Westbrooks v. Gordon H. Ball, Inc.

The widow and daughter of Andrew J. Westbrooks, as his sole heirs, sued the defendant for damages for his alleged wrongful death. The jury brought in a verdict for the defendant. Plaintiffs’ motion for a new trial was denied, and they appealed.

At the time of decedent’s death, the defendant, Gordon H. Ball, Inc., a corporation, was the general contractor constructing the freeway on route 99 in Bakersfield; decedent was an ironworker employed by the Soule Steel Company, a subcontractor. On the morning of his death, Mr. Westbrooks had been working with his steel company crew on the Brundage Lane…