Sullivan v. Dunham,

161 N.Y. 290, 55 N.E. 923 (1900)

Facts

Dunham (D) employed some men to dynamite a sixty-foot tree that was on his land. The blast hurled a fragment of wood 412 feet onto a highway where it struck a woman and killed her. P sued D and the blasters. The trial judge charged that negligence need not be proven to establish liability. The trial court found for P, which was affirmed at the appellate division. D appealed.