Case Title: Wroth v. McKinney

Citation: 190 Kan. 127, 373 P.2d 216

Docket Number: 42,577

State: kansas

Court: Kansas Supreme Court

Date: 1962-07-07T00:00:00Z

Document:
190 Kan. 127 (1962)
373 P.2d 216
LEE ROY WROTH, Appellee,
v.
L.L. McKINNEY, Appellant.
No. 42,577

Supreme Court of Kansas.
Opinion filed July 7, 1962.
Eugene W. Hiatt, of Topeka, argued the cause and was on the briefs for the appellant.
Rex A. Jemison, of Topeka, argued the cause, and Wm. Carl Zimmerman, of Topeka, was with him on the briefs for the appellee.
The opinion of the court was delivered by
ROBB, J.:
This is an appeal in a wrongful death action from the order of the trial court overruling defendant's demurrer to plaintiff's petition.
The petition alleged plaintiff resided at 2526 Kentucky street, Topeka, that defendant resided on Rural Route No. 1, Pauline, and in pertinent part further alleged:
"IV.
"V.
"VI.
"VII.
"VIII.
"IX.
"X.
Defendant demurred generally to the petition, which demurrer was overruled by the trial court, and hence, this appeal.
The only question presented for appellate review is the order of the trial court overruling defendant's general demurrer to plaintiff's petition.
We cannot agree with appellant's contention that under the allegations of the petition the child in question was a trespasser. The allegations of the petition are all that can be considered on this demurrer and we do not know what the evidence will show in support thereof but we believe they show the child was no less than a licensee on the premises whose presence was known to the *129 defendant. Therefore, we shall proceed to the proposition as to whether the petition alleges negligence on the part of the defendant and whether that negligence was the proximate cause of the death of the child.
In 38 Am. Jur., Negligence, § 85, pp. 742-744, it is said that liability for keeping a dangerous instrumentality is not an absolute liability so as to make the defendant an insurer of a child in a situation such as is here involved, but that liability for negligence in respect to dangerous instrumentalities, as liability for negligence, generally arises from the failure to use due care. One knowingly dealing with such an instrumentality which may cause harm to others unless due care is exercised must answer for the results which follow from a negligent failure to exercise such care, and a higher degree of care is required in dealing with dangerous instrumentalities than in the ordinary affairs of life or business which involve little or no risk. As the hazard from the use or threatened use of dangerous instrumentalities increases, the responsibility of the person employing them becomes stricter, and, in extreme cases, may be the equivalent of insurance of safety. Accordingly it is well settled that one who has in his possession, or under his control, an instrumentality exceptionally dangerous in character is bound to take exceptional precautions to prevent an injury being done thereby. In other words, the essential requirement of due care under the circumstances necessarily implies that the care required to prevent injury to others in using a dangerous instrumentality is a great or high degree, if not the greatest or highest degree, of precaution.
Later in the same volume, § 89, p. 749, an appropriate statement made by an eminent authority appears which in pertinent part reads:
On the same page, it is further stated:
To the same effect is the following statement in 65 C.J.S., Negligence, § 39, particularly applicable where the licensee in the position of peril is an infant:
See, also, Rapczynski et ux. v. W.T. Cowan, Inc., Appel., 138 Pa. Sup. Ct. 392, 399, 10 A.2d 810, 814-815.
It is negligent to place loaded firearms or poisons within reach of young children or feeble-minded adults. (Restatement, Torts, Negligence, § 308 b., p. 836; Mendola et al. v. Sambol, Appellant, 166 Pa. Sup. Ct. 351, 354, 71 A.2d 827; Kuhns v. Brugger, Appellant, 390 Pa. 331, 346, 347, 135 A.2d 395.)
Kansas has long followed the rule that the highest degree of care is required of all responsible persons having ownership or control of dangerous explosives such as dynamite and firearms. (Clark v. Powder Co., 94 Kan. 268, 146 Pac. 320.) Under the Clark case the degree of care has to be commensurate with the dangerous character of the instrumentality and a duty to exercise the highest degree of care never ceases. (p. 271.) On the same subject, see Goehenour v. Construction Co., 104 Kan. 808, 810, 180 Pac. 776.)
In view of the allegations in this petition and the above authorities, which by no means exhaust those cited by the parties or touching upon the subject, we conclude the petition states a cause of action and the trial court properly overruled the demurrer to the petition.
Judgment affirmed.
PARKER, C.J., and PRICE, J., dissent.