Wolke v. Long Island Rail Road
Opinion of the Court
. In an action to recover damages for personal injuries suffered when plaintiff’s automobile was in collision with defendant’s railroad train at a crossing, judgment, entered on the verdict of a jury in favor of plaintiff, reversed on the law and the facts and a new trial granted, with costs to abide the event. In the main charge to the jury they were instructed solely on the rules applicable under the theory of last clear chance and, by casual reference in the requests to charge, the jury were told that contributory negligence by plaintiff would bar a recovery. It would appear that the case was submitted mainly on the theory of last clear chance, and to a lesser extent under the rules of an ordinary common-law negligence action. It is impossible to determine whether or not the juiy found for plaintiff even though they found him guilty of negligence which was causally and proximately connected with the accident. Moreover, the verdict is against the weight of the evidence. In our opinion the com
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.