Campbell v. Illinois Central Railroad

100 N.W. 30, 124 Iowa 302
CourtSupreme Court of Iowa
DecidedJune 9, 1904
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 100 N.W. 30 (Campbell v. Illinois Central Railroad) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Campbell v. Illinois Central Railroad, 100 N.W. 30, 124 Iowa 302 (iowa 1904).

Opinion

Deemer, C. J.

1. "servant™ ' co-empioye; °f contributory negligence; evidence. The defendant Illinois Central Railroad Company was at the time of the accident which resulted in death of Daniel Campbell, removing material from a gravel pit some distance south of , tii'e city of Cherokee. It was operating-a steam ° . . shovel, and an engine moved ballast cars to and from the pit. One Hogan was the conductor in charge of the engine, and Campbell had charge of the work in the pit as supervisor, under the general supervision of the road master. He directed the men, of whom, there were a number engaged’ in the enterprise; and had control over the movement'of the cars when the engine was not attached to them; It was the custom for the engine to bring six or eight ballast cars into •.the pit. and to run 'them past the steam shovel, where' they [304]*304were left for the purpose of being shoved two at a time down to the shovel, where they were, to use the vernacular of the business, “ spotted ”; that is to say they were moved until the forward end of the car was opposite the steam shovel, and when the shovel had been dumped three or four times the car was again moved, so that the shovel might deposit its load in a part of the car not already filled. About four shifts of the car were necessary before it was filled. The cars were pushed by hand, from where they were left by the engine, down to near where they were to be filled, and were afterward shifted by the use of pinch bars in the hands of defendants’ employes. Some years before two engines were engaged in the work — one for hauling the loaded and unloaded cars to and from the pit, and the other for placing or spotting the cars so that they might be easily and expeditiously loaded. But for many months prior to the accident in question there was but one engine employed, and the cars were spotted by hand in the manner heretofore indicated. The cars were filled and removed very rapidly;, the engine coupling onto cars for the purpose of removing-them from the pit from thirty-three to thirty-five times a day. In other words, these couplings were made at least every fifteen minutes during the progress of' the work. Campbell was perfectly familiar with the .manner of doing-the work. In fact, he directed and planned it.

On the day of the accident two ears had been pushed by hand down to near the steam shovel. The forward one-had been pinched until the bumpers between it and the-next car in the rear were two or three feet apart. The engine had moved’ out some loaded cars onto another sidetrack, according to custom, and was coming down to couple-onto the cars which had been left at the shovel. The conductor was on the end of the car next to the engine, and the engine came down front' end foremost. The brakeman was standing on the front run board, and the conductor, as we have said, was on the front end of the ballast car,. [305]*305•which was then being loaded. He was so situated, however, that it was impossible for him to see any one on the ground at the other end of the car, and, save for a custom, of which we may say that he must have had notice, did not know that any one was at the other end of the car pushing or pinching it. There was in fact, a short time before the accident, an employe of the company by the name of Shea, who was using a bar in moving the car. The exact position of Campbell at this time is not disclosed. He was on the other side of the car from where Shea was, and had been talking but a few moments before with the conductor, who was on the front end of the car. He evidently came down the side of the car from north to south, and on the east side thereof. When he arrived at the opening between the ears, which, must have been when the engine was in plain sight to him had he looked, he spoke to Shea, directing him to “ poke bank,” saying that he could move the car alone. For some reason, not shown by the record, he immediately undertook to pass between the cars, and just as he had arrived half way through, the engine struck the forward car, throwing it back toward the next one in the rear, and catching Campbell between the bumpers, crushed his sides and body, and inflicted upon him injuries from which he presently died. Immediately after Campbell received his injuries, Hogan, the conductor, hurried to where he (Campbell) was, whereupon the following colloquy occurred. Campbell, after stating that he was mortally wounded, said to Hogan, “ Why didn’t you holler, Johnnie ? ” Hogan replied, I did, Dan,” to which Campbell responded, “ No, you didn’t.” The evidence shows that the conductor gave the engineer the signal to come forward and couple onto the car. At that time he (the conductor) was not in a position to see any one between the car upon which he was standing and the next one south. He knew that Campbell had gone back in that direction, but did not know that he had gone between the cars. The evidence also shows without dispute that in pinch[306]*306ing cars the operator does not go between them, but stands outside the rail; and that, if Campbell had been in that position, the accident would not have happened. Moreover, it would not have occurred, save for the fact that he (Campbell) went between the bumpers of the two cars. Why Campbell went between these cars is not shown, nor is there any evidence to show, whose duty it was to give notice of the approach of the engine. We gather from the record that not only Campbell, but also all other employes immediately engaged in the work, sounded the alarm when the engine approached.

We have already referred in a general way to the manner in which the work was done, but it should also be stated that the ears were pinched only when the engine was engaged in other' work. After taking out the loaded cars and placing them upon the siding, the custom was' for it to return and to couple onto the cars which.were being loaded, and they were thereafter spotted by the engine, or so moved as that the shovel could properly distribute the gravel. -The engine would generally return before a car was half loaded after being pinched into position by the use of a crowbar. Campbell had charge of the movement of. the cars and of the entire work in the pit until the engine was coupled onto them. After that the train was in charge of the conductor and the brakeman. Campbell was perfectly familiar with the manner of doing the work, for he controlled and directed it; and he also knew about the time the engine would return after taking out the loaded cars.

The record is entirely devoid of any evidence tending to show that it was the custom or duty either of the conductor or the engineer to give warning of the approach of the engine. If inferences are to be indulged in, it is quite as' consistent to say that it was Campbell’s duty to give notice to the employes under his direction, and who were working about the cars and pinching them, of the approach of the engine, as that it was the duty of the engineer or conductor of the train to do so. Indeed, the evidence shows [307]*307that until the engine was coupled onto the cars the conductor was under the control and direction of Campbell. It is shown that Campbell gave directions for the movement of the cars down until the time the engine was coupled thereto. There is also a break in the testimony as to. what Campbell was doing from the time he left Hogan at the north end of the car down until he appeared at the opening between the two ballast ears, but, as the interval was very brief, we may assume that he walked directly back along the side of the car to the place where he spoke to Shea.

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Bluebook (online)
100 N.W. 30, 124 Iowa 302, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/campbell-v-illinois-central-railroad-iowa-1904.