Kansas City, M. & O. Ry. Co. of Texas v. Oates
Kansas City, M. & O. Ry. Co. of Texas v. Oates
Opinion of the Court
This is an appeal from a judgment of the county court of Pecos county for $75 damages resulting from the death of a cow killed by one of appellant’s trains and for an attorney’s fee of $15. The ease originated in the justice court. The case was tried before a jury and submitted upon special issues. Many issues, or rather eviden-tiary facts, were submitted and found, and in disposing of tbe appeal we will state sucb findings only as may be material to a proper consideration of the various assignments.
The animal was struck by a train running at a speed of about 30 miles an bour at an open private crossing in tbe inclosure and pasture of appellee. The right of way was fenced upon either side of the crossing. The crossing was put in for the benefit of appel-lee. The jury found: That the engineer did not exercise ordinary care in approaching the crossing, and did not use “ordinary care in looking out as to whether or not there was any obstruction on or near tbe crossing." That he had proper control of the train as it approached the crossing. That the cow was about 25 feet from the track when it was first discovered by tbe engineer,, and he could have discovered it earlier by the use of ordinary care. He could have stopped his train in 400 yards. By the use of ordinary care, a person situated as was the engineer for one mile could have seen the cow on or near the crossing. The cow was about 80 yards from tbe track when she could have been first seen by the engineer. The engine was about 150 yards from the crossing when the cow was first discovered by the engineer. That the engineer was negligent at the time and place of injury to animal by his failure to keep a proper lookout.
“You are instructed that in this case the burden of proof is upon the plaintiff by a preponderance of the evidence that the employés of the defendant railway company were negligent in striking and killing the cow of plaintiff.”
Ordinarily, the refusal of this charge would present reversible error, if a proper charge upon the burden of proof be not contained in the general charge. But in this case the issue with respect to maintaining a lookout by the engineer was submitted in this language:
“State whether or not the engineer of the train in question used ordinary care in approaching' said crossing and ordinary care in looking out as to whether or not there was any obstruction on or near said crossing.”
And the jury answered:
“He did not use ordinary care.”
In view of the form in which the issue of negligence was thus submitted — i. e., whether ordinary care was used in maintaining a lookout — the requested charge as to the burden of proof of negligence would not have been of any practical value to the jury. An appropriate charge, as applied to the submitted issue, would have been that the burden of proof was upon plaintiff to show that defendant’s employés failed to exercise ordinary care in maintaining a proper lookout for animals while approaching the crossing. There was no definition of negligence given. In view of the manner in which the issue of negligence was submitted in the instant case, the refusal of the requested charge is not regarded as reversible error.
The answers of the jury to issues 7 and 8 are not contradictory, for which reason the ninth assignment is overruled.
Finding no reversible error, the judgment, is affirmed.
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