Galveston, H. & S. A. Ry. Co. v. Salisbury
Galveston, H. & S. A. Ry. Co. v. Salisbury
Opinion of the Court
The action is by Alice K. Salisbury, widow of Joseph F. Salisbury, suing for herself, and as guardian of Jean F. Salisbury, a minor, and by the First State Bank & Trust Company of Cuero, as guardian of Bertha E. Salisbury, a minor, to recover of appellant damages for the death of Joseph F. Salisbury, father of said minors, and husband of plaintiff Alice.
It was alleged that Salisbury was an engineer, operating one of defendant’s engines on a passenger train between Houston and Cuero, which train was derailed and wrecked about a mile before reaching the station of Telfener, by an animal on the track, which occurrence caused his death. Two grounds of negligence of defendant were alleged: First, that the track was fenced, and defendant had negligently failed to maintain the fence in such condition as to turn stock, whereby the animal got upon the track; and, second, that the engine was equipped with an electric headlight, and defendant had negligently permitted the same to be in such defective condition that it would not burn, *254 thereby obscuring tbe view of tbe engineer and causing bim to strike tbe animal.
Defendant pleaded demurrers and tbe general issue; tbat tbe animal was-not upon tbe track through defendant’s negligence or any defect in tbe fence; that tbe engine bad a proper headlight; tbat tbe same failed several hours, and at a considerable distance from tbe place of tbe wreck, without any fault of defendant, said failure being due to some other cause, or some act or omission of Salisbury; that when it failed Salisbury put a lantern in the headlight bouse, and voluntarily proceeded on bis run, knowing tbe risk and danger incident thereto and tbe probability of encountering stock on tbe track, at an excessive and dangerous speed, and upon these allegations defendant based defenses of contributory negligence and assumed risk. Defendant also bad allegations to show that tbe accident was produced by conditions which could not reasonably have been foreseen or anticipated by it. There was a verdict of $9,500 for tbe widow, of $7,000 for tbe minor Bertha, and $9,500 for tbe minor Jean.
The first assignment of error complains of tbe overruling of a special demurrer to that part of tbe petition relating to tbe fencing of the right of way and tbe duty of defendant to maintain tbe fence, upon tbe objection that tbe same is insufficient to disclose any actionable negligence on tbe part of defendant. Tbe second and third assignments embody substantially tbe same matter.
Tbe part of tbe pleading to which these exceptions were directed reads as follows: “That the defendant bad a fence, inclosing its right of way, near and in tbe vicinity of where tbe wreck occurred, and it was tbe duty of tbe defendant to maintain tbe said fence so as to prevent stock and animals from getting upon tbe right of way and track upon which its trains were run, and thereby endangering same, but, in violation of this duty, tbe defendant negligently permitted tbe said fence, near and in tbe vicinity of where tbe wreck occurred, and it was the duty of tbe defendant to maintain tbe said fence so as to prevent stock and animals from getting upon tbe right of way and track upon which its trains were run, and thereby endangering same, but, in violation of this duty, tbe defendant negligently permitted tbe said fence, near and in tbe vicinity of tbe wreck, to become out of repair and insufficient to keep stock from getting upon tbe said right of way and track, and, by reason of tbe negligent manner in which tbe said fence was maintained as aforesaid, an animal of some kind went in upon tbe defendant’s said right of way and track, and tbe said train came into collision with tbe said animal, and was thereby wrecked and derailed, and the death of tbe said Joseph F. Salisbury thereby caused, and this negligence directly caused and contributed to the death of tbe said Joseph F. Salisbury.” The above was, in substance, an allegation that defendant bad constructed a fence, inclosing its right of way, and failed to maintain same in such manner as to prevent the entering of stock, which was alleged to be negligence, as an omission of duty, on tbe part of defendant in reference to this engineer.
*255 The petition alleged that Salisbury was acting in the discharge of his duties, and in the exercise of all due care, when injured; that plaintiffs were unable to allege more specifically the facts constituting the acts of negligence, as the facts were not in their possession, and were particularly within the possession of defendant. We are of opinion that the petition sufficiently stated a prima facie case, founded on negligence of defendant, in regard to the maintenance of the fence, and we overrule assignments 1, 2, and S.
The fourth and fifth assignments complain of the first paragraph of the charge, because there was no evidence showing or tending to show the existence of such facts, circumstances, and conditions as would create any duty on the part of defendant to maintain the fence, so as to exclude stock from the track.
This assignment proceeds upon the theory that the undisputed testimony showed that Salisbury must necessarily have seen and known that the right of way fence was in such condition that it would not and did not exclude stock. We find that the evidence was not undisputed, as appellant claims.
There was evidence before the jury showing that at the place where there were signs of the animal having gotten upon the right of way, and to which iplace the evidence was chiefly directed, the fence was not completely down, and had not been, and was apparently in proper condition. (Testimony of Cline.) Foley, the section foreman, testified that five or six days before the accident he had repaired the fence at this place, and that he left it in good repair; that the fences were under his jurisdiction for 10 miles, and he repaired the fences; it being his duty. to do so. Whenever he went over the section, he always stopped and repaired the fences when they were out of repair, and that he always looked out for the fence when he went along in the hand car. He also testified that he occasionally saw stock on the right of way in that vicinity, because people came through the gates and left them open. It is incomprehensible, if the condition and maintenance of the fence were as this witness states, that it should be said by us, as a matter of law, that those engaged in operating trains must have observed and known of the fence being insufficient to guard against the *256 entrar.ee of stock. The five wire fences were there. The section foreman testified that they were regularly kept in repair; that the particular fence had just been repaired. Cline testified that before the wreck • they appeared all right to him. Under this testimony, we cannot declare that Salisbury saw and knew that they admitted of stock getting upon the track from the adjoining pastures.
From the fact that cattle, which entered through gates left open, were occasionally seen on the right of way in this vicinity, it would not follow that Salisbury assumed the risk of encountering cattle there which came upon the right of way through defendant’s negligence in maintaining the fences. Salisbury had the right to act upon the assumption that the fences were sufficient and sufficiently kept up, for the purposes intended, and that cattle would not be there by reason of insufficient fences. Although Foley testified he had seen cattle on the right of way, it would, at best, be only a strained inference of fact that Salisbury had seen cattle there. That he had seen animals there was not otherwise shown.
This case is governed, as to assumed risk, by the recent statute on the subject, and the case is plainly one where the particular risk or danger was not so plainly obvious as to exclude tbe idea that a reasonably prudent man would not have proceeded with the operation of the train just as this engineer did on this occasion; and therefore it was a question of fact, under said statute, whether or not he so acted. For this last-named reason, the court properly refused to give the charge referred to in appellant’s tenth assignment.
The eleventh assignment is that the court erred in the first paragraph of the charge in authorizing the jury to find for plaintiffs, without instructing them that the danger incident to the operation of the trains must have been increased by defendant’s negligence in permitting the fences to be in a condition that did not;exclude stock. The facts upon which the court made it necessary for the jury to find for plaintiffs, involved an increase of risk, and it was unnecessary, and it might have been misleading, for the court to have required the additional finding of increased risk. This disposes, also, of the twelfth assignment. The foregoing discussions relate wholly to the matter of defendant’s negligence in keeping up the fences.
Appellant’s proposition is: “If Salisbury, after the headlight failed, voluntarily so operated his engine as to increase the risk of striking an animal on the track, then the plaintiffs are not entitled to recover; and, the evidence showing conclusively that such was the case, the court erred in overruling the defendant’s motion for new trial, based on that ground.”
It appears that about the station of El Campo, an hour or so before reaching the place of the accident, Salisbury’s headlight, through some defect, gave out, that he tried to fix it, and finally placed a hand lantern in the headlight house, and proceeded with his run. This is what appellant calls a “blind” engine. While the light furnished by the lantern was not as effective as that of the standard electric headlight that it replaced, it, to some extent, answered the purpose of a headlight. The conductor testified that it was not quite as much as the old-style headlight. There .was testimony that at the time of the accident, just before reaching Telfener, the train was not running at a dangerous speed; some testimony showing that the train had slowed down, and was running 15 miles an hour.
This assignment amounts to this: That because Salisbury went forward with a diminished headlight, of his own volition, running, as he did, over a place where he knew cattle were liable to be, that- he increased the risk of his being injured by an accident from encountering animals, and therefore plaintiffs cannot recover, and, said facts and conditions appearing from the undisputed evidence, a new trial should have been ordered.
We have sufficiently discussed the matter of his knowledge that cattle were liable to be met upon the right of way. .Also the fact that he had a right to assume and act upon the assumption that the track, being fenced, was safely fenced for the very purijose of excluding stock. These matters could, under the evidence, have been, resolved in his favor. His duty required him to run the train — a passenger train — on certain time; and there was a freight train in his rear. The speed he employed, after substituting the headlight, was shown by evidence in the case to have been that which was usual and not negligent. It must be admitted, however, that it was more dangerous to run with the lantern than with the electric headlight, with reference to colliding with objects that might be upon the track. He did not, however, attempt to make his run without any headlight. That' which was given him had failed, and in the emergency he substituted one which, to some extent, answered the purposes of a' headlight, and evidently the best he could do under the circumstances.
*257 The question raised is not one of law. He had reason to rely upon defendant having performed its duty towards furnishing him a safe tract and upon the assumption that no animals would be upon the right of way through defendant’s negligence, or that defendant had not, by its acts or omissions, increased the danger from that source. Had it not been for the insufficient fence, this animal would not have been on the track, and Salisbury would have made the run safely, notwithstanding the diminished light. The question, under our statute, relating to assumed risk was one of fact, and was whether or not, running the train as he did in the performance of his duties, and under the circumstances, he proceeded as an ordinarily prudent person would have done under the same circumstances. The assignment is overruled.
Affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Galveston, H. S. A. Ry. Co. v. Salisbury [Fn&8224]
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