Authement v. Louisiana Western R.

Supreme Court of Louisiana
Authement v. Louisiana Western R., 147 La. 816 (La. 1920)
86 So. 215
Monroe, Niell, Takes

Authement v. Louisiana Western R.

Opinion of the Court

O’NIELL, J.

[1] A rehearing was granted in this case for further consideration of the question whether plaintiff’s negligence, in leaving the cut of cars too close to the main line, was the only negligence in the case. Although, under the federal Employers’ Liability Act, proof of contributory negligence on the part of an employé does not bar his right to recover damages for an injury caused by negligence on the part of an officer or other servant of the defendant railroad company, an employé cannot recover damages for an injury resulting from negligence, if his was the only negligence in the case.

[2] In the case before us the. conductor in charge of the train, whose orders the brakeman had to obey, directed him to leave the cut of cars where they were, on the house track, after the.brakeman had expressed his doubt whether the last car in the cut was far enough from the main line to allow trains to pass safely. The brakeman, therefore, in leaving the ear too close to the main line, was merely deferring to the judgment of his superior, in obedience to a rule of the railroad company. The officers of the company would place the responsibility for such negligence, not upon the brakeman, but upon the conductor, who directed the switching of the cars. Our conclusion is that the conductor was at fault in this case, for failing to see that the cut of cars on the house track was placed far enough from the main line.

[3] The doctrine of assumption of risk is not appropriate t.o this case. The plaintiff’s forgetting the danger, or failing to guard against it, was not a deliberate assumption of risk. It was contributory negligence, if in fact it was not justified by the duty, which the brakeman owed, to obey the orders and act upon the judgment of his superior.

[4] The decree heretofore rendered by this court is now reinstated and made the final judgment herein.

MONROE, C. J., takes no part.

Reference

Full Case Name
AUTHEMENT v. LOUISIANA WESTERN R. CO.
Cited By
3 cases
Status
Published
Syllabus
(Syllabus by Editorial Staff.) 1. Master and servant While, under federal Employers’ Liability Act (U. S. Oomp. St. §§ 8657-8665), contributory negligence is no defense, there can be no recovery where the negligence was solely that of injured servant. 2. Master and servant Where a brakeman, who had cut out a car, notified the conductor that it was too close to other tracks, but the conductor failed to change it, the conductor must be deemed guilty of negligence, the brakeman deferring to his superior, and recovery by the brakeman, who came in contact with the car during switching operations, cannot be denied on the ground the negligence was solely that of the brakeman. 3. Master and servant &wkey;>222(2), 245(8) — Principle of “contributory negligence” within federal act, instead of assumption of risk, held applicable to brakeman. Where a brakeman, having switched a car on a siding, called the conductor’s attention to the fact that it was too close to the other track, the conductor telling him to leave the car where it was, and on the following morning, while riding on another car, without looking towards the stationary car, was brushed off, he did not assume the risk of injury from contact with the stationary car, though he forgot the danger and failed to guard against it, but he was guilty of contributory negligence, within the federal Employers’ Liability Act (U. S. Oomp. St. §§ 8657-8665), if his conduct was not justified by his duty to obey the orders of his superior. [Ed. Note. — For other definitions, see Words and Phrases, First and Second Series, Contributory Negligence.] 4. Negligence IOI — Brakeman guilty of contributory negligence held entitled to an award of $3,000. A brakeman, 33 years old, earning $100 a month, and guilty of contributory negligence, held entitled to an award of $3,000 for injuries rendering him unable to do the active severe work done by one in that vocation.