Corse v. Philadelphia & Reading Railway Co.
Corse v. Philadelphia & Reading Railway Co.
Opinion of the Court
The opinion of the court was delivered by
This suit was instituted by the respondent to recover damages for personal injuries received at the Marion street grade crossing of the appellant in Trenton. There was a verdict in favor of the respondent. The appellant brings the appeal and assigns error in the trial court, in refusing to nonsuit the respondent; in refusing to direct a verdict in favor of the appellant; in the charge, leaving the question of contributory negligence of the respondent to the jurjr, and a refusal of the trial court to charge as requested, that the respondent was guilty of contributory negligence.
“Q. Did yon notice anything else there?
“A. The engines across the track.
“Q. What were they doing, if anything?
*350 “A. They were standing there exhausting steam.
”Q. How far from the Marion street pavement?
“A. They were not far from the pavement; they were not • over five or six feet from the pavement.
“Q. Then you did what ?
“A. We kept watching these engines on account of them exhausting steam, for fear they would move.
“Q. Then what?
“A. Then we looked up the track again and then we started across a little further, and we watched the engines and looked again and didn’t see anything and then we started to cross the track watching those engines that were right near us.
"Q. What happened?
“A. Then we were struck by the train and I was knocked unconscious.”
It therefore seems quite evident that the engines exhausting steam were a source of apparent danger with the surrounding circumstances. Whether respondent’s attention was directed to this source of apparent danger, thus distracting the attention from the source of probable danger, is a question on which, under the testimony in this case, different conclusions may fairly be drawn, and if so, the question of the respondent’s contributory negligence is a jury question, and properly so treated by the trial court. The rule is aptly stated in these words: “Where there are doubtful and qualifying circumstances, the question of negligence or want of proper care is a matter of ordinary observation and experience of the conduct of men, and as such must be left to the jury as being within their legal province.” Bonnell v. Delaware, &c., Railroad Co., 39 N. J. L. 189. There are many cases in our reports and those of other jurisdictions, illustrating this principle, as applied to injuries occurring at steam railroad grade •crossings. The trial judge was not in error in treating the question of respondent’s contributory negligence as a jury •question.
There being no error in the record, the judgment is therefore affirmed.
For reversal—None.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- MICHAEL CORSE v. PHILADELPHIA AND READING RAILWAY COMPANY
- Status
- Published