112 Misc. 141 | N.Y. App. Term. | 1920
The plaintiff was the owner of an automobile, and claims that injury was done to it by reason of defendant’s automobile truck carelessly colliding with plaintiff’s car. The court below found that one Mocas, who was the driver of defendant’s ear at the time of the collision, was careless, and that his carelessness was the sole proximate cause of the collision, with resulting damages to the plaintiff in the sum of $203. The trial justice, however, directed a verdict in favor of the defendant solely on the ground. that Mocas, the defendant’s chauffeur, was temporarily loaned or hired out to a man named Bernstein, and that Mocas was the'servant of Bernstein for the time being, and that, therefore, the defendant was not liable in law for the careless acts of Mocas.
It appeared that Bernstein had an “ express horse and wagon ” with which he used to take goods from the firm of Browning, King & Co. to different tailors
On the 30th day of September, 1918, Bernstein stopped at the defendant’s place of business and told him to send a machine, with a chauffeur, to Browning, King & Co. in the borough of Manhattan, at half past two in the afternoon. The chauffeur and the truck reported a little bit late, the uniforms were loaded on the truck, and they proceeded on the way to the navy building, and, while so carting the uniforms, Mocas, the chauffeur, carelessly drove into the plaintiff’s ear. Bernstein agreed to pay for the use of the truck and chauffeur two dollars and fifty cents an hour. Bernstein was on the truck with Mocas when the accident happened. Bernstein’s testimony is uncontradicted in the record that he never gave any instructions to Mocas or ever interfered with him in the operation of his car, nor did he even direct him as to what course to pursue in going from Browning, King & Co. to the navy building. The defendant himself admits that Bernstein told him that he wanted to take this particular load from Browning, King & Co. to the navy building, and that he hired the truck to him for that purpose.
The court below based its decision on the cases of Hartell v. Simonson, 218 N. Y. 345; Carr v. Burke, 183 App. Div. 361, and Schmedes v. Deffaa, 214 N. Y. 675, and stated that the case at bar was clearly distinguishable from that of McNamara v. Leipzig, 227 id. 291, stating that, in the latter case, “ The element of an independent contract is plain.”
Measured by this standard, can it be said that the driver in this case was the servant of Bernstein at the time of the accident? Bernstein himself says that he gave him no directions, even as to route to be pursued, and no directions as to the manner of driving. If it be true that the driver was the servant of Bernstein, then Bernstein Avould be liable to pay to the defendant any injuries to defendant’s automobile caused by the careless act of Mocas in the general employ of the defendant. It seems clear that this Avas never within the contemplation of the parties when they made the contract to call at a specified time to get goods and to deliver the same, and to be paid for the service at the
This record is entirely barren of any control of the defendant’s automobile by Bernstein, aside from Bernstein being on the car with the driver and that the goods in transit were OAvned by Browning, King & Co., with whom Bernstein had contractual relations. Nor does the fact that Bernstein had a “ one-horse express ” and that, for some reason, this Avas inadequate to carry the goods in question, change the principle as to the control of the driver.
In the case of Delory v. Blodgett, 185 Mass. 126,129,
With these rules of law in mind it does not satisfactorily appear that the defendant, the owner of the automobile truck, surrendered full dominion and control of both truck and Mocas, his servant, to Bernstein. It follows, therefore, that the defendant was liable for the careless acts of Mocas and, as the court below found the damages to be the sum of $203, the judgment of the court below is reversed, and judgment rendered in favor of the plaintiff against the defendant for the sum of $203, with appropriate costs in the court below and costs of this appeal.
Clark and Cropsey, JJ., concur.
Judgment reversed, with costs.