Ramage v. Producers' & Refiners' Oil Co.

Citations

• 259 Pa. 491
• 103 A. 336
• 1918 Pa. LEXIS 439

Syllabus

<p>Negligence — Oil companies — Fires—Origin—Engines—Hoi tube method — Dangerous machinery — Custom of business — •Proximate cause — Case for jury.</p> <p>1. In an action against an oil company to recover damages for injuries to plaintiff’s premises caused by fire alleged to have been communicated from defendant’s pumping station, tbe case is for tbe jury and a verdict for the plaintiff will be sustained where it appeared that the engines in such station were equipped with the hot tribe method of ignition causing an open flame to come in contact with escaped oil, and such method of operation was more dangerous than that customarily in use.</p> <p>2. In such ease plaintiff was not bound to exclude by her proofs every possible theory as to the fire’s origin at variance with her own, but was required only to exclude every other reasonable theory.</p>