Stewart v. Motts
Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
654 A.2d 535 (1995)
Stewart (plaintiff) volunteered to help Motts (defendant) with a fuel-tank repair at Motts's auto shop and poured gasoline into the carburetor; when Motts started the car at the agreed moment, it backfired and exploded, severely burning Stewart. The trial court instructed the jury to find Motts negligent only if he failed to exercise the care a reasonable person would exercise under the circumstances, and the jury found for Motts. Stewart appealed, arguing the jury should have been instructed to require a "high degree of care" given that gasoline is a dangerous instrumentality.
Whether the defendant in a negligence claim involving a dangerous instrumentality is held to a higher degree of care than the standard of reasonable care.