The Logging Hazard: Court Rules on Hidden Dangers
A landmark state supreme court decision shields lumber merchants from liability for hidden defects in timber that cause mill accidents.
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That a vendor cannot be held responsible for a latent defect in a manufactured article sold by him is a new principle established by a decision of the supreme court today. The ruling relieves loggers of responsibility for accidents arising from bursting saws caused by leaving broken iron hooks in sawlogs. The question arose in a case where George J. Ketchum, a Stanwood merchant, was sued by the Stetson & Post Mill company for damages resulting from a bursting saw that struck an iron point hidden deep within a log. Because the defect could not be detected from the outside, the court ruled Ketchum had no responsibility and affirmed the judgment in his favor.
“A vendor can not be held responsible for a latent defect in a manufactured article sold by him.”
This ruling highlights the high-stakes, dangerous nature of Washington's early timber industry. Liability law for industrial accidents has shifted significantly since 1903, but the struggle to balance worker safety and employer responsibility remains a core labor issue in the Northwest.
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