Renz v. Penn Central Corp.

The opinion of the Court was delivered by

HANDLER, J.

In this case the plaintiff, Frederick Renz, Jr., then age 15, and four companions were walking along Penn Central Railroad tracks, on April 4, 1975, when Renz attempted to cross between the cars of a stationary train by climbing over the coupling. The train moved as Renz was engaged in this activity and he fell beneath the wheels of the train resulting ultimately in the loss of one leg and a fracture of the other.

Plaintiff by his guardian ad litem instituted an action to recover damages for negligence from the railroad and some of its…