Cato v. Texas & P. Ry. Co.

39 S.W.2d 843
CourtTexas Commission of Appeals
DecidedJune 10, 1931
DocketNo. 1451—5686
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 39 S.W.2d 843 (Cato v. Texas & P. Ry. Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Texas Commission of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Cato v. Texas & P. Ry. Co., 39 S.W.2d 843 (Tex. Super. Ct. 1931).

Opinion

SHARP, J.

The Supreme Court granted a writ of error to review the opinion of the Court of Civil Appeals for the Sixth District. Plaintiff recovered judgment against the defendant for damages sustained while boarding a passenger train at its depot in Texarkana, Tex. For the sake of brevity, we refer to the opinion of the Court of Civil Appeals for a more detailed statement of the case. 19 S.W.(2d) 858.

We refer to the parties as they were designated in the trial court.

' The Court of Civil- Appeals reversed the judgment of the trial court and remanded the case for another trial upon the ground that the issues of negligence submitted to the jury did not warrant the judgment entered. In view of this holding we deem it expedient to set out herein a brief statement of the nature of the pleadings; the material parts of the testimony introduced at the trial, and the material issues submitted to the jury and their answers thereto.

The Court of Civil Appeals briefly states the nature of the pleadings as follows:

■ “The suit was by appellee for damages for personal injuries received by him while, as he alleged, in the relation of a passenger, through negligence on the part of the railway company in the following respects: (1) In allowing a long passenger train on track No. 1, parallel with and next to .the depot, to block the access of awaiting passengers to the passenger train on track No. 3, upon which the plaintiff was to take passage. (2) In failing to provide a free and unobstructed passageway from the depot to the train upon track No. 3, which was stopped there awaiting passengers. (3) In maintaining a square wooden boxlike structure, protruding above the surface of the ground, between the two tracks, the track on which the train was placed and the next track in the direction of the station therefrom; and in maintaining such structure in an ill state of repair. (4) In failing to provide any lighting system whatever for the space between the two tracks where the plaintiff was required to pass to board his train.
.“The defendant company specially pleaded, as negligence causing and contributing to cause the injuries, that the plaintiff was familiar with the arrangement and location of the track and the trains; that a considerable and reasonable time before the scheduled time for the departure of the train on track No. 3 the trains then occupying tracks Nos. 1 and 2 had been cut in twain so as to allow free and easy passage from the station- over and across tracks 1 and 2 to the passenger train on track 3; that a porter was provided to distinctly announce the impending departure of trains and to give directions about how to cross tracks 1 and 2 in order to reach the train on track 3; that the plaintiff attempted to board the train while in motion.”

The material parts of the testimony introduced are stated as follows:

“On December 21, 1927, the date of the injury, the Missouri-Pacific Railway Company, the Kansas City Railway Company, and the appellant company, maintained and respectively were using at Texarkana a union depot for receiving and discharging passengers. The depot building extended east and west. Near the middle part of the building was the ticket office, the waiting room for white passengers, and the one for colored passengers, and closets and lavatories. On the east end of the building were the baggage and express rooms, and on ‘ the west end were the railway terminal rooms and those used by the Postal Service of the United States. Along the entire front of the depot was a concrete walk, covered by a shed extending its entire length. Immediately south of 'and parallel with the concrete platform were located three tracks, called 1, 2 and 3, used for passenger trains. Between tracks 1 and 2, and between tracks 2 and 3, were plank platforms, which were on a level with the rails of the tracks, extending the entire length of the depot. 'There were lights as far as the platform extended. Begifining at the west end of the platform was the railway yard, used as such. -;Six and one-half feet west of the west end of the depot platform, and lo[845]*845cated 'between tracks 2 and 3, is a water box, inclosing a hydrant, used and maintained by the companies in necessary operation of trains. According to the evidence in behalf of the defendant, the water box extended 1¾ inches above the level of the cinders between the tracks. According to the plaintiff, the water box was about 6 inches above the leVel of the surface.
“On the evening of December 21, 1927, the appellee went to the union depot above described and purchased a ticket to Eoulke, Ark., over the T. S. & N. Railway, a line operated by appellant between Texarkana, Tex., and Shreveport, Da. The train was regularly run as a mixed train, consisting of one combination coach for baggage, mail, and passengers, and the ordinary freight cars and caboose carried in a freight train. It was invariably placed on track No. 3, with the combination coach nearly opposite the express ' and baggage rooms on the easterly end of the depot and the board platform above described. The train was so placed in order to receive passengers, mail, and express. According to a schedule of long standing this train was due to leave the depot at 7:30 o’clock p. m. On the evening in question, it actually left the depot at 7;35 o’clock. At the time the appellee purchased the ticket, there was standing on track No. 2 a passenger train of the Texas Central Railway, operated by appellant, and on track No. 1 a passenger train of the Kansas City Southern Railway Company. The' Texas Central passenger train arrived on schedule time at 6:35 o’clock p. m., and discharged all passengers; Texarkana being the end of the run. The rear couch of that train rested in close proximity to the water box above described, and the engine rested east thereof and about a car length, or 60 feet, west of the west end of the baggage room. Passengers were discharged at this point on this occasion, but that was not done there before. The Kansas City Southern passenger train was scheduled to arrive at the depot at 6:20 o’clock p. m., and was due to depart therefrom at 6:50 p. m. On the particular evening of December 21 that train was about 35 minutes late, arriving at 6:55 p. m., and departing at 7:50 o’clock or later. The train consisted of an engine and six cars. According to appellee’s testimony, however, the train ‘was long, of seven or eight cars and an engine.’ The engine of the train, headed east, rested nearly to and opposite the baggage room and approximately 150 feet east of the door of the waiting room for white passengers in the depot. The train, standing connected up, would entirely block the way to passengers seeking to embark on the train on track No. 3. When disconnected or cut in twain at a point opposite or nearly opposite to the baggage room of the depot, an open clear way would be afforded passengers or persons to go from the waiting room and concrete platform to the plank platform and passenger coach of the train on track No. 3.”

Again it is said: “There is affirmative evidence in behalf of appellant that about 7:15 o’clock p. m. the Kansas City Southern train occupying track No. 3 (1) was cut in twain at a point opposite the baggage room, and which was ‘about two car-lengths above (east of) the waiting-room door.’ The train was separated ‘something like twenty or thirty feet,’ and ‘stayed unconnected about twenty or twenty-five minutes’ and until after the T. S. & N. train on track No. 3 had departed. The mail foreman testified: T told Mr.

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Bluebook (online)
39 S.W.2d 843, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/cato-v-texas-p-ry-co-texcommnapp-1931.