Court Opinion

ID: 9610559
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 03:43:11.04881+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:03:01.605886
License: Public Domain

LATIMER, Justice
(concurring in part and dissenting in part).
Plaintiff commenced this action against the defendants Walgreen Drug Company and Salisbury Investment Company to recover damages for certain personal injuries sustained by her when she slipped and fell in the entrance-way of a building owned and constructed by the investment company and leased to the drug company. The cause was tried in the court below and a verdict rendered by the jury in favor of the plaintiff against the drug company and in favor of the investment company against the plaintiff. The drug company appeals and relies principally upon the contention that there is no evidence to sustain the finding that it was negligent.
The facts stated most favorably to respondent are substantially these: The defendant Salisbury Investment Company constructed a building on the southeast corner of Second South and Main Streets in Salt Lake City, Utah. Part of this building was leased to the defendant Walgreen Drug Company. The lease provided that the landlord should make all exterior repairs not caused by the fault of the tenant and should repair the sidewalks and entrances to the leased portion of the premises. The building was so constructed that oné of the entrances to the drug store faced Main and Second South Streets in a north-westerly direction. This entrance consisted of three doors, a revolving door in the center with an ordinary swinging door on each side. The entrance was recessed so as to be set back from the front show windows and there was a horizontal canopy which covered the recessed portion. The approach to the doorways was constructed of a material *43known as terrazzo and it was laid so that it sloped slightly away from the building in a fan shape and joined the sidewalk approximately eight to nine feet from the revolving door. The amount of slope away from the door through which plaintiff intended to pass was one-eighth of an inch to the foot.
On September 25, 1948, plaintiff left her home at approximately 2:30 p. m. at which time it was beginning to rain. She arrived at Second South and Main Streets at approximately 3:00 p. m. The streets were wet and it was still raining. As plaintiff approached defendant’s store she noted there were several people standing under the shelter of the canopy. She stepped from the cement walk onto the terrazzo floor of the entranceway, walked four or five steps at an ordinary gait, and as she reached out to open the south swinging door her right foot slipped on the surface of the terrazzo and she fell causing her severe injuries. The terrazzo was wet from the rain, and was smooth and slick. Plaintiff was wearing shoes with “Cuban” leather heels, approximately one and one-half inches high.
At the time the building was constructed the specifications for terrazzo required that an abrasive be mixed with the other materials used to make the finished product and the specifications appear to have been complied with. The terrazzo in place at the time of the accident was examined by a tile contractor and, according to him, it was difficult to tell whether there was non-skid material near the surface, but the associate architect testified that the abrasive material was present. The contractor further explained that the surface felt very smooth and the abrasive qualities originally placed in the article could have been worn smooth by wear. The terrazzo portion of the entranceway sloped slightly away from the building, but this was so slight that all witnesses indicated it was practically horizontal. The terrazzo was more slippery when wet than when dry and at times during inclement weather the defendant had placed mats over the entranceway leading directly into the re*44volving door. However, there was no evidence that mats had been used for protecting the sections of the entrance' leading to the side doors.
There was evidence as to the co-efficient of friction of terrazzo, its use by building contractors, its abrasive qualities as compared to other materials similarly used and the effect of water in its surfaces. This evidence is not detailed for the reason that its principal relevancy was to establish the proper construction of the building and this issue was resolved in favor of the investment company. However, some of the evidence will be referred to later as it bears on the assertion that the defendant Walgreen Drug Company should have had knowledge that its entranceway when wet was dangerous and unsafe for invitees entering and leaving the store.
The trial judge in his charge permitted the jury to consider one ground of negligence against the investment company, namely, improper construction of the entrance-way; and two grounds of negligence against the drug company, namely, failure to warn and failure to cover the terrazzo with a protective covering such as a mat. The verdict of the jury eliminated the question of improper construction and so I deal only with the questions as to whether or not the defendant drug company was negligent in failing to warn plaintiff that the surface of the terrazzo was slippery when wet and whether or not reasonable care required the drug company to place a mat on the approach to the doors.
I am of the opinion that the defendant drug company was not negligent in failing to warn plaintiff of a dangerous condition. She was familiar with the entrance to the store and had crossed over it many times, both in good weather and bad. She knew that moisture on the surface of the sidewalk and the entrance rendered both more slippery and knew she was walking over a slick surface. A warning sign could not have given her more information than she *45already possessed. The record does not indicate that there was a latent defect or a hidden danger or that defendant drug company had knowledge that because of wear and tear the surface of the terrazzo was worn so smooth as to be dangerous. On the contrary, it would appear that the company could have reasonably believed that the entrance-way w,as constructed in the safest possible manner and that there were no hazards present other than those ordinarily encountered on a rainy day. Both plaintiff and defendant are charged with knowledge that cement, marble or composition surfaces become slippery when covered with water and both know that moisture on the surface of the entrance-way increase the hazards to persons walking on the passageway. Had the drug company known, or if it could be charged with knowledge, that an inferior product had been used, that the materials used subjected customers to extraordinary risks, or that wear and tear on the surface of the terrazzo had worn away the abrasive substance and so slickened the surface that an unsafe condition existed, then a warning might have been called for. But in this instance the record shows a standard product and proper construction. A tile contractor who made an examination of the surface of the terrazzo at the request of the plaintiff was unable to determine whether abrasive material was present on the surface. He did not testify that abrasive qualities were missing and other witnesses claimed that the carborundum was evident. If, upon a close inspection,, it could not be determined that the abrasive characteristics; had worn away, there is no reason to suspect the drug company would have known that the terrazzo had become unfit for use. The record is barren of any evidence or of any incident which might have charged the drug company with notice that the abrasive qualities of the terrazzo were sub-standard. Moreover, there was no affirmative act on the part of the company which contributed to the fall. No foreign substance was on the floor and no act of either defendant caused the terrazzo to be slippery. In the final analysis, the accident was caused by a combination of ele*46ments and circumstances which do not affix liability to the defendant drug company. There are some accidents which no amount of care can prevent, as individuals will always slip on slick surfaces, and slippery surfaces will always be present during inclement weather.
The question of whether the drug company was negligent in not placing mats over the entranceway presents a more difficult problem. There was evidence that some business houses in Salt Lake City who have entrances constructed of a like material use mats during inclement weather. Likewise, there is evidence that the drug company has on certain occasions used a mat for covering the center of the entrance leading to the revolving door.
Cases with similar facts have been passed on by different courts and different conclusions reached. I refer to and quote from two which present the arguments for and against the proposition that there is a duty on the part of a store owner to cover slippery surfaces with protective mats.
In the case of Cardall V. Shartenberg’s Inc., 69 R. I. 97, 31 A. 2d 12, 17, the Supreme Court of Rhode Island passed on the question. The accident happened under the following circumstances: The plaintiff slipped and fell on February 19, 1940, as she was leaving defendant’s department store by way of one of two vestibules. The vestibules were open and paved with terrazzo which had been in place for less than one year. The slope of the vestibule amounted to 314 to 4 inches in 101/2 feet in the direction of travel and a slight slope sideways.' Plaintiff had been in the store many times and was familiar with the fact that the floor of the vestibule was sloping. On the day of the accident the temperature was just above freezing point and at the time plaintiff walked across the vestibule it was wet and slippery. There was testimony concerning the percentage of abrasive material in the terrazzo, one witness claiming *47it was as little as 4 or 5 per cent while other witnesses claimed it reached 30 to 40 per cent.
The trial judge directed a verdict against the plaintiff upon the grounds that the evidence showed the floor of the vestibule was properly constructed according to established practice. The Supreme Court of Rhode Island reversed upon several grounds, but the one casting light on this decision deals with the sufficiency of the evidence to justify submitting the issue of negligence to the jury. Mr. Justice Moss, speaking for the Supreme Court, stated:
“Therefore and because of facts above stated and shown by testimony, we are of the opinion that there was evidence, and reasonable inferences therefrom favorable to the plaintiff, which raised questions for the jury to determine whether there was very little abrasive material at the surface of the vestibule floor on which the plaintiff slipped and fell; whether because of this fact and the double slope in that floor it would, if no extra protection was then provided, be dangerously slippery on business days in wet, snowy, or slushy weather, on account of the water that would be upon it; and also whether the defendant was negligent in not having, at the time of the accident, a rubber mat or other effective protection on this floor at the place where the plaintiff slipped and fell. This being so, upon the evidence thus considered, the plaintiff’s eighth exception to the direction by the trial justice of a verdict for the defendant should be sustained.”
The Supreme Court of Missouri, in the case of Fletcher v. North Mehornay Furniture Co., 359 Mo. 607, 222 S. W. 2d 789, 794, reached an opposite conclusion on a similar set of facts. In that case plaintiff slipped as she was walking in front of defendant’s store. The sidewalk in front of that institution was constructed of terrazzo which plaintiff alleged was slanted, highly polished and slippery. Plaintiff fell at approximately 9 o’clock a. m., November 25, 1946, at a time when the weather was cold and the sidewalk and streets were wet. Some snow had fallen, but at the time of the accident it had melted, leaving the surface of the terrazzo wet and slippery. Plaintiff was wearing Cuban heels of about two inches in height. The usual testimony concerning the presence or lack of presence of abrasive materials *48was produced and the witnesses, as in this case, testified to the fact that moisture acts as a lubricant when present on terrazzo and renders the same slippery and hazardous. The percentage of slope in that case was 2% inches in 9 feet or 5/18th of an inch to the foot. The opinion of a Commission was adopted by the Supreme Court, and it included the following statement of the law as referred to in other Missouri cases:
“In Schmoll V. National Shirt Shops, 354 Mo. 1164, 193 S. W. 2d 605, the plaintiff fell on the terrazzo entrance to the defendant’s store and was injured. In that case the terrazzo was wet and slick as in the present case; embedded in the terrazzo in that case were brass letters and these were wet and slick. It was held that the plaintiff could not recover. In ruling the case the court said, 193 S. W. 2d, loc. cit. 607: ‘The evidence shows terrazzo is commonly used as a flooring in lobbies of stores, and the use of brass in providing expansion joints is likewise common in the construction of terrazzo flooring; it has not been considered that terrazzo (with brass expansion joints) as a flooring is inherently dangerous; and defendant is not to be held negligent merely because of the use of terrazzo with brass expansion joints in the construction of the lobby floor. Cameron v. Small, supra, Mo. Sup., 182 S. W. 2d 565. It is also seen from the evidence that the use of brass in embedded designs or lettering indicating a trade name or mark, or a name of a store is not uncommon in the terrazzo floors of entrance lobbies of stores; however, brass becomes smooth and highly polished by wear, and, when so, is slippery when wet. Yet, defendant may not be necessarily subjected to liability because the brass so used was slippery and though the plaintiff’s fall was occasioned by the dangerously slippery condition of the brass. There is no liability of defendant for injuries from dangers that are obvious, or as well known to plaintiff as to defendant.’ ”
It might be that the case at bar could be distinguished from the Rhode Island case because of the difference in the slope of the entranceway or the time of the year. The defendants in this case were not faced with the possibility of danger from an icy or sharply inclined entranceway. If the cases are undistinguishable, then I prefer to follow the principles suggested by the Missouri Court.
*49There is evidence that on some occasions the company had used mats on the center portion of the approach which led to the revolving door. If mats were located as suggested by the witnesses they would not have covered the portion traversed by plaintiff. However, it might be reasonably argued that had they been in place plaintiff might have chosen the revolving door entrance. Granting this possibility, and accepting the evidence that in some entrances constructed of terrazzo other merchants have used mats during adverse weather, I am of the opinion that the failure to use mats in this instance cannot be considered as lack of due care.
There are cases where the failure to use a mat might be considered negligence. If an approach sloped excessively, if materials were used which a store owner knew did not contain any non-skid substance, if numerous people had slipped so that the storekeeper could be charged with knowledge that the material used was not appropriate for the purpose intended and therefore dangerous, or if other unusual situations were present which made the passage-way dangerous when it was not covered, then there might be a jury question as to the storekeeper’s liability.
None of the assumed conditions are present in this case. Accordingly, if the drug company can be held liable for failure to use a mat then every storekeeper or city can be charged with the duty of covering the entranceways and sidewalks or suffer the possibility of being charged with lack of due care towards persons walking thereon. It must be remembered that the area here involved was not inside the store where the storekeeper might have prevented the floor from becoming slippery and would only have a limited space to cover, but the fall was on the outside of the store where protection from the elements was impracticable and where the limitation on the size of the area would be the width and length of the sidewalk abutting the store.
Because respondent claims to have observed mats being used at some other time does not brand appellant with not *50having used due care. It might be that at other times the reasons for placing the mats was to protect patrons from slipping on ice or snow which might have blanketed the terrazzo. Dates were not fixed by the witnesses as to when the mats were used. Aside from that, to establish such a rule of law would have the effect of penalizing a storekeeper for exercising more than due care. Knowing that moisture, snow or ice have a tendency to make a surface slippery, some merchants take extra precaution for the safety or convenience of their patrons by using mats. Failure to maintain those extra precautions at all times is not negligence and the duty of a storekeeper is not measured by his taking or failing to take every conceivable precaution to prevent injuries to his invitees. The most that he can be charged with is to use reasonable care to avoid their injury and this record establishes that the drug company met every reasonable standard imposed on a storekeeper.