Burlington & Missouri River Railroad v. Gorsuch

66 N.W. 831, 47 Neb. 767, 1896 Neb. LEXIS 661
CourtNebraska Supreme Court
DecidedApril 7, 1896
DocketNo. 6115
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 66 N.W. 831 (Burlington & Missouri River Railroad v. Gorsuch) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Nebraska Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Burlington & Missouri River Railroad v. Gorsuch, 66 N.W. 831, 47 Neb. 767, 1896 Neb. LEXIS 661 (Neb. 1896).

Opinion

Harrison, J.

The defendant in error instituted this action in the district court of Adams county to recover of plaintiff in error damages alleged to have accrued to defendant in error by reason of the agents and [768]*768employes of plaintiff in error so negligently running one of its trains on and over its road and track as to kill, or cause to be killed, one dark brown horse which belonged to defendant in error, of the value of $125. The petition in the case was based upon the statutory liability of the company for injury to live stock on its tracks or line of road, where there had been a failure to comply with the requirements of the statute in regard to building a fence on either side of its line of road, also in the negligent operation of one of the company’s engines or trains. A trial of the issues resulted in a verdict in favor of defendant in error, and after a motion for new trial filed in behalf of the company was heard and overruled, judgment was rendered on the verdict. To obtain a review of the rulings of the court during the trial the company has prosecuted error proceedings to this court.

It is contended by counsel for the company that the action was one predicated upon whatever liability might have arisen from the failure of the company to fence its right of way, coupled with the other facts and circumstances incident to the occurrence which resulted in an injury to the animal — a horse — by which it was rendered entirely useless; and not because of any negligence of the employes of the company in the operation of its train. To determine this, and further whether it was error to submit the question of such negligence to the jury, a knowledge of some of the salient points of the testimony becomes necessary. Hence we will, as briefly as may be, state them. The engineer in charge of the engine pulling the train testified in part as follows:

[769]*769A. Well, when I pulled over the junction switch at Kenesaw, I saw some horses • on the track about a mile from Kenesaw; four or five. I think five. I pulled on up towards them and they moved up. They were below a crossing — a road crossing east of the road crossing, and when they came to the crossing they slowed up and let me run within about twenty-five or thirty rods. I gave the alarm then and the horses started and run on.
. Q. Where did they start? Were they in the track?
A. Some of them were in the track and some beside the track. Two or three were in the track, but they changed.
Q. State what you did.
A. A mile from the crossing there is another crossing, and when they run up to that crossing I sounded the alarm again and they slowed up until I came within probably twenty rods again, and somewhere near a mile from that crossing is a bridge, so I held back and did not make any alarm or anything until they run into the bridge.
Q. How far was you from them when they run into the bridge?
A. About eighty rods.
Q. What is the condition of the track along there?
A. Well, there is in some places a little cut and in some places a small fill and other places are level. There is two road crossings between where I seen them.

He said further that he had the train under such control from when he sounded the stock alarm until hé stopped near the trestle or bridge that he could have stopped at any time before [770]*770reaching or coming np with the horses, and in respect to the speed of the train said:

Q. About how fast was you running at any one time?
A. Oh, I run probably eight or ten miles am hour until I gave the alarm the first time.
Q. And from that on?
A. I run probably ten or twelve miles an hour after the horses crossed the crossing. They rum pretty lively and got ahead quite a ways. I slowed and had to pull up again to catch up. * * * I wasn’t any closer than twenty rods- and I think I could stop in that distance. ‘
Q. You wasn’t, closer than twenty rods at any time?
A. Not until they’ got on the bridge.
He also said that he knew of the existence of the trestle or bridge, and its location.
Q. Did you come to any stop from the time you started the horses until they came into the bridge?
A. No, sir.
Q. Could you have come to a stop?
A. Yes, sir.
Q. Easily?
A. Yes, sir.

The testimony of the fireman agreed in the main with that of the engineer; also, in substance, did that of the conductor. The evidence on the part of the plaintiff tended to show that the train — a freight train — -was running at about its usual rate of speed as the witnesses had noticed similar trains on this line at this particular place, and after pulling up near the horses, followed them along the track about ten rods behind them, for a distance of one mile or more, to where [771]*771there was a cut, and thirty or forty rods beyond the farther end of the cut was.located a bridge; that at this end of the cut the track was almost level with the ground or land on either side; that, there was a fill or embankjnent comprising the-approach to the trestle, which, at the bridge, was four, six, or eight feet high; that the engine was about six or ten rods behind the horse which was. hurt, when he ran or jumped on the trestle. We infer that the legs of the horse went down into-the spaces between the timbers of the trestle, although there was no direct evidence to such effect. All agree, however, that the train was stopped just before it reached the bridge, and the trainmen and some passengers rolled the horse off the bridge and that one of his front legs was. broken, which rendered him entirely valueless. There was no fence on either side of the track at the point where the horses went upon it, or any portion of it on which they ran, up to and beyond the bridge where the horse was injured. It seems clear that the testimony was mainly directed to-an effort on the part of the defendant in error to prove the want of ordinary care on the part of the men running the train, or to show acts by them which, when taken in connection with all the surrounding circumstances, showed negligence to a degree which rendered the company liable for any injuries to the horse, and on the part of the company to combatting or controverting any such construction or belief, arising from the circumstances- and acts which caused the injury to the horse. This being the theory upon which both parties tried the cause, the question of negligence or no negligence was, under the evidence adduced, one for determination by the jury. It was proper to. [772]*772submit it to them and their answer to this question upon the evidence will not be disturbed.

Of the instructions prepared on behalf of the company and requested to be read to the jury, paragraphs 1 and 2 were as follows:

“1.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
66 N.W. 831, 47 Neb. 767, 1896 Neb. LEXIS 661, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/burlington-missouri-river-railroad-v-gorsuch-neb-1896.