§ 2304. Liability of common carriers for damages to property in transit; bills of lading.
(a) General rule.--Every common carrier that receives property for transportation between points within this Commonwealth shall issue a receipt or bill of lading therefor, and shall be liable to the lawful holder thereof for any loss, damage, or injury to such property caused by it, or any other common carrier to which such property may be delivered, or over whose line such property may be transported. No contract, receipt, rule or regulation shall exempt such common carrier from the liability hereby imposed. The commission may, by regulation or order, authorize or require any common carrier to establish and maintain rates related to the value of shipments declared in writing by the shipper, or agreed upon in writing as the release value of such shipments; such declaration or agreement to have no effect other than to limit liability and recovery to an amount not exceeding the value so declared or released. Any tariff filed pursuant to such regulation or order shall specifically refer thereto.
(b) Rights of holder and common carrier.--This section does not deprive any lawful holder of such receipt or bill of lading of any remedy or right of action which such holder has under existing laws. Any common carrier issuing such receipt or bill of lading shall, in the event of a recovery of a judgment against, or of a satisfaction made by, such common carrier for such loss or damage, be entitled to recover from the common carrier on whose line the loss or damage shall have been sustained, an amount not in excess of the loss or damage to such property which the lawful holder of such bill of lading or receipt would otherwise have been entitled to recover against such last mentioned common carrier, and not in excess of the amount actually paid to the holder of such receipt or bill of lading.
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