Ziehm v. United Electric Light & Power Co.

Briscoe, J., delivered the opinion of the Court. This action was brought by the plaintiff to recover damages for personal injuries sustained by the alleged negligence of the defendant, the United Electric Light and Power Company of Baltimore. The declaration contains four counts. The first three charge negligence in the construction and maintenance of certain electric wires operated by the company in the town of Pikes- ⁵⁹ ville, near the Reisterstown road, in Baltimore County.

The fourth charges negligence in permitting these wires to be and remain in a dangerous condition, exposed to contact with persons lawfully upon a telephone pole near its wires. The Court below at the conclusion of the testimony on behalf of the plaintiff instructed the jury, that according to the undisputed' evidence in the case the plaintiff directly contributed by his own negligence to the injuries he received. The plaintiff excepted to the granting of this prayer, and the questions for our consideration are presented, on this exception and on rulings of the Court, as to the admissibility of testimony, during the trial. At the time of the accident, the plaintiff was employed by the Maryland Telephone Company as a lineman to test the line and to answer what is known as “trouble calls” on the line.

On July 31st, 1902, he received a call and notice, to go to Pikesville to locate and ascertain “a trouble” on the line. When he reached the place of the accident he found it necessary in order to locate the trouble to ascend what is called “the distributing pole,” with a cable box at the top. He ascended by means of iron spikes driven on the side of the pole, as steps, from the ground to the cable box, a distance of fifty feet. In going up he had to pass three electric wires of the appellee in close proximity to the pole, between the ground and the cable box.

The first wire was about three inches from the pole; the, second about twenty-five inches and the third about fifty inches. He ascended the pole without injury between the first and second wires and located the trouble at the cable box. In descending his left hand came in contact with one of the wires, charged with 2,080 volts of electricity, he became unconscious and fell a distance of twenty feet to the ground and was injured. He testified “I was coming down, I had my left hand on the step and my right fo.ot on the step; I was to lower myself to get on the step below, and as I took my hand off to lower myself, the wire swung either by the wind or the repair car ⁶⁰ coming down the road.

The car got these wires vibrating and they struck me. I remember no more.” There was evidence that the appellee’s wires were not properly placed and the wire, which struck the appellant’s hand, as he descended the pole, was not properly insulated. The main question, presented by the exception to the prayer, is, were the facts and circumstances of the case so patent and plain as to have authorized the Court in pronouncing them, contributory negligence in law and in withdrawing the case> from the consideration of the jury. The law controlling this class of cases has been settled by numerous decisions of this Court.

It is this, where the facts are undisputed or where but one reasonable