Yazoo & Mississippi Valley Railroad v. Mitchell
Yazoo & Mississippi Valley Railroad v. Mitchell
Opinion of the Court
delivered the opinion of the court.
This case grew out of the same state of facts as did the case of Railroad v. White, 82 Miss., 120; s.c., 33 South., 970. As
The modification of the first instruction for appellant by inserting the words “capriciousness or recklessness” was proper, and appellant could not possibly have been prejudiced thereby.
The other instructions asked by appellant were not correct, when considered in the light of the testimony, and we approve the action of the court in refusing them. 'Granting that the engineer did not see the signal, it does not follow that the fireman, who testified that he -was also keeping a lookout, did not; and if either of them saw, or by the exercise of ordinary care could have seen, the signal, it was the duty of the engineer to have stopped the train. The instruction refused by the court did not so state.
In a proper case, when punitive damages are allowable under the law, the fixing of the amount of such damages is peculiarly within the province of the jury, and this court interferes with
Affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Yazoo & Mississippi Valley Railroad Company v. Abner A. Mitchell
- Cited By
- 4 cases
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- 1. Railroads. Flag stations. Failure to stop train. Signal seen. In an action by an intending passenger against a railroad company for failing, when duly signaled, to stop át a flag station, if either the engineer or fireman saw the signal as the train approached the station, and it was not stopped, the plaintiff can recover. 2. Same. Exemplary damages. Capriciousness. Recklessness. In such case, the signals having been seen by the engineer or fireman, it is within the province of the jury to award punitive damages, if* the failure to stop was due to either capriciousness or recklessness, as well as to malice, deliberate design, willfulness or wantonness. 3. Same. Amov/nt. Where exemplary damages are recoverable, the amount thereof is peculiarly in the province of the jury.