(Please note: the names and locations of all parties have been changed to protect the confidentiality of the participants in this wrongful death/personal injury case and its proceedings.)
This test, hereinafter referred to as the “Buckskin Joe’s” test, is a critical factor in light of all the controversy surrounding common carrier liability. While many courts focus on the destination and/or intention of passengers, the Buckskin Joe’s test narrows the focus to the heart of the issue, i.e., who had control of the situation, and who had the power to prevent and/or cause the injury.
The Buckskin Joe’s case involves a stagecoach ride patterned after the historic stagecoach rides enjoyed by early settlers in Colorado. This ride commenced and ended in the same place. The ride consisted of horses drawing a stagecoach wagon along a designated path. The pace of the ride varied from a slow walk to a gallop, to give paying riders thrill and excitement, simulating the sensation of the old west. Regardless of the fact that the ride did not transport passengers from “point A to point B,” and was purely for entertainment, the court still determined that the absence of freedom of movement and control warranted a finding of common carrier liability.
This concurs with Plaintiff’s allegations that neither destination nor intention are determining factors in whether a ride is deemed a common carrier. Rather, the focus lays heavily on the operator of the ride, who is in control and who has the ability to prevent and/or cause the wrongful death/injury to riders. This is the crux of the Elmer case. (See Part 5 of 10.)
For more information you are welcome to contact Sacramento personal injury lawyer, Moseley Collins. (See Part 5 of 10.)