Court Opinion

ID: 9526505
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-07 03:18:54.58722+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T13:20:16.565733
License: Public Domain

JUSTICE TRAPP, dissenting: I would affirm the verdicts and judgments entered in the trial court. The perceptions of the jury in fixing the percentage of comparative fault of the parties are not contrary to the manifest weight of the evidence. Upon the issue of “assumption of risk,” the majority opinion finds that plaintiff had worked as a party of an auger crew for more than a year. Some, if not all, of the work was standing in a trench, apparently one foot wide, containing a power shaft driving an auger. The hazard and danger seem patent. Plaintiff’s testimony makes clear that he violated the known safety rules requiring the use of a length of plastic pipe preventing the contact of body or clothing with a turning shaft and that he knew that the foreman could “raise hell” if he worked without using the section of pipe in directing the auger. Nevertheless, he chose to work without it because he did not consider the pipe to be useful. I perceive these admitted facts to come within the ambit of the subjective knowledge and understanding of the hazard which in Williams v. Brown Manufacturing Co. (1970), 45 Ill. 2d 418, 430, 261 N.E.2d 305, 312, was determined to be the test of whether there was an assumption of the risk. There was also testimony that the operator of the machine should stop the auger when the leadman sought to leave the ditch. There is no claim that a signal was given to stop the auger as the plaintiff climbed out. While plaintiff’s testimony, and that of his witnesses, claims that there were no instructions or directions as to safety procedure, and while plaintiff professes he had no knowledge of the hazard afforded with the work, that evidence was substantially contradicted by other witnesses. It is the historic function of a jury to pass upon the credibility of the witnesses. While it was the opinion of plaintiff’s expert that any safety device which permitted the employee to be in the vicinity of the turning shaft was unreasonably dangerous, it does not appear that he undertook to testify that the plastic pipe was valueless as a safety device, or that it would not forestall most, if not all, injuries from the turning shaft catching the employee’s clothing. The evidence is that Illinois Power approved the use of the pipe sleeve in 1978 in its use of something over 100 similar auger machines, and there is no suggestion of injuries suffered by failure of such safety procedure. We note that the Lesher opinion as an expert is not necessarily conclusive, for the jury is not required to accept the opinion of a particular expert, and this is particularly so where there are differing opinions of witnesses found qualified to testify. I read the majority opinion to say that the evidence does not support the jury’s verdict finding an assumption of the risk by where an employee admittedly violates known safety rules concerning patently hazardous work. A jury’s determination of comparative fault arising from such violations is not contrary to the manifest weight of the evidence. The principal opinion determines that the complaint for contribution filed by Case against McCartin adequately stated a cause of action upon the hypothesis of an assumption of the risk, but concludes that there was not sufficient evidence to show that McCartin was aware of the safety procedures through the use of “tool guides” or “hooks.” It appears that the use of such devices would permit the operation of the auger without the necessity of a man being in the trench. Illinois Power appears to have rented, or otherwise have furnished, the auger machines to McCartin, and there is testimony that the system of “guides” was available to McCartin for use with the augers. There appears to be no evidence contradicting this testimony. With such a record I would again hold that the verdict of the jury cannot be said to be contrary to the manifest weight of the evidence. For such reasons, I respectfully dissent.