Opinion ID: 2296554
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Did the court err in refusing to direct a verdict for Western Maryland or at least in failing to instruct the jury on Griffis' assumption of the risk?

Text: The simple answer to this question is that the defense of assumption of the risk may be invoked only when the plaintiff intentionally exposes himself to a known danger or is held as a matter of law to have done so. Compare Sachs v. Pleasant, 253 Md. 40, 251 A.2d 858 and cases there cited with Finzel v. Mazzarella, 248 Md. 227, 230, 235 A.2d 726 (1967). See Honolulu Ltd. v. Cain, supra, 244 Md. at 600; Velte v. Nichols, 211 Md. 353, 127 A.2d 544 (1956) and Yaniger v. Calvert Bldg. & Const. Co., 183 Md. 285, 289, 37 A.2d 263 (1944). There was no testimony that Griffis knew of the danger. But even if this were not the case, the court's instruction on contributory negligence was broad enough to cover an assumption of the risk: Secondly, I will instruct you as to the duty of the Plaintiff to protect himself by the exercise of reasonable care.    I instruct you that if you find that the Plaintiff knew or by the exercise of reasonable care could have known of any hazardous condition and chose to take such a route with a hazardous condition existing thereon and expose himself to such hazards, then that would be contributory negligence on his part and you would be bound to render your verdict for the Defendant. If you find that the Plaintiff knew or by the exercise of reasonable care should have known that he had a choice of two routes and further by the exercise of reasonable care that he should have known that one route was hazardous and one route was free of hazards, but chose to take the hazardous route with this knowledge and that his injury resulted from that action, then that would be contributory negligence on his part and you would be bound to render your verdict for the Defendant. The line between contributory negligence on the one hand, and assumption of the risk, on the other, is a thin one. Baltimore County v. State, use of Keenan, 232 Md. 350, 193 A.2d 30 (1963), and we have held that an instruction can cover assumption of the risk without using those words, if the question is presented to the jury on the court's charge. Bull Steamship Lines v. Fisher, 196 Md. 519, 529, 77 A.2d 142 (1950). There was ample evidence to support a jury finding that Griffis did not understand the risk of harm to which he was exposed. Honolulu Ltd. v. Cain, supra, 244 Md. at 600.