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

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.


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