Philadelphia & R. Ry. Co. v. McGrath
Philadelphia & R. Ry. Co. v. McGrath
Opinion of the Court
In the court below Theresa Mc-Grath sued the Philadelphia & Reading Railway Company, and recovered a verdict for injury to her caused by the defendant’s train striking her and cutting off her hand. On the entry of judgment thereon the railroad company sued out this writ of error, and assigned for error the denial of its point that “Under all the evidence in this case your verdict must be for the defendant.”
We have reviewed all the proofs, and are of opinion the facts were such that the court was bound to submit the case to the jury. While there was contradictory evidence, the case as presented by the plaintiff and her witnesses showed the plaintiff was injured between 9 and 10 o’clock on the night of May 22, 1908, while attempting to pass the defendant’s road at a grade crossing on Willow Grove avenue, Philadelphia. She and a young woman companion came along the avenue; the crossing gate was down, but, as there "were no lights either on the gate or avenue, the plaintiff and her companion were unable to see it, and so groped along, feeling their way as best they could. The plaintiff’s companion was in the roadway, and got hold of the lowered gate in the darkness. The plaintiff, however, was on the sidewalk, and either through the wing of the gate being so high over the depressed sidewalk that the plaintiff walked under it, or owing to its not extending over the whole width of such sidewalk, she walked past the other end of it and so onto the track, where she was struck by the train.
It is contended by the defendant that the plaintiff did not stop, look, and listen as she drew near the track, but walked on in full view of
In view of these proofs and of the different inferences that could be drawn therefrom by different men, we are of opinion it was not the province of the court to become á trier of facts, which it would have to do, in saying that plaintiff was struck by a passenger train carrying a headlight, and that therefore the plaintiff was guilty of contributory negligence in walking on the track in the fa.ce of it. The situation was summed up by the trial judge in refusing the defendant’s motion for judgment non obstante veredicto, and thereto we agree:
“I do not see how the questions of the defendant’s negligence and of the plaintiff’s contributory negligence could have possibly been withdrawn from the jury. * * * In my opinion there is sufficient direct and positive testimony in support of the plaintiff’s claim to prevent the court from undertaking to decide the two vital questions for itself.”
■ The judgment is affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- PHILADELPHIA & R. RY. CO. v. McGRATH
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- 1 case
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- Published