Mayo v. Fort Worth & D. C. Ry. Co.
Mayo v. Fort Worth & D. C. Ry. Co.
Opinion of the Court
The appellant Mayo brought this suit against the Fort Worth & Denver City Railway Company and John Barton Payne, Agent. - He sued for damages on account of personal injuries sustained while in the employment of the railway company, in its coal yards, in unloading coal cars. The facts alleged as constituting negligence were in effect that the dumping apparatus on the coal car was defective and out of order, and under the direction of the foreman he was directed to use a lining bar as a lever and insert the bar in the sprocket wheel, and that the iron dog on the sprocket wheel was broken, and in pressing down on the lining bar in order to open the door of the coal car the door opened suddenly, and the lining bar came down with great force, striking- appellant on the ankle, pinning him to the ground, breaking the bones above the ankle joint, and permanently injuring him. The appellees pleaded assumed risk, in that the work was performed in the usual manner and in the manner it was usually and ordinarily done, and which work the appellant had many times performed; and, further, that appellant, as a consequence of having assisted in. dumping 'many cars of coal in the same manner prior to his injury, became fully and actually aware of and appreciated and understood the risk, danger, and hazard involved in dumping coal cars in the manner pursued at the time he sustained the injury, and that he thereby assumed the risk thereof as a known danger, consciously encountered. Appellees further pleaded contributory negligence, in that appellant well knew what path would be described by the wrench, pipe, and lining bar used, and that when the coal, dumped the result would swing such instrument to the ground with great force, and that he carelessly and negligently got his foot and leg in the path of said descending wrench pipe and lining bar, and that such carelessness on plaintiffs part caused and made possible the injury complained of.
The case was submitted upon special issues: (1) The jury answered in their findings that appellant received injuries while he was engaged in his duties as an employee for the appellees; (2) that it was negligence on the part of appellees in furnishing the car in question to be unloaded in the condition it was in when it was unloaded; (3) that this negligence was the proximate cause of the injury; (4) they found appellee was guilty of contributory negligence, and that his negligence bore to the whole negligence of both parties 50 per cent, thereof; (5) that appellant assumed the risk of being injured in undertaking to assist his co-workers to un *938 load said ear;' (6) that appellant’s negligence ■was not the sole cause of his injury; (7) that $500 would compensate him for his injury; (S) they found that his injury was the result of an unavoidable accident; (9) they also answered that the defects in the dumping apparatus on the car could have been discovered by an inspection conducted in an ordinary way; (10) that appellant knew the danger involved in dumping the coal in the manner employed at the tíme of his injury. Upon the findings of the jury the court rendered judgment for the appellee. It will not be necessary to set out the evidence further than to state it was sufficient to authorize the jury to find that the railroad company ■was negligent in unloading the car in the manner in which it was done, and that the appliances used were defective, and that the evidence raised the issue of contributory negligence and assumed risk. However, upon these points it is somewhat conflicting.
“Because the finding of the jury that both appellant and appellees were guilty of concurring negligence that was the proximate cause of the injury conflicted with the finding that appellant assumed the risk.”
“Because the finding of the jury that the damage and injury resulted from an unavoidable accident was and is in conflict with the finding of the jury that the concurring negligence of the appellant and appellees was the proximate cause of the injury and damage.”
The judgment will be reversed and remanded.
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Reference
- Full Case Name
- MAYO v. FORT WORTH & D. C. RY. CO. Et Al.
- Cited By
- 17 cases
- Status
- Published