Baker v. Galbreath
Baker v. Galbreath
Opinion of the Court
Issues Made by the Pleadings.
This suit was brought to recover damages for injuries suffered by ap-pellee, by reason of his team becoming frightened, by blowing a whistle and letting off steam by the operatives of appellant’s train, which acts are alleged to have been negligence on the part of appellant, and the proximate cause of appellee’s injuries.
*627 Appellant answered by general and special exceptions, general denial and plea of contributory negligence.
Bindings of Fact.
(1) Appellee was traveling in a back drawn by bis team along a road, near to and parallel with appellant's track, which, though not shown to be a public road in the sense that the same had been laid out and was being maintained by the county authorities, was public in the sense that it was much used by the public.
(2) Appellee had crossed the railroad from the Thorndale and Rockdale road, which paralleled the railroad on the east side, to the road on which he was traveling on the west side, when the whistle blew for said crossing.
(3) Appellant’s train ran up beside appel-lee, and continued to blow the whistle and let off steam, by reason of which appellee’s team became frightened, and ran away and overturned his hack and injured him. The blowing of the whistle and letting off steam, as herein stated, produced unusual and unnecessary noise, and were the proximate cause of appellee’s injuries, and were acts of negligence on the part of appellant’s employes in charge of the train.
(4) Appellee was not guilty of any act of negligence in connection with the matters referred to in these findings of fact.
(5) The injuries of appellee were of such nature and extent as to support the finding of the jury in his favor for the amount found by them, to wit, $1,500.
The above findings of fact are based upon the findings of the jury in answer to the special issues submitted to them, which findings are supported by the evidence.
Opinion.
Notwithstanding the fact tla¡at appellant has filed herein a brief of 76 pages, containing 33 assignments of error, the legal points involved are not numerous. The disposition of most of appellant’s assignments of error depends upon the answer to the question: Under what circumstances is a railway company liable for injuries resulting from its frightening a team? This issue is raised in the instant case by general and special exceptions, by objection to the issues submitted, and by special issues requested by appellant, and refused by the ’ court.
Appellee did not allege discovered peril, though there was an attempt to do so, as appears from the following excerpt from his petition:
“Although they (those in charge of the train) saw that the team was frightened and excited, or should have discovered that they were frightened and trying to run away, the operatives of said train nevertheless continued to cause the whistle of the engine to blow,” etc.
But notwithstanding that the attempted allegation as to discovered peril was not sufficient to raise that issue, the court did not err in overruling appellant’s general demurrer, for the reason that there remained enough to 'show a good cause of action, in that it was alleged that “the operators and employes caused the whistle to blow and to make a loud and unnecessary and unusual noise, and thereby caused plaintiff’s team to become frightened,” etc.
The law as above stated requires us, under the allegations of plaintiff’s petition and the evidence herein, to overrule most of appellant’s assignments of error.
*628 Tlie special issues submitted by tbe court were pertinent to tbe issues of fact raised by tbe pleading and tbe evidence herein, and tbe court did not err in submitting tbe same to tbe jury. Nor did tbe court err in refusing to submit tbe special issues requested by tbe appellant. Tbe objections to tbe issues submitted, as well as tbe ground for special issues requested, are based, for tbe most part, upon the assumption that appellant was not liable for the injuries sustained by ap-pellee in the absence of discovered peril; that it owed no duty to appellee to discover bis presence on tbe road, and that there was no evidence to warrant the submission of the special issues, which were-submitted.
Tbe appellee’s objections ignore appellant’s liability, if tbe injury was occasioned by unusual and unnecessary noise. Appellee testified as to circumstances under which tbe whistle was blown and the steam was blown off. Appellant’s engineer, while denying such acts, stated that if tbe samé was true, such noise was both unusual and unnecessary.
One of the special issues requested by appellant, and refused by tbe court was as follows:
“Did the operatives of said engine needlessly and unnecessarily in the operation of their engine blow a whistle or emit steam, after they had seen the plaintiff and his team, and realized that the team would likely be frightened?”
There is no merit in this contention. The allegation in the amended petition was merely an amplification of his original cause of action, and did not set up a new cause of action. Appellee’s cause of action, as alleged in his original petition, was the damage suffered by him by reason of the injuries occasioned by the negligence of appellant in making unnecessary and unusual noises, whereby appellee’s team was frightened. His cause of action was not changed by his amendment, alleging that the road on which he was traveling was much used by the public.
Appellant assigns error on the refusal of the court to grant a new trial, on the ground that the damage awarded is excessive.
While there is testimony showing that ap-pellee’s injuries are neither serious nor permanent, his testimony and that of some of his witnesses is to the contrary, and, if true, is sufficient to warrant the amount found by the jury. The jury were the judges of the credibility of the witnesses and the weight to be given to their testimony.
Finding no reversible error of record, the judgment of the trial court is affirmed.
Affirmed.
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Reference
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