In the famous case of Palsgraf v. Long Island Railroad the plaintiff was waiting at a railroad station when a railway guard pushed a man from behind to help him board a departing train. An unmarked package, containing fireworks, slipped from the man's hand and exploded, causing a set of scales to fall on the plaintiff. The plaintiff sued the railroad, and the court found that
Answer: The railroad was not liable because the woman was not a foreseeable plaintiff. Even though the railroad might have been negligent in its care of the man the guard pushed, that was not a violation of the plaintiff's rights. The guard could not have foreseen the risk that he was creating when he pushed the man.