Bulkley v. Thompson

211 S.W.2d 83, 240 Mo. App. 588, 1948 Mo. App. LEXIS 293
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedApril 5, 1948
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 211 S.W.2d 83 (Bulkley v. Thompson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Missouri Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bulkley v. Thompson, 211 S.W.2d 83, 240 Mo. App. 588, 1948 Mo. App. LEXIS 293 (Mo. Ct. App. 1948).

Opinion

*592 BLAND, J.

This is an action for wrongful death. The suit is prosecuted by plaintiff to recover the statutory penalty, under Section 3652 R. S. Mo. 1939, for the death of his wife, Jane Weeks Bulkley. There was a verdict and judgment in favor of plaintiff in the sum-of $7000, and the defendant has appealed.

Deceased met her death by having been struck by a locomotive owned and operated by the servants of defendant at the North Avenue crossing in the City of Belton. Defendant’s railroad runs, generally, north and south but, as it extends southward and shortly before reaching the North Avenue crossing, it curves to the east. The crossing is in this curve.

The evidence shows that plaintiff, at the time of the death of deceased, on May 19, 1945, was 77 years of age, and deceased was 73 years of age. Deceased was in good health and her hearing and eyesight were good. Plaintiff and deceased lived about two blocks west of, and she was thoroughly familiar with, the crossing in question. At the time of the collision she was enroute from her house to meet her daughter at the bus station about two blocks east of the crossing. When she left home, on the morning of the tragedy, she was in good health and spirits. There was but one eyewitness to the collision, John W. Balke, who was the engineer on the train involved in the collision. He was called as a witness for plaintiff. He was not in the employ of the defendant at the time of the trial. He testified that the train in question consisted of an engine, tender, combination mail and baggage car, a day coach and two hospital cars; that the *593 train was about twenty minutes late; that it was a clear day; that the witness first saw deceased when she was about twenty feet from the west rail of the railroad tracks; that at this time the front end of the engine was about one hundred feet from deceased; that he could not have seen her sooner because of shrubbery and rubbish along the west side of the track and to the north of the crossing. Likewise deceased could not see the train approaching until she emerged from behind these obstructions, twenty feet from the crossing. He testified that the train was approaching at a rate of speed of about thirty miles per hour; .that he did not reduce the speed of the train until he saw that deceased was going to get on the track; that he saw deceased walk the entire distance of twenty feet; that she was walking fast and was in the middle of the road or the street; that “she just kept a going;” that she was looking straight ahead and, at no time, looked toward the train. Asked if she threw up her hands or made any outward movement, he replied: “No sign whatever, that I know of”; that when he saw deceased come from behind the obstructions he immediately put the air in the emergency; that it was not possible to stop the train or reduce its speed enough to avoid the collision; that he was sounding the whistle as the train approached the crossing and had been sounding it at the different crossings to the north; that the engine was equipped with an automatic bell-ringer which was turned on and the bell had been ringing continuously from the first crossing north of the one in question.

The evidence shows that there are a number of highway crossings of the.railroad to the north of the crossing in question; that the first crossing is four hundred feet, the second one hundred sixty-five feet from the first and the third seven hundred sixty-seven feet from the second.

Plaintiff’s witness, Wernex, testified that he was building a fence at a point about four hundred f.eet west of the third crossing to the north of the one in question, which crossing, there was evidence tending to show, was 1340 feet north of the latter; that his hearing was good and he heard the noise and rumble of the train about one-half of a quarter of a mile or so to the north of where he was at work; that he saw the train pass over the crossing four hundred feet east of where he was stationed; that at that time he noticed the train. He testified: ‘ ‘ I was busy building a fence and I just noticed the train, naturally, it had those Red Cross cars on it”. He further testified that he heard the train whistle at a crossing a quarter of a mile north of tlie crossing west of which he was working, but he did not hear it whistle any more. He further testified: “I was working there and I never heard the bell ring”.

Plaintiff’s witness, June Washington, testified that she lived about a half or three-quarters of a mile north of Belton; (At one place she put the distance at a mile.) that she and her husband were building a *594 house there where they lived and that she and some persons were on the roof; that she heard the train whistle when it passed her house for a crossing located about two hundred feet south thereof; that it did not whistle for any other crossing; "that her hearing was good; that she did not hear any bell ringing; that after the train had passed the house she came - down from the roof, got into her car and started to Belton to get her mail; that she drove about three or four hundred yards back of the train as it proceeded toward Belton; that the train was proceeding somewhat' faster than was she; that she heard no bell and did not hear the train whistle again; that she heard the rumble of the train a' half a mile away.

Defendant produced a number of witnesses who testified to the effect that the whistle and the bell on the train were being sounded' as the train approached the crossing where deceased met her death, and that the whistle was sounding almost continuously from a point several hundred feet north of the crossing.

The case was submitted to the jury under the humanitarian doctrine.

Defendant insists that the court erred in refusing to sustain his motion for a directed verdict. In this connection it is insisted that “there ivas no substantial evidence from any witness in a position to see, hear and know that no warning was given of the approach of the train and after deceased was in imminent peril”.

"We are unable to sustain this contention. The evidence of plaintiff’s witnesses "Wernex and "Washington, was for the consideration of the jury upon the question as to whether any warning was given. It is claimed that these witnesses were not attentive and, therefore, their testimony to the effect that no warning was given, is not substantial evidence. It is pointed out that the witness, "Wernex, testified that he was working on his fence. This is true, but it does not necessarily follow that he was not attentive and his testimony, as a whole, tends to show that he was. He heard the rumble of the train and he observed it when it passed over the crossing to the east and noticed that it .had two hospital cars attached to it. His testimony, standing alone, was sufficient to take the ease to the jury on the question as to the lack of a sounding of the whistle or the bell on the engine as it approached the crossing where deceased met her death. (Rosanbalm v. Thompson, 148 S. W. (2nd) 830, 832, 833.)

This is also true as to the witness, June Washington. As to this witness’s testimony, it is claimed that, on cross-examination, she testified that she heard the train whistle on one occasion between the time she left her house and the time she arrived at Belton; that she did not know how many times it whistled. “Q.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
211 S.W.2d 83, 240 Mo. App. 588, 1948 Mo. App. LEXIS 293, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bulkley-v-thompson-moctapp-1948.