Opinion ID: 1701237
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: findings by trial court

Text: The district court made specific findings of fact regarding each of the defendants. The district court found that WeWeldit was Husker Steel's subcontractor in the bridge construction and that Husker Steel did not supervise or control WeWeldit's employees or have any contractual obligation concerning employees of WeWeldit or the county. Therefore, the district court concluded that Husker Steel was neither negligent by its own nonfeasance, as alleged, nor vicariously liable for any negligence of its subcontractor, WeWeldit. Concerning WeWeldit, the district court found that, notwithstanding the county's furnishing labor and equipment for excavation of the trench wall, WeWeldit could have requested changes in the work done by the county but accepted the county's excavatory work without any requested change. The district court concluded that the collapse of the wall could have been prevented either by shoring or by requiring a greater slope to the wall and that Eugene McKinstry did not voluntarily assume a known risk. The district court found that WeWeldit was negligent in failing to take either of the steps [adequate shoring or slope of the trench wall] which would have prevented the collapse of the trench wall and, because Eugene McKinstry's negligence, if any, was slight in comparison with the negligence of WeWeldit, entered judgment against WeWeldit for $244,521. In view of WeWeldit's involvement in the excavation of the trench, the district court found that the county was not negligent, especially since WeWeldit accepted the county's excavatory work and could have requested, but did not request, any change in the manner or nature of excavation by the county. After the trial, WeWeldit and Cornhusker Casualty filed a joint motion for vacation of the judgment, based on the Nebraska Workers' Compensation Act. In response to that motion, the district court set aside its judgment against WeWeldit and Cornhusker Casualty. See P.A.M. v. Quad L. Assocs., 221 Neb. 642, 380 N.W.2d 243 (1986) (Nebraska Workers' Compensation Act provides an exclusive remedy for an employee's injury arising out of and in the course of employment and precludes an employee's common-law action against the employer for negligence). Christina McKinstry contends that the district court erred in its finding that the county was not liable in the collapse of the wingwall trench and in concluding that Husker Steel was not liable for the negligence of its subcontractor, WeWeldit, in excavation of the trench. To prevail in an action based on negligence, a plaintiff must prove four essential elements: the defendant's duty not to injure the plaintiff, a breach of that duty, proximate causation, and damages. Zeller v. County of Howard, 227 Neb. 667, 671, 419 N.W.2d 654, 657 (1988). See, also, Rahmig v. Mosley Machinery Co., 226 Neb. 423, 412 N.W.2d 56 (1987). Christina McKinstry relies primarily on two cases to support her negligence claim against the county and Husker Steel, namely, Hickman v. Parks Construction Co., 162 Neb. 461, 76 N.W.2d 403 (1956), and Erickson v. Monarch Indus., 216 Neb. 875, 347 N.W.2d 99 (1984). In Hickman, supra, Parks contracted with the Officers Club at Offutt Air Force Base to make improvements which required excavation of a ditch or trench on an area near the Air Force Officers Club. A Major Morrow was in charge of the club at the time of an evening party attended by Hickman. When Hickman left the club and walked toward the parking lot located beyond the excavation site, he fell into the excavation. Among its contentions to avoid liability or absolve its negligence, Parks claimed that Major Morrow, as manager of the club which had contracted for the improvement, should have taken precautions to protect against anyone's falling into the excavation. However, in characterizing an excavation as a dangerous place or an operation likely to cause injury or damage, this court stated: The general rule, which governs where a party is responsible for a dangerous place, agency, instrumentality, or operation likely to cause injury or damage to persons or property rightfully in its proximity, is that he is charged with the duty of taking due and suitable precautions to avoid injury or damage to such persons or property, and his failure to take such precautions constitutes negligence. [Citations omitted.] This rule applied to excavations requires a contractor making an excavation on property of another to provide such protection as would guard persons rightfully on the property against any contingency that was reasonably to be anticipated. [Citations omitted.] .... ... A witness who was in charge of the work of the defendant [Parks] testified substantially that he did not take any steps to protect the east portion of the excavation but that he left that matter to Major Morrow who was in general charge of the operation of the club. There was no evidence however that Major Morrow had or exercised any directory or supervisory control over the performance of the defendant under its contract or of anything in relation thereto. The defendant could not be relieved from its responsibility to protect against the danger from the open excavation by reliance upon Major Morrow to protect against that danger. The person on whom the duty devolves is not excused from taking the necessary precautions by contracting with or relying on others to take necessary precautionary measures. [Citations omitted.] 162 Neb. at 469-70, 76 N.W.2d at 409-10. See, also, Rose v. Buffalo Air Service, 170 Neb. 806, 104 N.W.2d 431 (1960): A person on whom a duty of due care devolves is not excused from taking necessary precautions by contracting with or relying upon others to take necessary precautionary measures. Erickson, supra, involved a wrongful death claim as the result of Erickson's injuries when a transformer exploded, causing the transformer's door to break open and fatally strike Erickson. Monarch was the general contractor in construction of the transformer facility, but Monarch's subcontractor, Walters-Heiliger, installed the transformer. A jury found the subcontractor liable for its negligence and Monarch vicariously liable for its subcontractor's negligence. Judgment on the verdict was affirmed, and we said: Monarch contends that it cannot be held liable for the negligence of Walters-Heiliger. Monarch relies on the general rule that the employer of an independent contractor is not liable for physical harm caused to another by the act or omissions of the contractor or his servants. Sullivan v. Geo. A. Hormel and Co., 208 Neb. 262, 303 N.W.2d 476 (1981). There are exceptions to this rule of nonliability. The general contractor remains liable for the negligence of the subcontractor if he retains `control' of the workor if, by rule of law or statute, the duty to guard against the risk is made `nondelegable'. Funk v. General Motors Corp., 392 Mich. 91, 101, 220 N.W.2d 641, 645 (1974). In the present case Monarch had a nondelegable duty to provide a facility which was safely wired. The nondelegable duty exception is based upon the theory that certain responsibilities of a principal are so important that the principal should not be permitted to bargain away the risks of performance. Arsand v. City of Franklin, 83 Wis.2d 40, 54, 264 N.W.2d 579, 586 (1978), at n. 8. The nondelegable duty exception to the rule of nonliability was described by the court in Witucke v. Presque Isle Bank, 68 Mich.App. 599, 610, 243 N.W.2d 907, 912 (1976): [W]e believe that an essential element of the doctrine is the failure of the principal to see that all appropriate precautions are taken by the one to perform the inherently dangerous task. The doctrine, in short, says that the principal is negligent, and hence liable, because it has allowed the independent contractor to be negligent in performing the job. There is a nondelegable duty to see that the work is done with the requisite degree of care; when the contractor fails in fulfilling its duty of care, the principal has breached its own precautionary duty. 216 Neb. at 879-80, 347 N.W.2d at 105. Referring to Hickman v. Parks Construction Co., 162 Neb. 461, 76 N.W.2d 403 (1956), we stated in Erickson v. Monarch Indus., 216 Neb. 875, 880, 347 N.W.2d 99, 106 (1984): [T]he defendant had entered into a contract with an officers' club to improve its facility. Plaintiff was injured when he fell into an open excavation. Defendant argued that it was not liable, as it had left the matter of protecting the site to the officer in charge of the club. We held the duty to protect against the danger to be nondelegable. The Erickson court continued: In the present case Monarch entered into an agreement to construct the grain drying facility. Monarch employed Walters-Heiliger to perform the necessary electrical wiring. Walters-Heiliger was required to exercise utmost care and skill in providing the proper components and in wiring the facility, as it was providing a dangerous commodity. [Citations omitted.] Monarch could not delegate its duty to provide a facility that was wired safely. Monarch and Walters-Heiliger contend that after the facility was completed and accepted by Krieger [owner of facility], the contractor and subcontractor cannot be held liable for defects which injure third persons. The general rule was stated in Stover v. Ed Miller & Sons, Inc., 194 Neb. 422, 425, 231 N.W.2d 700, 703 (1975): `A construction contractor is not liable for injuries or damage to a third person with whom he is not in contractual relation resulting from the negligent performance of his duty under his contract with the contractee where the injury or damage is sustained after the work is completed and accepted by the owner.' The exception to this rule was described in Florida Freight Terminals, Inc. v. Cabanas, 354 So.2d 1222, 1225 (Fla.App.1978): An independent contractor is not liable for injuries to third parties after the contractor has completed his work and turned the project over to the owner or employer and it has been accepted by him unless the parties were dealing with inherently dangerous elements or the defect at issue was latent and could not have been discovered by the owner or employer. In Simmons v. Owens, 363 So.2d 142, 143 (Fla.App.1978), the court said: The general rule ... is subject to the exception that a contractor is not relieved of liability where he creates a dangerous condition or unreasonable risk which is latent and not discoverable by reasonable inspection. See, also, Slavin v. Kay, 108 So.2d 462 (Fla.1959). In the present case the defect in the wiring of the transformer was latent and not reasonably discoverable by the owner, Krieger. Moreover, the installation of the electrical transformer was an inherently dangerous task such that the law will not relieve the contractors' liability for their negligence merely because Krieger accepted the facility. 216 Neb. at 881-82, 347 N.W.2d at 106. In Foltz v. Northwestern Bell Tel. Co., 221 Neb. 201, 213, 376 N.W.2d 301, 309 (1985), this court, citing Erickson, stated: A nondelegable duty means that an employer of an independent contractor ... by assigning work consequent to a duty, is not relieved from liability arising from the delegated duties negligently performed. [Citation omitted.] As a result of a nondelegable duty, the responsibility or ultimate liability for proper performance of a duty cannot be delegated, although actual performance of the task required by a nondelegable duty may be done by another. [Citation omitted.] One on whom a nondelegable duty is enjoined may not, by employing an independent contractor, escape vicarious responsibility and liability for proper performance of that nondelegable duty. [Citations omitted.] See, also, Greening v. School Dist. of Millard, 223 Neb. 729, 393 N.W.2d 51 (1986). A general contractor, in control of the premises where work performance under a contract with the owner is being carried out, owes a duty to persons rightfully on the premises to keep the premises in a reasonably safe condition while the contract is in the course of performance. Sullivan v. Geo. A. Hormel and Co., 208 Neb. 262, 265, 303 N.W.2d 476, 478 (1981). See, also, Hand v. Rorick Constr. Co., 190 Neb. 191, 206 N.W.2d 835 (1973). In McKinstry's case, it is beyond question that trenching, excavating, and earthwork were not part of the project contracted between Husker Steel and the county. The reason for the deliberate deletion or exclusion of such earthwork from the Husker Steel-county contract was the county's expressed wish and direction, consistent with the county's custom, that the county was independently obligated to supply all trenching or excavating for the bridge project. The evidence is virtually overwhelming, and the trial court concluded, that the trench's collapse might have been avoided by adequate sloping of the trench wall which, for all practical purposes, was perpendicular to the bottom of the trench. The trench wall was excavated at almost twice the appropriate angle which would have prevented the trench wall from collapsing on account of its own weight. Additionally, adequate shoring may well have checked the earthen wall's tendency to buckle under its own weight. Negligence, then, permeated the excavatory work. Whose negligence?