairs were made.
The answers to the 387 interrogatories the jury was required to answer, show, in substance, that the decedent had been in appellant’s employment about five years prior to March 23, 1907, as a carpenter and as helper to the blacksmith and machinists; that he was 42 years of age, possessed of all his faculties and of ordinary intelligence; that it was the duty of one Pierce to oil the machinery and look after the belts and belting and general running of the machinery; that it was not a part of decedent’s duty to take Pierce’s place whenever he was absent; that decedent had performed Pierce’s work for four days continuously immediately preceding March 23, 1907, and for one day about two years previously; that he was not working in the line of his employment at the time he was injured; that he was injured at about 6:30 or 7 a. m. on March 23,1907, while temporarily
Note.—Reported in 99 N. E. 829. As to assumption of risk and contributory negligence in law of master and servant, see 97 Am. St. 884 ; 98 Am. St. 289. As to the general question of the master’s duty to warn or instruct servant, see 44 L. R. A. 33. As to the master’s duty to protect or warn against dangers not reasonably to be apprehended, see 21 L. R. A. (N. S.) 89; 39 L. Ed. U. S. 465. As to the servant’s assumption of risk of danger imperfectly appreciated, see 4 L. R. A. (N. S.) 990. As to the servant’s assumption of obvious risks of hazardous emjiloyment, see 1 L. R. A. (N. S.) 272. See, also, under (1) 31 Cyc. 84; (2) 31 Cyc. 116; (3) 26 Cyc. 1173; (4) 26 Cyc. 1172; (5) 26 Cyc. 1393, 1415; (6) 26 Cyc. 1201; (8) 26 Cyc. 1478; (9) 26 Cyc. 1513; (12) 38 Cyc. 1926; (13) 26 Cyc. 1450; (14) 26 Cyc. 1243, 1250; (15) 38 Cyc. 1930; (16) 38 Cyc. 1748, 1750; (17) 38 Cyc. 1693; (18) 31 Cyc. 675, 680; (19) 38 Cyc. 1815; (20) 38 Cyc. 1809, 1816.