Atlanta & West Point Railroad v. Miller

98 S.E. 248, 23 Ga. App. 347, 1919 Ga. App. LEXIS 117
CourtCourt of Appeals of Georgia
DecidedJanuary 29, 1919
Docket9871
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 98 S.E. 248 (Atlanta & West Point Railroad v. Miller) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Georgia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Atlanta & West Point Railroad v. Miller, 98 S.E. 248, 23 Ga. App. 347, 1919 Ga. App. LEXIS 117 (Ga. Ct. App. 1919).

Opinion

Jenkins, J.

(After stating the foregoing facts.) 1. The motion for a new trial assigns error upon the following excerpt from the charge of the court: “There was no legal duty upon the part of the defendant to place a watchman either on the street-crossing or on the box-car which struck the deceased, if you believe that the deceased was not in the street-and using it as a passageway, so far as relates to him, unless you find that failure to have been negligent upon the part -of the defendant company.” While the language of the charge may be just here somewhat confused, we do not think that the excerpt, when considered in connection with the entire charge, constitutes harmful error and could properly require the grant of a new trial. That the jury could have been misled by the language of this isolated excerpt to the extent óf believing that the defendant could be negligent in not having a watchman at the street or on the car, regardless of where the deceased was, or what he was doing at the time of the homicide, does not seem reasonably possible, in view of the plain and repeated instructions to the jury wherein the court stated to the contrary. At one point the judge charged as follows: “If you should believe that the deceased was killed at some other place than a public crossing, if you believe from the evidence that the deceased was killed at a point not a public crossing, then you need hot investigate further, but return a verdict for the defendant.”. [349]*349And again, “So, gentlemen, you may consider the instructions I have given you, if you find from the evidence deceased was killed at a public crossing. But if you find from the evidence that he was not killed at a public crossing, that would end your investigation, and you would return a verdict in favor of the railroad company.”

2. Error is assigned on the following excerpt from the charge of the court: “It is contended by the plaintiff that the defendant ‘was further negligent in that its servants kept no proper lookout ahead, and that no brakeman or lookout was stationed on its cars, or on the car which struck the deceased. I charge you, that in looking to all the evidence, the circumstances, the scene of the homicide and all of the surroundings, it is a question for you to determine as to whether or not ordinary care and prudence required that the defendant railroad company should have kept some one constantly on the. lookout in front of its moving train, to warn passers-by of danger, and whether or not a failure so to do was negligence upon the part of the defendant company. You may or may not determine that ordinary care and prudence on the part of the railroad company required -this, or that the failure so to do constituted negligence on its part. But, if you should determine that ordinary care and diligence so required, and that the failure so to provide some one on the constant watch and lookout was negligence, and that such negligence contributed to or was the cause resulting in the homicide of the deceased, and that at the time, by the exercise of ordinary care and prudence upon his part, he could not have prevented the homicide, then that would make such a case as would authorize a recovery upon the part of this plaintiff.” The error assigned is not that these instructions are not abstractly correct, but that they were not applicable to the case being tried, without being properly limited, in that the jury would be authorized thereunder to find for the plaintiff even though the deceased was at some place other than a public crossing at the time he' was killed, or, if upon the crossing, was not using it as such. With this contention, however, we can not agree. It was contended by the plaintiff that her husband was killed while attempting to cross the- defendant’s tracks at a public crossing,' and that the defendant was negligent in not -having some one' on the lookout to warn him of the approaching cars. It was admitted in open court, and the judge repeatedly charged, that unless he was killed [350]*350on the public crossing, she could not recover. The charge as quoted instructs the jury that it is for them to determine whether, or not a failure on the part of the defendant to keep some one constantly on the lookout inffront of its moving train to warn passersby of danger, was negligence upon the part of the defendant. In giving this charge the court instructed the jury that they were to look to all the evidence, the circumstances, the scene of the homicide, and all the surroundings, and, as stated, repeatedly instructed them that the plaintiff could in no event recover if her husband was not killed upon the public crossing, and at one point the court specifically instructed them that the defendant owed no legal duty to him to place a watchman either on the street-crossing or on the car which struck him, if they should believe that he was not in the street and using it as a passageway. The charge as given was applicable to the plaintiff’s contention, and we do not think that the jury could possibly have given it the construction placed thereon by counsel for the defendant.

3. A charge embracing an abstractly correct principle of law applicable to the case is not rendered erroneous merely because of the failure of the court to charge some other and further legal and pertinent principle of law in connection therewith. Macon Railway &c. Co. v. Barnes, 121 Ga. 443 (3) (49 S. E. 282); Smith v. Brinson, 145 Ga. 406 (2) (89 S. E. 363); Killian v. State, 19 Ga. App. 750 (92 S. E. 227). The third ground of the amendment to the motion for a new trial comes within this general rule, and is therefore without merit.

4. The admission of the evidence complained of in ground 4 was of doubtful propriety, but could not have been materially harmful to the defendant, and therefore can not afford a proper reason for setting aside the verdict and judgment.

5. Error is assigned upon the refusal of the court to charge as follows: “A railroad track is a place of danger, and every one who goes on a railroad track is chargeable with knowledge- of that fact, that it is a place of danger, and is under legal duty to exercise ordinary care to protect himself from injury by the operation by the railroad of cars and engines thereon. So, under the law in this case, the husband of plaintiff was required to exercise ordinary care not to be injured when he went on the track of the defendant, whether he was on the public street or not. Even if under the [351]*351evidence you should believe the place where the husband of the plaintiff was killed was on the public street, that would not excuse him from exercising ordinary care to avoid being injured.” Specific instructions to the same effect were given and the principle of law here involved was fully and repeatedly covered by the court in its charge to the jury. The court charged: “Under the law in this case, the husband of the plaintiff was required to exercise ordinary care not to be injured, when he went on the track of the defendant, whether he was on the 'public street or not. Even if, under the evidence, you should believe that the place where the husband of the plaintiff was killed was in the public street, that would not excuse him from exercising ordinary care.

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Bluebook (online)
98 S.E. 248, 23 Ga. App. 347, 1919 Ga. App. LEXIS 117, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/atlanta-west-point-railroad-v-miller-gactapp-1919.