Mobile & Ohio Railroad v. Watly
Mobile & Ohio Railroad v. Watly
Opinion of the Court
delivered the opinion of the court.
The evidence presents such a clear case of contributory negligence on the part of the plaintiff as to preclude recovery by him for any mere negligence of the defendant, and consideration of that should have been entirely excluded by the court, which should have instructed the jury to find for the defendant, unless it appeared that its servants in charge of the train, after seeing the children in a perilous situation, failed to exert themselves, as they should have done under the circumstances, to avert injury to them. That is the only debatable question in the case, and it was to try that by a
The third instruction is wrong, in so far as it authorizes the jury to consider the loss by the father of the “ society” of his child, and “the comfort the father might take in rearing him and bringing him up to manhood,” as elements of damages he may recover. Compensation for the injury is to be measured by the value of the pecuniary interest of the father in his child. He is to he compensated for the pecuniary loss sustained, and not otherwise. It is a question of dollars enough to pay for the loss the father has sustained by the death of his child, on the theory of his right to his services during his minority.
Reversed and remanded for a new trial.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Mobile & Ohio Railroad Co. v. Jack Watly
- Cited By
- 5 cases
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- 1. EAU/EOABS. Killing of child. Contributory negligence of parent. If a father directs or permits his children, aged eight and four, to walk down a railroad-track, and to cross a long- trestle, knowing that a train is due about that time, and the younger child is'run over by the train and billed while on the trestle, the contributory negligence of the parent will bar a recovery by him for any mere negligence of defendant’s servants in charge of the train. 2. Same. Duty to those in peril. Contributory negligence. Instruction. And if under such circumstances recovery is sought, notwithstanding the contributory negligence, on the ground that the engineer failed, after seeing the children in peril, to make reasonable efforts to avert injury, it is error to submit in the instructions the question of defendant’s negligence in not being on the look-out and sooner discovering the children. 3. Same. Duty to those in peril. Degree of diligence. It is error to instruct that those in charge of a running train are hound, after discovering one in peril on the track, “to do every thing in their power to prevent injury.” They must make such efforts to 'prevent injury as are reasonable in the light of the circumstances as they appear to them. 4. Same. Death of child. Measure of damages. In an action by a parent for the negligent killing of his child by the defendant, loss of the child’s society, and the comfort the father would have had in rearing' him, are not elements of damage. Compensation is limited to the actual pecuniary loss sustained, on the theory of the parent's right to the services of the child during- minority.