Desch v. Lehigh County

Citations

• 231 Pa. 511
• 80 A. 992
• 1911 Pa. LEXIS 876

Syllabus

<p>Negligence — Bridges—Counties—Change of character of travel — Harmless error.</p> <p>1. A county is bound to strengthen and maintain its bridges in order to support automobiles of the ordinary and usual weight of vehicles traveling over the highways in the locality.</p> <p>2. Where a county is sued for a death resulting from the breaking of the floor of a county bridge under an automobile, a verdict against the county will not be reversed because the trial judge inadvertently used the word “unusual” in connection with an automobile when he intended to use the word “usual,” if it is plain from other parts of the charge that the jury could not have been misled by the mistake.</p>