Armstrong v. City of Auburn
Armstrong v. City of Auburn
Opinion of the Court
This action was brought in the district court for Nemaha county to recover for personal injuries sustained by reason of the negligence of defendant in removing a bridge or covering of a large culvert, in Main street in said city, and leaving the same, during the night following the removal of said bridge, without barriers to prevent persons traveling over said street from walking or driving into said culvert, and without any lights or signals to warn them of its dangerous condition. The answer is a general denial. There was a verdict for plaintiff for $1,500. From a judgment on such verdict, defendant prosecutes this appeal. As the answer does not tender any
The only error in the admission of testimony seriously complained of is in qtermitting plaintiffs father, who was the chief owner of the company by which plaintiff was employed, to testify that, subsequent to the time of plaintiff’s injury and after his marriage, the witness, in behalf of his company, denied plaintiff a raise of salary, for the reason that he was not able to perform the work that would justify an increase in his salary from the firm, and that the reason he was not able to perform the work in such manner was on account of his being unable to lift and do heavy work that he should do. We are not prepared to say that this was error; but, even so, the amount of the verdict is such as to satisfy us that the testimony could not have influenced the jury. The reason for this holding will appear in our discussion of the weight of the evidence.
The instructions given by the court were all submitted by the parties to the action, some of them by plaintiff, and the others by defendant. We do not think any good purpose could be served, either to the parties or to the profession, by setting out the instructions. We deem it sufficient to say that two of the instructions requested by plaintiff would ordinarily, in a suit for personal injuries by reason of defects in a public street, be somewhat defective; but, in the present case, they cannot be complained of, because defendant tendered, and the court gave, instructions which covered the imperfections of those requested by plaintiff. In such a condition of the record, error will not lie. Allan v. Chicago, B. & Q. R. Co., 82 Neb. 726. Taken as a whole, we think the instructions fairly.submitied the case to the jury under the pleadings and the evidence.
One of the elements of plaintiff’s demand was the sum of $79, for Avhich he had become obligated for medical services, medicines, and appliances. While the evidence shows that plaintiff had obligated himself for such an amount, defendant contends there is no evidence in the record to show that $79 is the reasonable value of such services, medicines, and appliances. In this contention Ave think defendant is right, and, as that sum may have been alloAved by the jury in making up the amount of its verdict, it should be deducted therefrom.
Finding no other error in the record, the judgment of the district' court is affirmed, on condition that plaintiff Avithin 30 days from this date file a remittitur for the sum of $79. Failing so to do, the judgment will stand reversed.
Judgment accordingly.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.