Grout v. Central Electric Railway Co.
Grout v. Central Electric Railway Co.
Opinion of the Court
This action was instituted to recover damages for personal injury sustained by plaintiff by defendant running into his wagon at a street crossing. This is the third appeal to this court, the others being found reported in 125 Mo. App. 552, and 151 Mo. App. 330. We refer to those reports for a full statement 'of the nature of the case from the beginning. At the last trial the only case claimed by plaintiff was under the humanitarian rule. Under that rule there was sufficient evidence to entitle him to go to the jury and we will address ourselves to complaints against the action of the court on instructions.
The chief objection is to No. 2, given for plaintiff. That instruction declared, in effect, that though plaintiff was guilty of contributory negligence in approaching and driving upon the track, yet if defendant’s motorman say his peril, or by ordinary care might have seen it, in time to have stopped the car or checked its speed so as to have avoided a collision with plaintiff’s wagon; and if he did not do so, and in consequence collided with the wagon and plaintiff' was thrown to the ground and hurt, the verdict must be for the plaintiff, “unless you should further find and believe from the evidence that plaintiff was himself guilty of such want of care for his own safety as to amount to a wilful or wanton exposure of life or body to the perils of such collision.”
The rule now understood to have the sanction of our Supreme Court is that neither comparative nor corncurring negligence has any place in determining liability in cases based on the humanitarian rule. The general rule is conceded, “that an injury that is the joint product of negligence of the tort feasor and contributory negligence of the injured party, is not actionable.” But this concession, says the Supreme Court, does not militate against the soundness of the humanitarian doctrine; for it exists by way of exception to that rule. [Murphy v. Railroad, supra, 80, 81.] The instruction therefore rightfully declared, in effect, that plaintiff’s contributory negligence was not a defense; and the jury were- left to say whether defendant’s servants saw, or might have seen in ordinary care, the peril in which plaintiff had negligently placed himself, in time to have saved him by the use of ordinary care; and if they did, to find for him. The
There was no error in refusing instructions offered by defendant. Those given fully cover the case and leave nothing which could be desired within legal limits. The refusal of No. 4, as to speed, was proper.
Finally defendant asserts the verdict to be excessive, even as reduced. It was for $7500, and a remittitur was entered for $2500, leaving a judgment for $5000, which is the amount of the verdict at the second trial. It is more than at the first, but we think under the evidence and in view of the action of the trial court in sustaining it, we should not further interfere. Hence the judgment is affirmed.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.