Archer v. Fort Wayne & Elmwood Railway Co.

49 N.W. 488, 87 Mich. 101, 1891 Mich. LEXIS 750
CourtMichigan Supreme Court
DecidedJuly 28, 1891
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 49 N.W. 488 (Archer v. Fort Wayne & Elmwood Railway Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Michigan Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Archer v. Fort Wayne & Elmwood Railway Co., 49 N.W. 488, 87 Mich. 101, 1891 Mich. LEXIS 750 (Mich. 1891).

Opinion

Champlin, C. J.

On the 25th day of December, 1888, between 8 and 9 o’clock in the evening, the plaintiff took passage upon one of the defendant’s cars, but, on [102]*102account of the number of passengers in the car and upon the rear platform, was compelled to stand upon the front platform of the car, from which he was thrown, and received very severe injuries by his leg being run over and crushed by one of the car-wheels. The court-took the case from the jury, and directed a verdict for the defendant.

The declaration in the case alleges the duty of the-defendant company, which plaintiff claims it violated, as-follows:

1. To provide and furnish said plaintiff a safe and convenient seat 'or place to ride while being so conveyed as such passenger.
3. To provide prudent, safe, and competent agents to-manage said car, and provide for his safety as such passenger.
3. Not to drive said ear at such a rate of speed as to be dangerous to said passengers, and to the plaintiff as a-passenger.
4. To have a chain or guard across the passage-way down the steps at the end of the front platform extending across the passage-way, for the safety of passengers.
5. To slacken the speed of the car and to stop when called upon to do so by the plaintiff at the time he-slipped and fell from the car, while he was hanging to-the guard-rail of the car.

The neglect of duty alleged by the plaintiff in his-declaration is as follows:

1. That the defendant wrongfully, negligently, and carelessly then and there furnished and provided imprudent and incompetent agents, to wit, the driver and conductor then in charge of the car.
3. That the defendant wrongfully and negligently failed to provide a safe and suitable seat or place for the plaintiff in and upon such car as such passenger, and negligently and carelessly allowed the car to be so filled and crowded as to prevent- the plaintiff from passing inside the car, which in the exercise of due care he endeavored to do, and thereby wrongfully compelled him to stand and ride upon the front platform of said car.
[103]*1033. That while he was so lawfully standing and riding, and in the exercise of due care on his part, the defendant wrongfully and negligently had no chain or guard across the passage-way down the steps at the end of the front platform on the right hand of the car so moving eastward, but wrongfully and negligently allowed said chain or guard to be hanging there, not in’use, and not hooked up as a guard and protection across the steps in its usual place where it was customary to keep the same.
4. That the driver and conductor wrongfully, recklessly, and carelessly mismanaged said car, and were then and there going at a high rate of speed, when the driver wrongfully and carelessly, without any notice or warning to the plaintiff, struck .the horses a blow with his whip, causing them to jump forward, giving the car a sudden jerk and a pitching, rocking motion, and still further increasing its speed to a high and dangerous rate, just as it was passing the cross-walk on Biopelle street, thereby then and there throwing the plaintiff from the platform at the right hand thereof, causing him to slip from the step, and to'swing around to his right towards the car, while trying to save himself by clinging with his right hand to the hand-rail of the car, the swift motion of the car dragging him backwards, while struggling to recover himself, and while calling, as he then did, to the driver to stop or slacken the speed of the car, and causing him to fall upon his back with his leg across the rail of the track, so that the car-wheel ran over it, and crushed the ankle-joint and bones of the leg below the knee, and cut, crushed, and bruised the flesh of his leg.

The declaration, having set out the duty of the defendant, and its neglect to observe such duty, then states that, “by reason of the wrongful and negligent acts of the defendant aforesaid, the plaintiff was seriously hurt,” etc.: and concludes, “whereby, and by reason of the premises aforesaid, the plaintiff hath sustained damages,” etc.

The testimony introduced upon the trial showed that the plaintiff and his father took passage upon the car on the night stated, and that the car was filled inside, and the rear platform also, and that they were obliged to [104]*104take passage upon the front platform; and that while riding in that, place, with his back against the car and holding onto the guard-rail at the right with his right hand, the driver struck the horses with his whip, which caused the car to swerve to the left; and, as he was standing on the right hand of the door of the car, his back was thrown against the end of the car, and he went to pitch forward to try to recover his footing, slipped down the step, striking his hip against it, and, hanging to the guard-rail, his back was turned towards the horses. He tried to regain his footing, and did regain it, and tried to get back on the car, but slipped off the lower step, and was swung around, and, still hanging by his right hand, was dragged along the ground, and his foot was caught under the wheel of the car, and run over. He called to the driver to stop, and he testifies that the driver “appeared to be having all he could do to attend to his horses. They were kind of unmanageable, and he did not see me, or did not stop the car until I was run over.” He testifies that he thought he shouted, loud enough for him to hear, but he did not make any attempt to stop the car. The word he used when he called out was “Stop!” as loud as he could. He testifies that the driver did not go over 10 or 15 feet after the car ran over him until it was stopped.

The plaintiff’s father was also sworn as a witness on behalf ;pf the plaintiff, and testified that he was also riding upon the front platform on the left of the door; that the road appeared to be very rough; that the car swayed and swerved a great deal, with a kind of rocking motion, and that he held onto the dash-board with both hands; that the driver struck the horses a blow with the whip, which caused them to start suddenly. He also, testified that the driver was driving with loose lines, and did not make any effort to stop when his son called out, “ until [105]*105he went quite a little past; that he told the driver to stop, that the boy had fallen off; that the driver went only a short distance, he did not think he went over half a car, from the time he got hurt, but from the time he fell off “he must have gone three or four rods, anyway.” He also testified that there was no guard across the steps on either side of the platform. The plaintiff testified as to the speed at which they were going as follows:

“ They seemed to be going quite rapidly. I have seen them drive fully as, fast plenty of times, and a good deal slower. They seemed to have a good rate of speed; that is, at the time I fell off.”

Testimony was also introduced tending to show that the driver was behind time, and was endeavoring to make it up.

The plaintiff introduced in evidence sections 4 and 5 of chapter 107 of the Revised Ordinances of 1890, as follows :

“Sec. 4.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
49 N.W. 488, 87 Mich. 101, 1891 Mich. LEXIS 750, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/archer-v-fort-wayne-elmwood-railway-co-mich-1891.