Bemiss v. Puget Sound Traction, Light & Power Co.
Bemiss v. Puget Sound Traction, Light & Power Co.
Opinion of the Court
The purpose of this action was to recover damages for personal injuries alleged to be due to the negligence of the defendant. In the answer, the negligence was denied and contributory negligence on the part of the plaintiff was affirmatively pleaded. The affirmative defense was denied by a reply. Upon the issues thus framed, the cause was tried to a jury, and resulted in a verdict in favor of the plaintiff in the sum of $6,000. Judgment being entered upon the verdict, the defendant appeals.
The appellant owns and operates a double track cable street railway on Yesler Way, the cars being propelled by an underground cable which is operated at a speed of ten miles an hour, and when going at full speed, the cars are operated at the speed of the cable. The outbound cars are operated upon the southerly track and the inbound cars upon the northerly track. The distance between the inside rails of-the two parallel tracks is seven feet. The cars operating upon the tracks overlap the tracks a distance of thirty and one-half inches, and as the two cars pass each other on the parallel tracks, the nearest point between the outsides of their running boards is twenty-three inches. The cars operated upon these tracks have an enclosed portion in the middle, and on each end an open section. On each side of the open section is a long seat running lengthwise of the car and facing outward, which seat is reached by a running board one step below the floor of the car. Passengers are allowed to board and alight from the cars from either the front or rear section.
At the time of the accident in question, and for some years prior thereto, the respondent had lived to the south of Yesler Way and a little to the east of Twenty-seventh avenue. It had been his custom in going to his business in the morning to take the westerly or inbound Yesler Way car at Twenty-
At the conclusion of the respondent’s case, the appellant moved for a nonsuit; and at the conclusion of all the evidence, challenged the sufficiency of the evidence and moved for a directed verdict. These motions were denied.
The appellant’s principal contention is that the respondent was guilty of contributory negligence in standing on or near the south track without taking any precautions to avoid
The case cited by the appellant which is most nearly in point in sustaining its contention is Miller v. St. Paul City R. Co., 42 Minn. 454, 44 N. W. 533. A careful reading of that case will disclose a material difference in one respect between the facts there and the facts in this case. But even though the holding in that case would support the contention of the appellant here, it would not be controlling. Under the facts in the present case, it is ruled by the cases of Morris, O’Brien, and Mosso, supra.
The judgment will be affirmed.
Morris, C. J., Parker, Holcomb, and Ellis, JJ., concur.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- John M. Bemiss v. Puget Sound Traction, Light & Power Company
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- 3 cases
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- Syllabus
- Carriers — Injury to Passengers — Taking on Passengers — Contributory Negugence — Proximate Cause — Question for Jury. In an action for personal injuries to an intending passenger, struck by a rapidly approaching east-bound street car, while he was about to board a west-bound car on the other track, it cannot be said, as a matter of law, that the proximate cause of the injury was his contributory negligence in standing on or near the track without taking any precautions as to the ears approaching thereon from the opposite direction, if the motorman either saw, or by the exercise of proper care should have seen, him in time to have slackened the speed of the car and avoided the injury; but the question is for the jury, where the east-bound car was approaching at full speed without warning and without any attempt to stop it until within ten feet of the plaintiff.