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62 Ill. App. 622

Mueller v. Schwecht

Appellate Court of Illinois

Decided March 3, 1896

Appellate Court of Illinois · decided 1896-03-03

Trespass on tlie Case, for personal injuries. Appeal from the Superior Court of Cook County; the Hon. Jonas Hutchinson, Judge, presiding. Heard in this court at the October term, 1895.

Cited by 2 later decisions — most recently November 1904

2 state decisions

Relies on Clark v. Liston · Funk v. Piper · Angus v. Lee

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Reversed and remanded · Decided 1896-03-03

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Mr. Presiding Justice Gary

¶1delivered the opinion of the Court.

¶2This is an action on the case by the appellee against the appellant, for injuries which the appellee received from brick falling upon his head from a wall of a building which had been burned out, part of which wall the appellant, by his workmen, was taking down preparatory to rebuilding. The appellant was a mason contractor.

¶3The appellee was a carpenter employed at the building. He was injured in going out of a door about twelve feet high and eight wide, opening to the street, above which door laborers employed by the appellant were engaged in tearing down the brick wall.

¶4There is an irreconcilable conflict in the testimony as to the kind of scaffold used by the laborers; as to the obstruction of the doorway by debris; as to the laborers and their work being visible from the inside of the building, and when they began throwing down the bricks; but none at all as to the fact that the appellee took no precautions, nor made any investigation as to the safety of using that door.

¶5The verdict is upon the theory that in tearing down a building, there is a duty to anticipate and guard against the dangers to which others there employed may be exposed. We have not so understood the law.

¶6The demolition of buildings necessitates the falling of materials. Whoever is upon the premises should use some care in going about them to avoid going into danger.

¶7There is no evidence that the appellant had any reason to expect that any one would go under the work that was being done.

¶8The principles of Angus v. Lee, 40 Ill. App. 304; Clark v. Liston, 54 Ill. App. 578; Funk v. Piper, 50 Ill. App. 163; Campell v. Mullen, 60 Ill. App. 497; Legnard v. Lage, 57 Ill. App. 223; Kammerer v. Gallagher, 58 Ill. 561; Stobba v. Fitzsimmons, 58 Ill. App. 427, and Clark v. Murton, No. 6003 this term, apply to this case, though the circumstances are variant.

¶9The judgment is reversed and the cause remanded.

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