Young v. City of Seattle

October 23, 1959, at approximately 8:40 a. m., plaintiff, Owen D. Young, was a passenger in a Seattle city bus, seated opposite the rear door. He had signaled his intention to get off at the next stop, a “short block” away. As he arose from his seat, the bus came to a sudden stop. He was thrown to the floor and injured. He commenced this action against the city alleging as negligence the sudden stopping of the bus.

The city’s answer denied that its bus driver was negligent, asserting the sudden stop was occasioned by an emergency created by an automobile driven abruptly in front of the bus.

The…