Court Opinion

ID: 9763095
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-29 02:36:39.70029+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:29:39.381117
License: Public Domain

*325CAVANAUGH, Judge,
dissenting:
I respectfully dissent from the majority opinion. Appellant asserts on appeal three theories of responsibility under which appellee is allegedly liable for appellant’s injuries: (1) defective equipment that is, the leg rest of the wheelchair in which appellant was seated, was fixed in a position that made appellant’s leg stick out; (2) active negligence on the part of the nurse by pulling on the wheelchair and thereby causing the doors to close tighter of appellant’s foot instead of pushing the doors forward to free appellant’s foot; and (3) whether the nurse acted rationally in an emergency situation. Appellant’s brief at page 5.
The majority opinion, however, has applied a whole new theory of responsibility, res ipsa loquitur or exclusive control, which was not proffered by appellant below or on appeal as a basis for appellee’s liability. None of the cases cited by the majority are cited by appellant in his brief. Such sua sponte decision making by our Court exceeds our proper appellate function of deciding controversies presented to it by the parties. Wiegand v. Wiegand, 461 Pa. 482, 485, 337 A.2d 256, 257 (1975). Commonwealth v. Karash, 513 Pa. 6, 8 n. 1, 518 A.2d 537, 538 n. 1 (1986).1 It is important to note, as pointed out in appellee’s brief, that appellant’s accident occurred in 1983 and the trial took place *326in 1991. Thus, the statute of limitations has run on any new cause of action. Appellee’s brief at page 2 n. 2, citing Del Turco v. Peoples Home Sav. Assoc., 329 Pa.Super. 258, 274-75, 478 A.2d 456, 464-65 (1984). See also, Haverstock by Haverstock v. T.I. Raleigh (USA), 384 Pa.Super. 106, 112, 557 A.2d 1068, 1070 (1989).
Further, the doctrine of res ipsa loquitur historically has been limited in its application by our courts to cases involving injuries to passengers from conveyances, such as railroads, elevators, and escalators or injuries to patrons of utilities. Ambrose v. Western Maryland Ry. Co., 368 Pa. 1, 11, 81 A.2d 895, 900 (1951). The majority’s application of the doctrine to the instant case, involving automatic doors, represents an unwarranted extension of the law not sought by appellant.
Finally, the majority opinion elevates hospital responsibility close to absolute liability when it states that “a hospital has a duty to inspect such- equipment and maintain it in good operating order.” Op. at 321. This deviates from the classical standard of reasonable care.
Accordingly, I would affirm the denial of appellant’s motion to remove the non-suit.

. The majority’s revised opinion containing footnote 1 causes me to reaffirm my position as, respectfully, it seems to me that the majority misconstrues the appellate function. It is not the duty of an appellate court to search out the pleadings in order to extract a basis for a theory of recovery which was not put forward at trial, on post-trial motions, or on appeal. Our courts have often said that it is not our duty to become the appellant’s attorney. Thus, our supreme court has opined:
"... [w]hen a party chooses to appeal under our rules of civil procedure, they choose the issues, and what is not chosen is waived. We cannot and do not construe an appeal as a challenge to all possible issues; we confine ourselves to what the parties choose and only that.”
Appeal of Municipality of Penn Hills, 519 Pa. 164, 172, 546 A.2d 50, 54 (1988). See also, Ibn-Sadiika v. Riester, 380 Pa.Super. 397, 401-402, 551 A.2d 1112, 1114 (1988); Commonwealth v. Streater, No. 1124 PGH 1990, Slip Op. at 8, n. 7, 1992 WL 51191 (Pa.Super. March 19, 1992) (rearg. granted, May 29, 1992).