Pennsylvania Co. v. Hart
Pennsylvania Co. v. Hart
Opinion of the Court
While there are numerous assignments of error urged by plaintiff in error, in view of the conclusion the court has reached but one of them will be considered.
The fifth allegation of negligence of the fifth amended statement of claim reads as follows: “That the defendant company did not stop its said train in time to avoid hitting said automobile truck when the crew in charge of said train saw the automobile truck on said railroad crossing in a helpless and dangerous position, in time to stop said train and avoid collision, and that said defendant had plenty of opportunity to have stopped said train or to have slowed down said train to avoid hitting said automobile truck, but failed and neglected to do so.” This attempts to and does charge negligence on the part of the plaintiff in error squarely within the rule of the doctrine of “last clear chance.”
Giving the defendant in error the most favorable interpretation of the evidence, the injury was due to the concurrent negligence of the driver of the truck and the railroad company. The negligence of the driver of the truck could not be imputed to the defendant in error, the employe of the driver. But this still does not make a case coming within the doctrine of the “last clear chance,”
If, on the other hand, the jury should find that defendant in error in relying upon the driver of the truck to look to the right for approaching trains, and in relying upon the driver of the truck to either stop the truck or increase its speed so as to avoid a collision, did not exercise the care which an ordinarily prudent man would exercise for his own safety under the circumstances, then he was guilty of contributory negligence and the negligence was concurrent with the negligence of the plaintiff in error company.
In neither event would the doctrine of “last clear chance” apply.
The doctrine of “last clear chance” is not an extension of the doctrine of comparative negligence as applicable to master and servant to other than master and servant. Nor is it available for the purpose of excusing contributory negligence continuing up to and at the time of the accident.
The trial court seems to have taken this view, and, therefore, in his charge to the jury, withdrew from the consideration of the jury the fifth allegation of negligence in the fifth amended statement of claim, in the following language: “You will observe when you have the pleadings with you that No. 5 is marked out — beginning with ‘No. 5’, and ending with the words, ‘so to do.’ There was no proof offered by the plaintiff in support,of that allegation, and for that reason the Court removes it from your consideration. But with the exception of that that is marked out, you will consider those specific grounds or claims of negligence on the part of the defendant Company.” But prior to the giving of the general charge and prior to the argument, the court had given at the request of the defendant in error the following:
“No. 3. The plaintiff may recover, even if you find him guilty of “negligence and said negligence exposed him to risk of injuries of which he complains, if the defendant after it became aware of the plaintiff’s danger fails to use ordinary care to
“No. 4. If you find that the plaintiff was neg-* ligent only in getting onto the place and position wherein he was struck, and that this negligence on his part did not proximately or directly cause or contribute to cause the accident, and you find the engineer or person in charge of the train, by the use of ordinary care could have avoided the accident and did not, then the negligence of the defendant Railroad Company is the proximate cause of the injury, and the plaintiff should recover.
“No. 5. It is not necessary that the defendant should actually know of the danger to which plaintiff is exposed; it is enough if having sufficient notice to put a prudent man on the alert, he does not take such precautions as a prudent man would take under similar notices.”
The fifth allegation of negligence of the fifth amended statement of claim marked “omit” was sent to the jury with a parenthesis character drawn in pencil at it's left and an oblique pencil mark at either end.
It will be observed that nowhere, either in the fifth amended statement of claim, or in the charge given before argument, or in the general charge, was there anything which would identify the re- ■ quested charges 3, 4 and 5 with allegation of negligence “No. 5” of the fifth amended statement of claim, or that would apprise the jury of the fact that they were not to consider charges Numbers 3,
For this reason the judgment is reversed and the cause remanded for further proceedings according to law.
Judgment reversed.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.