Casey v. Northern Pacific Ry. Co.

198 P. 141, 60 Mont. 56, 1921 Mont. LEXIS 77
CourtMontana Supreme Court
DecidedMay 16, 1921
DocketNo. 4,327
StatusPublished
Cited by94 cases

This text of 198 P. 141 (Casey v. Northern Pacific Ry. Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Montana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Casey v. Northern Pacific Ry. Co., 198 P. 141, 60 Mont. 56, 1921 Mont. LEXIS 77 (Mo. 1921).

Opinion

MR. JUSTICE HOLLOWAY

delivered the opinion of the eourt.

On the evening of March 1, 1917, Northern Pacific freight train No. 1713, westbound, left Winston at 8:03 for East Helena, followed immediately by engine No. 1288, which had assisted the train from Townsend to Winston, and at the latter place had been cut off. The distance from Winston to East Helena is 15.9 miles, bnt on account of train troubles No. 1713 did not reach the East Helena yard limits until 8:52. The train was required to take the siding and moved to and a few feet past the switch before it came to a stop. There were some sixty-four ears in the train, and the caboose stood a short distance east of the yard limit board. Engine 1288 stopped from [59]*59forty-five to fifty feet east of the caboose. Twenty-six minutes after train 1713 left Winston, another west-bound freight No. 1746, also left Winston for East Helena, with a load of 1,550 tons (twenty-eight loaded ears and six empties), and somewhere near 9 o’clock ran into engine 1288, forcing it forward into the rear of train 1713. Just before the collision, William B. Casey, the engineer in control of train 1746, jumped from his locomotive, fell and sustained injuries. He brought this action to recover damages, and charged the railway company with negligence in failing to give timely warning that train 1713 was standing upon the main line track and extending eastward of the yard limit board.

The answer denies any negligence on the part of the company, or its agents and servants in charge oi train 1713, and alleges negligence on the part of the plaintiff in approaching the yard limit board at an excessive rate of speed. The trial resulted in a verdict in favor of plaintiff, and from the judgment entered thereon and from an order denying a new trial defendant appealed.

Of the several assignments of error but one requires consideration. Is the evidence sufficient to sustain the verdict?

[1] It is established by the evidence without controversy that it was the duty of the rear brakeman on train 1713 to exercise reasonable care to give full protection to train 1746 by warning signals; that he did warn it with his lighted lantern and a lighted fusee, and that the signals were seen by the plaintiff before the collision occurred; that it was the duty of plaintiff to approach the yard limits with train 1746 under such control that he could stop if necessary; and that plaintiff knew that he was required to take the East Helena siding to permit train 222 to pass upon the main line track.

It is conceded that a considerable distance east of the yard limit board the track runs through a cut; that west of the cut the track curves to the south, then runs straight for some distance, and then curves slightly to the north; and that plaintiff [60]*60could not see the rear lights on train 1713 or on engine 1288 until he reached the straight track.

In order to determine whether the brakeman was negligent in failing to warn plaintiff at a sufficient distance from engine 1288 that by the exercise of ordinary care train 1746 could have been stopped and the collision avoided, the answer to each of the following inquiries is of primary importance: (a) Where was the rear end of train 1713 with reference to the yard limit board, and where was engine 1288 when the collision occurred? (b) Where was the brakeman when train 1746 came into view? (e) Where does the straight track begin from the east? (d) Where is the cut referred to in the evidence? (e) How far was plaintiff from engine 1288 when the signals were first seen? (f) At what rate was plaintiff running his train?

(a) In his complaint plaintiff alleges that the rear end of train 1713 was seventy-five feet east of the yard limit board, and again he alleges that it was 275 feet east of that point. Upon the trial he testified that it was five car-lengths east of the yard limit board and that the cars average fifty feet in length. He alleges that the rear of engine 1288 was 350 feet east of the board, and that his train collided with it 400 feet east of that point.

(b) Plaintiff testified that he saw the lighted fusee in the brakeman’s hand and the rear lights on engine 1288 at the same instant,- that when he first saw these signals the brakeman was four or five car-lengths east of the rear of engine 1288 and was going east. Later he testified that immediately after the collision he met the brakeman four car-lengths east of the front of train 1746. The undisputed evidence is that the impact drove the caboose of train 1713 westward to the yard limit board a distance of 250 feet according to plaintiff’s testimony, so that, if the second statement above is true, the brakeman was not as far east when the collision occurred as he was when plaintiff first saw him, though he was traveling eastward all the time. At an investigation held at Livingston four days after [61]*61the collision, at which the train crews were' present and several witnesses, including the plaintiff, were examined touching the cause of and responsibility for the collision, the plaintiff then stated that immediately after the collision he met the brakeman about the middle of train 1716, and he testified that the train consisted of thirty-four cars. At the same investigation he testified: “I say Brakeman Moorehead was not over ten car-lengths behind helper” (engine 1288).

(c) Plaintiff contented himself with giving estimates of the distances. He did not undertake to locate definitely the point where the straight track commences from the east, but inferentially he fixed it at 350 feet east of the rear of engine 1288, for he testified that he saw the signals when he first came upon the straight track, and that he was then seven car-lengths from engine 1288. By actual measurements the distance from the yard limit board to the point where the straight track commences from the east is 1,600 feet in round numbers. If the rear of engine 1288 was 350 feet east of the yard limit board, as alleged in plaintiff’s complaint, then the straight track actually commences 1,250 feet east of the rear of engine 1288, instead of 350 feet, as estimated by plaintiff.

(d) Plaintiff also estimated that the rear of engine 1288 was twenty car-lengths, or 1,000 feet, west of the cut. The measurements disclose that the distance between the west end of the cut and the rear of engine 1288 is 2,326 feet, assuming that engine 1288 was stationed at the point fixed by plaintiff in his own testimony. Plaintiff testified that the cars average fifty feet in length, but a cheek of his own train from the wheel report disclosed that they averaged forty-four and three-tenths feet in length.

(e) Plaintiff alleges in his complaint that when he first observed the signals or received warning that a train was on the main line track east of the yard limit board he was only 150 feet from the rear of that train. Upon the trial he testified first that he was seven car-lengths away, and later testified that [62]*62he was eleven car-lengths away when he jumped from his engine, and that he jumped after he observed the signals and after he had set the brakes. At the investigation at Livingston he stated that he did not believe that he was over fifteen or sixteen car-lengths away. Marchington, the fireman on Casey’s locomotive and a witness for plaintiff, testified that the brakeman was fifteen or sixteeen car-lengths away when he first saw the signals.

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Bluebook (online)
198 P. 141, 60 Mont. 56, 1921 Mont. LEXIS 77, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/casey-v-northern-pacific-ry-co-mont-1921.