Sheehan v. St. Paul case brief summary

Sheehan v. St. Paul case brief summary

Facts of the Case: The plaintiff was walking on the defendant’s railway track when his foot became stuck between 2 portions of the track.
Unable to dislodge the foot before the approaching train could stop, the defendant’s foot was run over.  The trial court enters a directed verdict for the defendant.
AC affirms.

Issue: Whether the railway co. owes a duty to trespassers who enter on to tracks assume their own risks, particularly in such remote areas of the track.

Rule: The railway co. does not owe a duty to trespassers who enter on to tracks assume their own risks
•No distinction btw artificial and natural
¶No duty until you see a trespasser

Analysis: The railway company owes a public duty to areas such as street crossings where it is presumable that persons would come in contact with a train.
In this case, no such duty is owed.
The plaintiff was actually trespassing on the land of the railway in a remote location where the probability of a person coming into contact with a train was highly unlikely, in the absence of the plaintiff’s trespassory actions.

Conclusion: The court affirmed

Support us by:

Visiting: http://www.fbdetox.com to rid yourself of that social media addition.

Checking out our store on Etsy: http://www.bohobuttons.com