Hager v. Southern Pacific Co.
Hager v. Southern Pacific Co.
Opinion of the Court
This is an action to recover damages for injuries to property (horses aud harness) resulting from a collision with a train of cars at a railroad crossing in the city of Oakland. A nonsuit was ordered by the trial court aud the plaintiff has appealed.
The accident occurred in the settled portion of the city. The train was going at the rate of thirty or thirty-five miles an
Ho comment by the court upon this state of facts is demanded.The conduct of the driver indicates a degree of negligence closely allied to recklessness. His negligence would have been but one degree more culpable if he had driven his team upon the track and there awaited the coming train and the inevitable collision. The conduct of both plaintiff and defendant clearly indicates an absence of the exercise of the most ordinary care, and under those circumstances the defendant is not liable, unless the acts which resulted in the injury were wilfully and deliberately done, and the evidence does not go to that extent. This is the established doctrine, and is supported in this state by an unbroken line of authority.
For the foregoing reasons let the judgment be affirmed. .
Harrison, J., and Paterson, J., concurred..
Hearing in Bank denied.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- LEWIS N. HAGER v. SOUTHERN PACIFIC COMPANY
- Cited By
- 16 cases
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- Negligence—Contributory Negligence—Wilful Injury.—Where the conduct both of a party injured and of the party alleged to have caused the injury clearly indicates an absence of the exercise of the most ordinary care, the latter will not be held liable, unless the acts which resulted in the injury were wilfully and deliberately done. Id.—Railroads—Negligence of Engineer—Alarm at Crossing—Collision with Wagon—Negligence of Driver.—The failure of the engineer of a railroad train to ring a bell or blow a whistle at a street crossing, as required by section 486 of the Civil Code, does not abrogate the doctrine of contributory negligence, and where the driver of a wagon recklessly drives across the railroad track at the time when the train is known to be due, without checking speed, or listening for an approaching train, or adopting any precaution to prevent a collision, the railroad company is not responsible for an injury resulting from a collision, notwithstanding the neglect of the engineer to comply with the statute. Id.—Subsequent Employment of Automatic Bell—Evidence An offer of evidence that subsequent to the accident the railroad company placed an automatic bell at the crossing where the collison occurred is properly rejected.