Brown v. Yazoo & Mississippi Valley Railroad
Brown v. Yazoo & Mississippi Valley Railroad
Opinion of the Court
delivered the opinion of the court.
Appellant’s only contention in his motion for a new trial was that it was error to exclude his testimony and peremptorily instruct the jury to find for the railroad company. He was the only witness in the case, and testified that he and his wife and three children were pay passengers on appellee’s train; that his car and three other cars suddenly left the track and were turned over, causing some bruises, sickness, etc. We think this a case where the thing speaks, for itself, and shows that, manifestly, there was some defect in the rails, or wheels of the cars, at the very time of the accident, so as to put the railroad company to an explanation. The courts will not go beyond the case shown to imagine that the trouble might have been from an unforeseen cause, such as a freshet, storm, felonious tampering with the rails, etc.
Reversed and remanded.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Daniel W. Brown v. Yazoo & Mississippi Valley Railroad Company
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- Railroads. Injury to passenger. Presumption. Oars overturned. Burden of proof. Res ipsa loquitur. Testimony showing that the car in which plaintiff was a passenger suddenly left the track and turned over, injuring plaintiff, proves prima facie a defect in the rails or wheels, at the time of the accident, and puts the burden of proof on the railroad company to explain the accident in order to escape liability.