Washington v. Atlantic Richfield Co.

The plaintiffs, Ira Washington and John O’Brien, are Chicago firemen who were seriously burned while engaged in extinguishing a fire in and around an automobile whose driver had pulled into a filling station to purchase gas. The complaint named four defendants: Atlantic Richfield Company, the owner of the station; Porter Sledge, the lessee and operator of the station; Richard Yates, an employee of Sledge; and Charles Walker, the driver of the automobile. Summons was not served on Yates or Walker.

The trial court entered summary judgments in favor of the defendants and against the plaintiffs.…