Galveston, H. & S. A. Ry. Co. v. Sample
Galveston, H. & S. A. Ry. Co. v. Sample
Opinion of the Court
This action was for damages for personal injury to appellee, a fireman on defendant’s switch engine in the yards at Glidden, Tex., on or about March 5,1910. The petition alleged two forms of negligence, in substance, as follows: (1) That defendant’s employés in charge of the operation of the engine and cars, which were eastward bound, with the engine in reverse action, and on defendant’s main line, negligently failed to keep a proper lookout for signals indicating that another train was on the main track, and negligently failed to send out a flagman to protect said switch engine and cars, and negligently failed to take any precautions or to keep any lookout whatever; but propelled same at a dangerous and negligent speed without precautions taken to ascertain the approach of another train on the track, by reason of which the same was brought into a violent collision with another of defendant’s locomotives coming from the east, whereby plaintiff was injured. (2) That defendant’s employés of said other train negligently failed to keep a lookout to s.ee if there was any obstruction ahead on the track; negligently failed to keep any lookout, or to have said locomotive under control or to take any precautions whatever in approaching the point where the collision occurred, but, in disregard of all care and precaution necessary under the circumstances, the locomotive was propelled at a dangerous and rapid speed, causing the collision and plaintiff’s injury. That plaintiff had nothing to do with the operation of the switch engine except to perform his duties as fireman. The answer was a general demurrer, general denial, assumed risk, and contributory negligence. The verdict for plaintiff was $19,000. The court submitted the case to the jury on the first form of negligence only, charging them, in substance, that if it was the duty of the one in charge and control of the switch engine to have protected it by having out a flagman while it was upon the main line and that he failed to have said flagman out, and that such failure was negligence which was the prox-imate cause of plaintiff’s injury, and that plaintiff was not guilty of contributory negligence and did not assume the risk, to find for plaintiff. There were special instructions asked by defendant, refused, and given, which will be elsewhere noticed. The testimony upon which the ease went to the jury (except that relating to the character and extent of the .injury) consisted of that of plaintiff and his witness, J. A. Johnston, who'was running the engine which ran into the switch engine, and who showed himself fully qualified to testify concerning the proper operation of engines and switch trains.
Plaintiff testified to the following facts: That the switch engines drew out a string of about 40 cars upon the main track for the purpose of setting them on the side tracks to break up the train. They moved upon the main track at the east lead switch. The engine drawing these 40 cars was reversed; that is, the tender was in front of the engine which, was running backward towards the east. “We backed up, heading in on the west main line onto this train of cars, and then started to backing east pulling this string of cars, and it was while we were doing this work that this accident happened. The engine had got something in the neighborhood of half the distance (about 2,400 feet) between the east lead switch and the caution board at the time of the collision. We were pulling up on that line for the purpose of pulling the rear end of the string of cars over by the east lead switch, so that we could back it into the side tracks and break up that string of cars. * * * I suppose the distance (of the place of the accident) would put the string of cars somewhere near the east lead switch, that is, the rear end would not be very far from the east lead switch. I don’t know just how far. * * * I estimate the distance to be 2,400 ' feet from the caution board to the east switch. That caution board was fixed so that whenever the east lead switch was thrown or any engine or train went on the main line east of the east lead switch it would set the board at caution.” It appears that the engine and string of 40 cars were thus upon the main track and the engine was about half way between the lead switch and the caution board which was 2,400 feet off, which was set for caution, and that fact was observed by the engineer of the approaching *1059 train as be passed it. This showed him, as was testified, either that the main line switch was lined np for the lead track, or that a train was on the main line. This engineer testified, further, as to his duty under the circumstances, as follows: “My duty was to approach the station with train under control prepared to stop, and I would have proceeded to the main line switch and called for signal before entering the yard. I had not gotten to this main line switch before this .collision occurred. I was about 1,500 feet on the main line. The foreman of the switch engine was in charge of the switch train. The foreman directs its' movements: I know the duty of the switch train and switch crew when occupying the place it 'did when coming into collision with my engine. I do not know of any written rules on the subject. It’s a regulation. * * * , The foreman of that switch engine was in charge of the switch engine, and switch crew and he protects his engine. Before he went out on the main line, he should have sent a switch-man out with a flag to protect that train.” The same witness testified that it was a foggy morning, and he could not see whether the switch was lined up for the lead track, or whether there was a train on the main line; that at the place where the wreck oe-cured there was a heavy bank of fog collected, running across the track. “Before and after that bank of fog you could have seen the engine in time to have stopped.”
Plaintiff testified: It was a very foggy morning; also, that he was engaged as fireman in putting in coal when the collision took place. He was acting under the orders of the engineer, and had nothing to do with the operation of the train except to fire the engine and keep it hot. That he did not know any train was coming, and the first notice he had of it was the collision. It appears that no flagman was sent out. The engineer, Johnston, also testified: “The track along there is practically straight and level. * * * Before and after that bank of fog, you could have seen the engine in time to have stopped. * * * I approached Glidden with my train under control, and caught a very dense fog. The fog lay in streaks. At times you could see 6 or 8 car lengths. At the milepost at Glidden I could see 6 or 8 car lengths. But where this wreck occurred there was a branch, and I don’t believe a man could see over 30 feet right there at that point. * * * At the place where the wreck occurred was a sort of branch, and a heavy bank of fog collected upon that, running across the track north and south.”
As the ease of defendant’s liability was submitted upon the sole question of negligence of the foreman in charge of the switch train, we shall confine our consideration of this case to that form of negligence.
This conclusion requires us to overrule the fourth and fifth assignments also.
The fifteenth complains of the refusal of this charge: “If you find that, when the switch engine was moving down the main line, plaintiff knew that some engine or train was liable to come in from the east at any time, and went in between the tender and firebox, and was engaged in putting coal into the firebox at the time of the accident, and that a man of ordinary prudence, with the knowledge plaintiff had of the danger of the switch engine encountering some engine or train coming in from the east, and of the danger of occupying such position as plaintiff was occupying at the time, and of all the existing conditions and surrounding circumstances, would not have occupied such position, and the act of plaintiff in occupying such position contributed to cause the injuries sustained by him, then plaintiff would be *1061 guilty of negligence, and, in tlie event yon sliould find for tlie plaintiff, you sliould diminish his damages in proportion to the negligence attributable to him.” In view of charges on the subject given at appellant’s request, this assignment is overruled.
By other requested charges given, the thirteenth and fifteenth, the jury were instructed, if they found plaintiff guilty of contributory negligence, to diminish his damages in proportion ’ to the amount of negligence attributable to him. The jury could not, if they read the charges given, them, have been misled as claimed; nor was there any conflict when these charges are read together and considered.
There is no reason, under the evidence, for us to hold the verdict excessive.
Affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Galveston, H. S. A. Ry. Co. v. Sample. [Fn&8224]
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