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BGE 64 II 198 ΓÇó Swimming pool defect and contributory negligence under Art. 58 OR
BGE 64 II 198Amtliche Sammlung des Bundesgerichts (BGE) / Band II04.02.1938Dismissed
The Federal Court dismissed the plaintiffs’ appeal and confirmed the Aargau cantonal judgment. It held that the hotel’s bathing facility was a defective work under Art. 58 OR because the sudden, unmarked drop in the pool floor created a hidden danger for non-swimmers and no adequate warning or barrier was installed. The drowning was adequately causally linked to this defect. However, the victim’s own negligence in continuing away from the handrail after noticing the increasing depth justified a 20% reduction of the damages.
Art. 58 OR; work liability for a bathing facility with a hidden steep drop; adequate causation; contributory negligence. A swimming pool is defective when a sudden, visually unmarked change in depth creates a danger for users, especially non-swimmers, and no sufficient safety measures are taken. The owner must anticipate foreseeable misuse by guests and provide effective warnings or protective devices. Adequate causation is affirmed if the accident is a foreseeable consequence of the dangerous construction. The injured person’s own fault does not exclude liability unless it is sufficiently serious; otherwise it only leads to a reduction of damages (consid. 1-2).
193 Obligationenreeht. No 34. Demkach erkennt das Bundesgericht : Die Berufung wird abgewiesen und das Urteil des Ober- gerichtes des Kantons Aargau vom 4. Februar 1938 be- stätigt. 34. Auszug aus dem Urteil der .I. ZivUabteUung vom 18. Kai 1938 i. S. Ellrlich und Xonsorten gegen Grandh6tel und Kurhaus Seelisberg (Sonnenberg) A.-G. Wer k h a f tun g, Art. 58 OR. Man gel h a f t e A n lag e eines S c h w i m m b ass ins, darin bestehend, dass ein plötzliches Abfallen. des anfänglich auf eine Strecke von 20 m sich langsam senkenden Bassinbodens in keiner Weise markiert ist. Bejahung des a d ä qua t e n Kau s a I z usa m m e n - h a n g s zwischen dem Mangel und dem Ertrinken eines des Schwimmens unkundigen Benützers. Mit ver s c h u 1 den desselben.