537.250. Liability of common carrier for loss or damage to property transported--who may be joined as defendants.
Liability of common carrier for loss or damage to propertytransported--who may be joined as defendants.
537.250. Whenever any property is received by a commoncarrier to be transferred from one place to another, within orwithout the state, or when a railroad or other transportationcompany issues receipts or bills of lading in this state, thecommon carrier, railroad or transportation company issuing suchbill of lading shall be liable for any loss, damage or injury tosuch property, caused by its negligence or the negligence of anyother common carrier, railroad or transportation company to whichsuch property may be delivered, or over whose line such propertymay pass; and the common carrier, railroad or transportationcompany issuing any such receipt or bill of lading shall beentitled to recover, in a proper action, the amount of any loss,damage or injury it may be required to pay to the owner of suchproperty, from the common carrier, railroad or transportationcompany, through whose negligence the loss, damage or injury maybe sustained; provided, that in any suit to recover for any loss,damage or injury to property transported by a common carrier andone or more connecting carriers, the plaintiff may join asdefendants the original carrier and all connecting carriers, andshall be entitled to recover in such action from the commoncarrier, railroad or transportation company, through whosenegligence any loss, damage or injury to such property wassustained, the amount of such loss, damage or injury, with allcosts of suit, and may prosecute such action in any county inthis state in which, as is provided by law, a suit may bemaintained against either of such common carriers.
(RSMo 1939 § 3678)Prior revisions: 1929 § 3288; 1919 § 4239; 1909 § 5446
CROSS REFERENCES:
Common carriers, liable for damage to property in transit, RSMo 387.180
Failure of railroad to receive and deliver bulk grain, RSMo 389.540