Slamovitz v. Pennsylvania Railroad
Slamovitz v. Pennsylvania Railroad
Opinion of the Court
Opinion by
Sarah Slamovitz sued the Pennsylvania Railroad Company to recover damages for the death of her husband, Morris Slamovitz, who, she alleged, was killed through the negligence of that corporation’s employees; judgment was entered on a verdict for plaintiff and defendant appealed.
The office of the D. J. Kennedy Company, in the city of Pittsburgh, is located about 45 feet back from the westerly line of 26th street; a spur of, or siding to, defendant’s railroad runs from its line on Pike street (which is at right angles to 26th street), first on a 49-
On November 1, 1916, between one and two in the afternoon, defendant’s train, with the engine running backwards, hauling a gondola car, was moving southeasterly toward 26th street; Slamovitz, having stepped from the Kennedy office, was at the side of, and some 15 or 20 feet from, the locomotive, when it slowed up and came to a stop. Five men in the employ of defendant were on different parts of the train at this time, and the only fair inference to be drawn from the testimony is that, in the exercise of due care Slamovitz could see the train and some of the men could see him. When the locomotive stopped, Slamovitz continued on his way toward and entered upon 26th street, walking either on the railroad track or on a generally used and well beaten path located between the track and the before mentioned concrete wall; he had turned the 45-degree curve and, when at a point where he could not see defendant’s train, and where the distance from the track to the wall was only three feet, eight inches, the locomotive came up back of him, without warning of any kind, the overhang of the car crushing him to death.
There was another road which Slamovitz might have taken to make his exit along 26th street — by going out the wagonway to that street, turning to the right, and following the highway to Pike street. It appears, however, that, to do this, he would have been obliged to
That the place where the accident happened was one which required a close lookout, is shown by the testimony of defendant’s own employees, one of them saying the train was moving slowly at this point, “because we were always on the lookout for someone whn might be passing by there”; and the fact that the lookout was not well kept is indicated by the testimony of these same employees.
The material facts as we have given them (which, considering the verdict, must be, and are, stated most favorably to plaintiff) are derived from the printed evidence, and thereon both questions of defendant’s alleged negligence and plaintiff’s contributory negligence were for the jury. The issue as to whether or not, under the circumstances, defendant’s employees kept a proper lookout, and all other questions involved, were submitted in a manner not assigned as error, the only complaint being that binding instructions ought to have been given for
Since we find no warrant for granting the desired relief, the assignments are overruled and the judgment is affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Slamovitz v. Pennsylvania Railroad Co.
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- Syllabus
- Negligence — Railroads—Walking near track — Death—Contributory negligence — Choice of ways — Case for jury. In an action by .a widow against a railroad company for damages for the death of her husband crushed by a locomotive between the tracks and a concrete wall, the negligence of the defendant, and the contributory negligence of the deceased are for the jury, and a verdict and judgment for plaintiff will be sustained, where the evidence for the plaintiff tends to show that immediately prior to the accident deceased came out of an industrial plant near a railroad track, that as he emerged he saw a locomotive slowly running backwards, hauling one car; the locomotive stopped and deceased continued on his way, walking ahead of the locomotive either on the track or on a generally well used and well beaten path located between the track and a concrete wall; that, after turning a curve, and when at a point where he could, not see the locomotive, and close to the door of an industrial plant, where the path was only three feet and eight inches wide, the locomotive came back of him, without warning, and the overhang of the car crushed him to death; and that the deceased might have taken another way, but that by this way he would have had to cross at least three sets of railroad tracks.