Price v. Inland Oil Co.

OPINION OF THE COURT

JAMES HUNTER, III, Circuit Judge:

This case arises from an unfortunate accident at the Hanover Wire Cloth Company on February 10, 1975. On that date, a Hanover employee, Tyrone Price, was seriously burned when his clothing, having been splashed with a flammable hydrocarbon substance known as “naphtha” or “mineral spirits,” accidentally became ignited by a cigarette spark. Price brought suit against the supplier of the naphtha, appellant, Amsco, Division of Union Oil Company of California (“Amsco”), on both a negligence and strict liability theory.1 During pre-trial…