Houston Belt & Terminal Ry. Co. v. Johansen
Houston Belt & Terminal Ry. Co. v. Johansen
Opinion of the Court
Appellee, Frederick Johan-sen, brought this action in the district court of Harris county for damages resulting from personal injuries inflicted upon him by an explosion of combustible materials loaded in a certain box car in the custody and charge of the defendant, Houston Belt & Terminal Railway Company, in the city of Houston. Upon trial before a jury, a verdict was returned for $12,500; the jury in their verdict stating that $2,500 of amount allowed was for lost time.
This is a companion case to that of Houston Belt & Terminal Railway Company v. O’Leary, decided by the Galveston Court of Civil Appeals, and reported in 136 S. W. 601. Appellant in its brief concedes that the instant ease is based upon the same state of facts, and substantially the same questions of law are involved as in the O’Leary Case, in which a writ of error was denied by the Supreme Court.
The first, second, third, fourth, and fifth assignments were decided adversely to the contentions of the appellant in the opinion rendered by the Galveston court in the case mentioned, and upon the authority -of that case these assignments are overruled without discussion.
It appears two years and three months had elapsed between the date of injury and the date of trial, and, according to the testimony, plaintiff had been regularly receiving his usual wages during two years and two months of that period, amounting to approximately $1,600. For one month, his wages of $60 were not paid, it seems. The jury, however, in their verdict stated that $2,500 of the total amount allowed was for lost time, this being $840 in excess of what he would have received, had he not been injured, and to that extent it is clearly excessive. Under the authority of the Jarrard Case, the court did not err in giving the paragraph of the charge complained of in the ninth assignment, and to the extent of $1,660 the 'allowance for lost time is warranted by the evidence. The $10,000 allowed for the other items of damage is not excessive, and is amply supported by the testimony.
Upon remittitur of $840 being filed by the appellee in this cause within 15 days from this date, the judgment will be affirmed; otherwise reversed and remanded.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Houston Belt Terminal Ry. Co. v. Johansen. [Fn&8224]
- Cited By
- 2 cases
- Status
- Published