Carter v. J. Ray Arnold Lumber Co.

83 Fla. 470
CourtSupreme Court of Florida
DecidedApril 1, 1922
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 83 Fla. 470 (Carter v. J. Ray Arnold Lumber Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Carter v. J. Ray Arnold Lumber Co., 83 Fla. 470 (Fla. 1922).

Opinion

Whitfield, J.

The second amended declaration herein is as follows:

“Thomas L. Carter, as administrator of the estate of Walter L. Carter, deceased, of the County of Lake aforesaid, sues the J. Ray Arnold Lumber Company, a corporation organized and existing under the laws of Florida and having its principal place of business in said County of Lake, defendant, in a civil action for damages in the sum of ten thousand dollars:

“For that, on or about the 15th day of March, 1920, and for a long time prior thereto the defendant, under the corporate name of EDGE-DOWLING LUMBER COMPANY, was the owner and engaged in the operation of a railroad running from and through the County of Sumter, State of Florida, through said County of Lake to its lum[473]*473ber mill situated in said last named County, and in running- trains of ears propelled by steam power over its said railroad; that a portion of said railroad ran between said lumber mill of the defendant and its logging camp and at •a point on the line therefor about two hundred yards distant from said logging camp in the direction towards' said lumber mill was a trestle over a creek; that at the point where the public road crossed said creek there was no bridge nor other convenience for crossing nor was there in that vicinity any means by which a foot passenger could cross said creek without wading through it other than by crossing- over the trestle of the defendant aforesaid; that, as a consequence of said condition, the said railroad track of defendant from its said logging camp to and beyond the point on said track where said trestle was located was then being, and had been for a long period of time prior thereto to-wit: for many months, used as a foot path by the people of that vicinity, of whom plaintiff’s intestate Walter L. Carter was one, in traveling from the neighborhood of said logging camp to points along or-near the line of said railroad track in the direction beyond the trestle aforesaid; that such use of said railroad track and trestle was a necessity because of the lack of other-convenience for crossing said creek as aforesaid; that the defendant well knew, or by the exercise of reasonable prudence and diligence should have known, of such necessity and of such use of its said track and trestle as a foot-path by the public as aforesaid; and that therefore it was the duty of the defendant and its servants to use such care in the operation of its said trains over that portion of its track above described as was reasonably necessary to prevent injury to persons using said track and trestle as a-foot-path for the reasons aforesaid;

[474]*474‘1 That the residence of plaintiff on the date aforesaid was situated near the railroad track of defendant at a point beyond where said trestle was located, that is, so that said trestle was located at a point on said track between said logging camp and the residence of. plaintiff ; that plaintiff’s intestate was on the evening of said date present at or near said logging camp of defendant and, shortly after dark started from said camp along said railroad track and across said trestle in the direction of said residence of plaintiff for the purpose of passing the night at plaintiff’s house, and for the reasons aforesaid it was then and there necessary that plaintiff’s intestate should use defendant’s track and trestle as a foot-path; that the defendant, through its agents and servants, was at the same time running and operating its train consisting' of ten or more cars of the kind used for the transportation of saw-logs, but at the time not loaded, from the direction of its said lumber mill toward its said logging camp; that said train .was being propelled backward by a steam engine attached to the rear thereof and without any light at the front end of said train or any other precaution for the purpose of warning persons so using said track as a foot-path as aforesaid of the approach thereof; and that as said track approaches said trestle from the direction in which said train was coming there is, and there was, a sharp curve which prevented a person on or pear said trestle from realizing the near approach of cars propelled in the manner aforesaid; and that it was the duty of the defendant under the circumstances aforesaid so to operate its said train at, near and over the trestle aforesaid as to exercise reasonable precaution and prudence to avoid injuring.plaintiff’s intestate, who was then, and there using said track and trestle of the defendant as a footpath for the reason aforesaid;

[475]*475“Yet the defendant, wholly disregarding its duty in that respect, did so negligently, carelessly and without due precaution for the rights of others, including plaintiff’s intestate, then and there run and operate its said train of cars, through its servants in charge thereof, at the time and place aforesaid, and especially over that portion of defendant’s said track at and near the trestle aforesaid, that by reason of such careless and negligent operation the said train without warning then and there at or near the trestle aforesaid ran upon, against and over plaintiff’s intestate, the said Walter L. Carter, while so walking upon said trestle or track as aforesaid, and so wounded, bruised and crushed said intestate that he shortly died as a result thereof, without having regained consciousness from the time .of said injury until his death.

“Plaintiff further alleges that his said intestate, Walter L. Car*ter, left him surviving neither widow, nor child, nor any person dependent upon him for support; that plaintiff was duly appointed administrator of the estate of said Walter L. Darter, deceased, on the 30th day of June, 1920, by the County Judge of Sumter County aforesaid, in which county said deceased had his domicile at the time of his death; that at the time of his death said intestate was the owmer of a homestead and engaged in its care and cultivation as well as devoting a part of his time to other gainful occupations, the continuance of which would have benefited his estate; and that by virtue of the premises a cause of action against the defendant has accrued to the plaintiff, as such administrator, to recover damages, as by statute provided, for the negligent and wrongful killing of his intestate as hereinbefore alleged.

“Wherefore, plaintiff, as administrator as aforesaid, [476]*476brings this suit and claims ten thousand dollars ($10,000) damages. ’ ’

A demurrer to the declaration was sustained and the' plaintiff “having announced his election to stand upon the second amended declaration and not to amend further,” final judgment for the defendant on the demurrer was rendered and the plaintiff took writ of error.

Actionable negligence arises where injury to one person is proximately caused by the failure of another to exercise such reasonable care and diligence as should have been exercised under the circumstances in view of the relation of the parties to each other at the time, and the complaining party is not guilty of such contributory negligence as bars recovery under the law applicable to the case. The use of a dangerous agency requires the exercise of care commensurate with the nature and uses of the agency and the conditions and circumstances under which it is operated or utilized.

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Bluebook (online)
83 Fla. 470, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/carter-v-j-ray-arnold-lumber-co-fla-1922.