Bennett v. Denver & Rio Grande Western R. Co.

213 P.2d 325, 117 Utah 57, 1950 Utah LEXIS 168
CourtUtah Supreme Court
DecidedJanuary 3, 1950
Docket7287
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 213 P.2d 325 (Bennett v. Denver & Rio Grande Western R. Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Utah Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bennett v. Denver & Rio Grande Western R. Co., 213 P.2d 325, 117 Utah 57, 1950 Utah LEXIS 168 (Utah 1950).

Opinions

LATIMER, Justice.

The first part of this opinion is concurred in by all members' of the court. The latter part dealing with excessive damages is concurred in by the Chief Justice only, so that the views expressed and the action taken by Mr. Justice Wade, Mr. Justice Wolfe, and Mr. Justice McDonough require an affirmance of the judgment.

This case involves an appeal and cross-appeal from a judgment for damages suffered by respondent while he was employed by appellant as a head brakeman. The cause of action is founded on the rights and liabilities created by the Federal Employers’ Liability Act, 45 U. S.' C. A. § 51 et seq. The jury in assessing damages awarded respondent $70,000.00, but found his negligence contributed to his injury and diminished the amount by $20,000.0Q, thereby making the net verdict $50,000.00.

Appellant does not question the sufficiency of the evidence to establish its negligence but in his cross-appeal respondent challenges the jury’s finding that he was negligent. Respondent’s cross-appeal and assignment of error requires a resume of the testimony and will be disposed of first. The facts necessary to dispose of appellant’s contentions will be detailed as each assignment is later considered.

The accident occurred at about 8:30 p. m. on January 7, 1948, in appellant’s yard at Buena Vista, Colorado. Respondent was working as head brakeman on an eastbound freight train which consisted of a four unit diesel engine, and sixty freight cars. Most of the cars were left on the main line track while switching operations were carried on [60]*60in the yard. After a number of switching operations, the train consisting of 14 cars, was located on what was known as the stock or ice house track. Just prior to the time of the last movement of the train, respondent stationed himself in the center and on top of the last car as, according to him, this was the safest position from which he could give the necessary signal. He gave the engineer the lantern signal to move forward and the train moved out to the south. According to respondent’s version, the train rapidly picked up speed and at the time he was jolted off was moving at a rate of speed from 12 to 15 miles per hour.

Respondent was required to line the main line switch and preparatory to this he moved forward on top of the car. He was carrying a lantern and brake club. He approached the front end of the car and crouched down to take hold of the grab iron. While in the process of crouching, by what respondent described as “the slack running in causing a violent jerk” he was thrown to the ground and the last car of the cut ran over him causing the injuries which will be referred to later.

The cut of cars was moving down a track which had two curves in it between the place where the train started and the place where respondent needed to be . on the ground to throw the switch. Respondent was familiar with the track, knew the presence of the curves, knew that when travelling on a curve there is a lurching and wobbling of the cars and knew the lurching and wobbling would increase in severity. Respondent was a seasoned brakeman and was familiar with slack action.

The United States Supreme Court has in its recent decisions announced the rule that if there exists any evidence from which negligence might be fairly inferred, the question is one for the determination of the jury even though the jury’s verdict involved speculation and conjecture. We quote from the case of [61]*61Lavender v. Kurn, 327 U. S. 645, 66 S. Ct. 740, 744, 90 L. Ed. 916:

“It is no answer to say that the jury’s verdict involved speculation and conjecture. Whenever facts are in dispute or the evidence is such that fair-minded men may draw different inferences, a measure of speculation and conjecture is required on the part of those whose duty it is to settle the dispute by choosing what seems to them to be the most reasonable inference. Only when there is a complete absence of probative facts to support the conclusion reached does a reversible error appear. But where, as here, there is an evidentiary basis for the jury’s verdict, the jury is free to discard or disbelieve whatever facts are inconsistent with its conclusion. And the appellate court’s function is exhausted when that evidentiary basis becomes apparent, it being immaterial that the court might draw a contrary inference or feel that another conclusion is more reasonable.”

The same rule should be applied against the employee and if from the evidence in this case the jury could fairly infer that the respondent did not use due care in his movements on top of the car then we are not at liberty to set aside its findings.

Respondent was the only witness to his own activities and the jury is permitted to consider his interest in evaluating his testimony. Considering those portions of his testimony favorable to appellant the jury could find that respondent left the position that he considered the safest to proceed to a more dangerous position at a time when the car was entering a curve on the track and when there would be a lurching and wobbling. He could have waited until the car was on the straight-of-way and carried out his duties without delay. He knew the train was traveling at a fast rate of speed for that movement and yet he made no effort to signal the engineer to slow down although his duties required him to control the movement of the train. He knew the faster the train went around the curve the more pronounced would be the forces to hurl him from the car and he knew that the slack action [62]*62would be more severe than if the train were moving more slowly.

With these facts to deal with the jury could fairly infer that respondent did not use due care for his own safety and diminish his damages in the proportion in which his negligence contributed to his injuries.

Appellant seeks a reversal upon three assigned grounds of error. The first is that the trial court erred in permitting exhibit G “Computation of Present Value of Monthly Income based on American Experience Mortality Tables” in evidence; second, that the trial court erred in admitting exhibit H, a similar table based on United States Department of Commerce Life Tables; and third, the verdict is excessive and resulted from passion and prejudice on the part of the jury.

We shall treat the first two assignments of error together. We have held in a number of recent cases that exhibits similar to exhibits G and H are admissable in evidence. See Pauly v. McCarthy et al., 109 Utah 398, 166 P. 2d 501; Schlatter v. McCarthy, 113 Utah 543, 196 P. 2d. 968. Appellant concedes this now to be the law in this jurisdiction but founds its present assignments of error on the proposition that a proper foundation was not laid to permit their introduction in evidence.

Verdicts are reaching high levels and counsel in their attempts to establish excessive damages contend that the improper use of these tables by jurors contribute to the astronomical amounts. Even if the assumption made was correct, it would not render the tables inadmissible as the information set out merely furnishes the jury a convenient method of diminishing a present lump sum verdict so as to more accurately estimate an injured persons pecuniary loss and give credit for the earning power of the money obtained.

[63]

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Bennett v. Denver & Rio Grande Western R. Co.
213 P.2d 325 (Utah Supreme Court, 1950)

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Bluebook (online)
213 P.2d 325, 117 Utah 57, 1950 Utah LEXIS 168, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bennett-v-denver-rio-grande-western-r-co-utah-1950.