Lang v. New York Central R. Co., 255 U.S. 455 (1921)
U.S. Supreme Court
Lang v. New York Central R. Co., 255 U.S. 455 (1921)
Lang v. New York Central Railroad Company
No. 290
Argued March 1, 1921
Decided March 28, 1921
255 U.S. 455
Syllabus
1. Failure of a railroad to equip a car with automatic couplers as required by the Safety Appliance Act will not render it liable to an employee for an injury of which the delinquency was not the proximate cause. P. 255 U. S. 458.
2. Where a brakeman whose duty and purpose were to stop a string of switched cars before they reached a car standing on a siding awaiting unloading was injured in a collision with it, having failed to stop the moving cars in time, held that the fact that the standing car lacked a draw bar and coupler on the end where the impact was did not render the railroad liable for the injury, even if their presence would have prevented it, since the purpose of the requirement of automatic couplers is to avoid risks in coupling, and not to provide a place of safety between colliding cars. P. 255 U. S. 469.
227 N.Y. 507 affirmed.
The case is stated in the opinion.