Palsgraf V. Long Island Railroad Case Summary

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When a case is brought to court there are many areas that need to be observed and analyzed. This is the same thing that was done in the case of Palsgraf vs. Long Island Railroad Company. This case covered many areas including legal, social, and biblical issues in humanity. In the end it comes down to the judge to rule based on what was observed during the case.
In the case of Palsgraf vs. Long Island Railroad Company the plaintiff is suing the railroad company for injuries sustained while waiting on a platform for an inbound train. In the case the plaintiff was waiting on a platform while a second train was preparing to leave. As the train departed passengers who were about to miss the train began to run and jump on to the train. Seeing …show more content…

The court ruled in favor of the railroad company because they stated there was no way for the conductor to know that the package was dangerous or could cause harm (Melvin, 278). This case had many angles to be analyzed, but in the end I believe the correct ruling was made. Looking at the plaintiffs claims it is understandable that she is upset. The injuries she had sustained were not of her own doing. She felt that it was due to the negligence of the conductor that caused her injuries that is the conductor had not helped the man the package would not have been dislodged and the explosion would not have happened. Using this claim she was hoping to sue for actual damages. In the book The Legal Environment of Business Melvin stated “ In order to recover in to recover in a negligence case, the tortfeasor must have caused another party actual damages. This means that means that the party alleging injury must prove that she suffered some type of physical harm derived from an injury caused by the tortfeasor” (Melvin, 277). She brought her story to the court to prove this. However, the defense had countered the claim of negligence by stating that there is no way the conductor could have known the danger of his action.

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