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Thomas v. Consumers Power Co.

Supreme Court of Michigan
Jul 23, 1975
394 Mich. 459 (Mich. 1975)

Summary

In Estate of Thomas v Consumer's Power, 394 Mich 459, 460; 231 NW2d 653. (1975) two snowmobilers were killed when they struck the unmarked guy wires of a Consumers Power utility pole.

Summary of this case from McBride v. Brooks

Opinion

Docket Nos. 56722, 56723.

Decided July 23, 1975.

Cicinelli, Mossner, Majoros, Alexander Harrigan, P.C., for plaintiffs.

Smith Brooker, P.C. (by Webster Cook; W.E. Wisner, of counsel), for defendant Consumers Power Company.

William C. Hoffman, for defendant Saginaw County Agricultural Society.


MEMORANDUM OPINION. Defendants obtained summary judgments as to both counts of plaintiffs' complaint. Plaintiffs had sought to recover for the deaths of their decedents in a snowmobile accident. Their deaths occurred on land owned by Saginaw County Agricultural Society when their snowmobile came in contact with a Consumers Power guy wire thereon. The Court of Appeals affirmed. 58 Mich. App. 486; 228 N.W.2d 786 (1975). This Court, in lieu of leave to appeal, pursuant to GCR 1963, 853.2(4), affirms the decision of the Court of Appeals as to Count I, but reverses and remands for trial as to Count II.

Count I was based on ordinary negligence. Defendants successfully interposed MCLA 300.201; MSA 13.1485. We accept the Court of Appeals' construction of this statute.

Count II was based on gross negligence. We find that the allegations of the complaints sufficiently state facts giving rise to a cause of action based on gross negligence so as to withstand summary judgment. Plaintiffs clearly alleged that the defendants knew of Consumer Power's unmarked guy wires and the threat therefrom to snowmobilers permissively using the Saginaw County Agricultural Society's land, that unmarked guy wires in areas "exposed to traffic" were a violation of an industry safety code, that the defendants could have avoided the resulting harm in several ways, and that they failed to do so. See, e.g., Taylor v Mathews, 40 Mich. App. 74; 198 N.W.2d 843 (1972); 2 Restatement of Torts 2d, § 500.

T.G. KAVANAGH, C.J., and WILLIAMS, LEVIN, J.W. FITZGERALD, and LINDEMER, JJ., concurred.

M.S. COLEMAN, J., would affirm the decision of the Court of Appeals in its entirety.

SWAINSON, J., took no part in the decision of this case.


Summaries of

Thomas v. Consumers Power Co.

Supreme Court of Michigan
Jul 23, 1975
394 Mich. 459 (Mich. 1975)

In Estate of Thomas v Consumer's Power, 394 Mich 459, 460; 231 NW2d 653. (1975) two snowmobilers were killed when they struck the unmarked guy wires of a Consumers Power utility pole.

Summary of this case from McBride v. Brooks

In Thomas v Consumers Power Co, 394 Mich. 459; 231 N.W.2d 653 (1975), for example, the Court, faced with a claim governed by the recreational use statute, applied the three elements of wilful and wanton misconduct, but termed the cause of action "gross negligence".

Summary of this case from Graham v. Gratiot County
Case details for

Thomas v. Consumers Power Co.

Case Details

Full title:THOMAS v CONSUMERS POWER COMPANY

Court:Supreme Court of Michigan

Date published: Jul 23, 1975

Citations

394 Mich. 459 (Mich. 1975)
231 N.W.2d 653

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