Opinion ID: 3009506
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Gottshall

Text: The Gottshall opinion dealt with two cases, both emanating from this court, Gottshall v. Consolidated Rail Corp., 988 F.2d 355 (3d Cir. 1993) and Carlisle v. Consolidated Rail Corp., 990 F.2d 90 (3d Cir. 1993). Like Bloom, James Gottshall was an employee of Conrail. Gottshall was a track repairman who was assigned along with his co-workers the task of replacing a stretch of defective track on an extremely hot and humid afternoon. During that afternoon Conrail drove the men to complete their task at an unusually fast pace and, although water was available, repeatedly discouraged breaks. Under these conditions, Gottshall's longtime friend, Richard Johns, collapsed. In response, Gottshall administered a cold compress which enabled Johns to regain consciousness. (..continued) We hold that Conrail's notice of appeal was timely filed within the thirty-day appeal period of FRAP 4(a)(4). Our holding here is controlled by Osei-Afriyie v. Medical College of Pennsylvania, 937 F.2d 876 (3d Cir. 1991). In Osei-Afriyie, we held that a notice of appeal was timely when it was filed more than thirty days after the judgment date, but within thirty days of the district court's dismissal of post-trial motions for lack of prosecution under E.D. Pa. Local Rule 20(e). In this case, like Osei-Afriyie, Conrail's notice of appeal was filed more than 30 days after the judgment date, but within 30 days of the district court's dismissal of post-trial motions for lack of prosecution under E.D. Pa. Local Rule 20(e). Therefore, like the appeal in Osei-Afriyie, it is timely under FRAP 4(a)(4). Following this incident, Conrail ordered the men, except Johns, back to work. Five minutes later, Johns again collapsed. Gottshall again rushed to assist him and, realizing that his friend was having a heart attack, administered CPR. The supervisor tried the radio to call paramedics, but it had been taken offline for repair. By the time help arrived Johns had died at Gottshall's side. The men were then again ordered back to work, with Johns' sheet-covered corpse left in view along the tracks. The next day, Conrail reprimanded Gottshall for administering CPR, and over the days that followed, Conrail worked the crew as hard under similar conditions. Gottshall subsequently left work, secluded himself in his basement, and spent three weeks in a psychiatric institution where he was treated for major depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. He exhibited suicidal preoccupations, anxiety, insomnia, appetite loss, physical weakness, nightmares, and weight loss. We reversed the district court's grant of summary judgment for Conrail and remanded for trial. We reasoned that, when considering the totality of the extreme facts, Gottshall's claim had sufficient indicia of genuineness of emotional injury to be cognizable under FELA, and that genuine issues of material fact existed regarding breach of duty, injury, and causation.