Brininstool v. Michigan United Railways Co.

121 N.W. 728, 157 Mich. 172, 1909 Mich. LEXIS 974
CourtMichigan Supreme Court
DecidedJune 7, 1909
DocketDocket No. 107
StatusPublished
Cited by29 cases

This text of 121 N.W. 728 (Brininstool v. Michigan United Railways 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
Brininstool v. Michigan United Railways Co., 121 N.W. 728, 157 Mich. 172, 1909 Mich. LEXIS 974 (Mich. 1909).

Opinion

Ostrander, J.

The plaintiff, driving a team of horses in the highway, adjoining the track of the defendant’s [173]*173railway, was thrown, from the wagon and injured. The team was frightened; the wagon and harness broken. He alleges in his declaration:

‘ ‘ The said defendant, by its agents, servants, and employés, again sounded said whistle, without any reason or cause therefor, a large number of times, for the express purpose of frightening said team, and of injuring said plaintiff; that at the time said whistle was sounded as aforfesaid, said car was not approaching any crossing nearer than 1^- miles from the point where said whistle was sounded, and there was no reason whatever for the said defendant, by its said servants, agents, and employés, to sound said whistle; that the said defendant, its agents, servants, and employés then and there well knew, at the time said whistle was sounded as aforesaid, that said plaintiff’s team was frightened, and liable to run away on account of the repeated sounding of said whistle, yet the said defendant, by its agents, servants, and employés, disregarding its duty as aforesaid, wilfully, maliciously, wantonly, and negligently continued to sound said whistle after it, the said defendant, its agents, servants, and employés well knew that the plaintiff’s said team was being frightened by said whistle and the passing of said car, and did not stop, or attempt to stop, said car or cease to sound said whistle until said team of said plaintiff was so frightened that it was impossible for said plaintiff to control and manage said team.”

In the second count of the declaration, a careless and negligent sounding of the whistle, frightening plaintiff’s team and causing his injury, is alleged.

The court instructed the jury:

“ I am requested to charge you, and do charge you, that the defendant in this case is not liable for any damages whatever to the plaintiff, if you find that the motorman, at the time he blew the whistle in question, was not in any way furthering or serving the defendant’s interests, and that he blew the whistle, not for any purpose in connection with the ordinary and proper handling of the car, or because it was his duty in any way, as a motorman, to blow the whistle, but for the intentional purpose of frightening the plaintiff’s horses; and, if you find such to be the fact, I charge you that your verdict must be for the defendant, ‘ No cause of action.’ I also charge you that the [174]*174defendant railway company is not liable in this case for any damage to the plaintiff whatever, if you find that the motorman upon the car blew the whistle intentionally, wilfully, and maliciously for the purpose of frightening plaintiff’s horses, if you further find that what he did in that respect was not within the scope of his employment as a motorman. Those two requests have already been covered in substance. In determining, gentlemen, whether or not there was negligence or carelessness on the part of the motorman in sounding the whistle in the manner and at the place that he did, I say to you, if you come to the other question (and you will have to consider it) of determining whether or not he was wilful or malicious in sounding the whistle in the manner and at the time and place he did, you have a right to take in consideration, and should take in consideration, the fact that the whistle, as is indicated by some of the evidence in the case (and that is a question of fact for you to determine), was not blown ordinarily at this point, and that there was no crossing within a mile and a half, and under the light of the other surrounding circumstances as shown by the evidence in the case which would enable you to determine the principal phase of the first question you have to decide upon; viz., whether or not there was carelessness or negligence on the part of the motorman in sounding the whistle, or whether he was prompted by wilfulness and maliciousness.”

1. It is one of the contentions of the defendant, appellant, that a verdict for defendant should have been directed, for the reason that the testimony for the plaintiff tended to prove a malicious and wilful, as opposed to a negligent and careless, use of the whistle; that it did not tend to prove a negligent and careless use of the whistle. It is true that the testimony for the plaintiff (no testimony upon this subject was offered by defendant) tended to prove there was no apparent necessity for such sounding of the whistle as was alleged and proven, and witnesses were permitted to testify, on cross-examination, that they thought the motorman sounded the whistle to make the horses jump. It cannot be said, however, as matter of law, that the testimony did not tend to prove a negligent, use of the whistle, as opposed to a malicious and a wanton [175]*175use of it. It was not error to submit the case to the jury upon the theory of defendant’s responsibility for the careless and negligent use of the whistle; and, as the instructions upon the subject of wilful and malicious use were agreeable with defendant’s contention, it must be assumed that the jury found the negligence of the motor man, and not his wilfulness, was responsible for the fright of the team. It is therefore unnecessary to enter upon the subject of the responsibility of the defendant for the wilful or the malicious conduct of the motorman.

2. Defendant produced as a witness the physician who attended the plaintiff at the hospital to which he was taken August 17th, and from which he was discharged August 26th. He was of opinion that plaintiff sustained no permanent injuries. Plaintiff’s testimony tended to prove that he had been — was when injured — a healthy man. He was rendered unconscious by being thrown from his wagon; his nose was broken; his scalp badly cut, front and rear. There was also testimony that the skull was fractured. Since the injury — never before — he has been subject to headache, bleeding at the nose, and at intervals to “nervous spells,” which prevented work and reading. His witness, Dr. Alvord, gave testimony tending to prove a continuing and permanent injury to plaintiff. It was objected that no injury to the brain, and none to the nervous system, was alleged, and also that testimony, wholly uncertain and speculative in character, was admitted to prove the nature and probable consequences of the injury. The objection last stated is the one relied upon in this court. After describing the external evidences of injury to the head, and the manner in which force applied to the skull sufficient to produce such injuries would affect the blood vessels and soft matter of the brain, the witness said, among other things:

“Now, in this case we didn’t have a rupture of the brain, but we have a large amount of pressure upon those capillaries, which has induced a great deal of congestion here that didn’t properly belong there. I mean to say, [176]*176those capillaries, instead of being the small capillaries, that they were created elastic, as they are, and they are as elastic as rubber, have been pressed with the amount of blood in them until they are forced to contain a great deal more blood than they have any business to in the same space, so that those are enlarged, permanently enlarged, because the blood keeps forced in from the heart below.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
121 N.W. 728, 157 Mich. 172, 1909 Mich. LEXIS 974, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/brininstool-v-michigan-united-railways-co-mich-1909.