Tennessee, A. G. R. Co. v. Daniel
Tennessee, A. G. R. Co. v. Daniel
Opinion of the Court
The action was for damages for an alleged negligent injury to appellee’s dog. The gravamen of the complaint is that:
“While running one of its said trains of cars through said Cherokee county, Ala., the defendant, its agent or servant, acting within the scope of their authority, did negligently run its said train of cars over, upon, or against the fox dog of the plaintiff, breaking or cutting' off its foot or leg, thereby permanently disabling the said dog, to the damage of the plaintiff,” etc.
The complaint stated only one cause of action, and was not subject to the grounds of demurrer assigned.
Touching actions for damages for injuries to dogs by railroad companies, see Central of Georgia Railway Co. v. Martin, 150 Ala. 388, 43 South. 563; L. & N. R. R. Co. v. Fitzpatrick, 129 Ala. 322, 29 South. 859, 87 Am. St. Rep. 64; L. & N. R. R. Co. v. Zeigler, 167 Ala. 237, 52 South. 599; A. C., G. & A. R. Co. v. Lumpkin, 195 Ala. 290, 70 South. 162; Selma Street & Suburban R. Co. v. Martin, 2 Ala. App. 537, 56 South. 601.
In Alabama City, Gadsden & Attalla Railway Co. v. Lumpkin, supra, the court said:
“A motorman who sees a dog on or dangerously near the track ahead is entitled to act, or to refrain from acting, upon the presumption that it will get out of the way in time to avoid danger, or that it will not move into danger, provided there is nothing in the circumstances to indicate to a reasonably prudent operative that the dog is helpless to extricate itself from danger, or that it is indifferent to its surroundings. Moore v. Charlotte Ry. Co., 136 N. C. 554 [48 S. E. 822, 67 L. R. A. 470]; Harper v. St. Paul City Ry. Co., 99 Minn. 253 [109 N. W. 227, 6 L. R. A. (N. S.) 911, 914, 116 Am. St. Rep. 415]; Jones v. Bond (C. C.) 40 Fed. 281; Smith v. St. Paul City Ry. Co., 79 Minn. 254, 256 [82 N. W. 577]; Fowles v. Seaboard Ry., 73 S. C. 306, 308 [53 S. E. 534]; Citizens’ Rapid Transit Co. v. Dew, 100 Tenn. 317 [45 S. W. 790, 40 L. R. A. 518, 523, 66 Am. St. Rep. 754].”
It will be noted that the Lumpkin Case expressly hypothesized that there must be “nothing in the circumstances to indicate to a reasonably prudent operative that the dog is helpless to extricate itself from danger, or that it is indifferent to its surroundings,” before the motorman seeing the dog on the track may act on the presumption that it will avoid the danger.
When the general charge of the court is considered as a whole it is manifest that'the law of the case, the law having application to the facts, was fairly given, and that the questions of disputed fact or of inferences to be drawn from the facts were properly left to the determination of the jury.
The judgment of the circuit court is affirmed.
Affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Tennessee, A. & G. R. Co. v. Daniel
- Cited By
- 6 cases
- Status
- Published