Southwestern Bell Telephone Company v. Norwood

Appellee, a resident of Benton, Arkansas, sued appellant to recover damages caused by a fire originating in the bathroom of his home in said city which quickly spread to other rooms. It is not alleged that appellant caused the fire, but that the operator was negligent in not answering promptly a call to notify the Fire Department made first by his wife and then by himself, which caused a delay of four or five minutes in reaching the Fire Department. He also alleged negligence of appellant in permitting its telephone system to become so obsolete, crowded and inadequate that it did not render…