Chicago City Ry. Co. v. Wall

93 Ill. App. 411, 1900 Ill. App. LEXIS 337
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedMarch 5, 1901
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 93 Ill. App. 411 (Chicago City Ry. Co. v. Wall) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Court of Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Chicago City Ry. Co. v. Wall, 93 Ill. App. 411, 1900 Ill. App. LEXIS 337 (Ill. Ct. App. 1901).

Opinion

Mr. Justice Sears

delivered the opinion of the court.

It is argued by counsel for appellant that the evidence discloses that Hull, the driver, was negligent. The law does not impute to appellee any negligence of which the driver was guilty, unless appellee was in some manner at fault for such negligence. Wabash Ry. Co. v. Shacklett, 105 Ill. 364; Union Ry. & Tr. Co. v. Shacklet, 119 Ill. 232; W. C. St. R. R. Co. v. Piper, 165 Ill. 325; Landon v. Ch. & Gr. T. R. R. Co., 92 Ill. App. 216; W. C. St. R. R. Co. v. Dedloff, 92 Ill. App. 547.

In England it was'held by a decision at Common Pleas in 1849 that the passenger must be considered as identified with the driver of a vehicle in which the former voluntarily becomes a passenger, to an extent that the negligence of the driver should be held to be imputed to the passenger. Thorogood v. Bryan, 8 Manning, G. & S. 115.

In this country some of the States adopted and followed this rule. The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania followed it in Lockhart v. Lichtenthaler, 46 Pa. St. 151. The Supreme Court of this State, however, declined to follow these decisions in Wabash Ry. Co. v. Shacklett, supra, and has always adhered to the sound doctrine that when the negligence of several concur in causing an injury, the fault of one of the concurring tort feasors affords no escape from liability for another also at fault. Since the decision in the Shacklett case the courts of England have repudiated the doctrine previously announced in the case of Thorogood v. Bryan, and have adopted the rule as held here.

In 1887 the Court of Appeal held in The Bernina, L. R. 12, Pro. Div. 58, that the announcement in the Thorogood case was not tenable, and the contrary doctrine was followed. This decision was affirmed by the House of Lords in L. R., 13 App. Cases 1.

The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania has also since repudiated the holding in the Lockhart case, supra, except as applied to common carriers, in which class of cases that court still adhere to the rule of the Lockhart case, thus limited, upon grounds of public policy only. Borough v. Brisbane, 113 Pa. St. 544.

It may be, therefore, regarded as generally well settled, both here and elsewhere, that the negligence of the driver is not necessarily to be imputed to a passenger who is in no wise at fault for such negligence, except perhaps in some instances, where persons under disability to care for themselves are in the charge and control of parent or guardian and the like, instances which are referred to in the Shacklett case, supra, as possibly exceptional to the general rule. Whether they are exceptions was not there and is not here involved. The question of whether appell.ee was himself in any way at fault by reason of his actions or failure to act, for negligence of the driver, if the driver was negligent, was a question for the determination of the jury, under the rule ordinarily governing as to contributory negligence.

The evidence is not conclusive that either appellee or Hull, the driver, was guilty of any negligence. As said by this court in W. C. St. R. R. Co. v. Dedloff, supra, “It is not the law that one who attempts to cross a street railroad track upon which a car is approaching is per se guilty of negligence. If it were so, travel across streets upon which such tracks were laid would be precluded; ” citing C. C. & St. L. Ry. Co. v. Baddeley, 150 Ill. 328; B. & O. S. R. Co. v. Keck, 185 Ill. 400.

It was therefore a question primarily for the jury whether there was any negligence contributing to the injury of which appellee was guilty.

■ Upon the alleged negligence of appellant the evidence was sharply conflicting. It is enough to say that this, too, was a question for the jury, and that we can not say, in view of the conflicting evidence, that a verdict for or against appellee could be properly disturbed upon the ground that it was against the manifest weight of the evidence.

W e have, then, only to consider questions of procedure.

The errors complained of relate to rulings upon admission of evidence, instructions, and remarks of the court in the hearing of the jury.

The declaration "contained no allegation that appellee by reason of his injuries had been hindered in his business prior to the bringing of the suit. It was sought to show his damages in this behalf by evidence of his monthly earnings. The objection to the evidence was not made specific, and the court could not know from a general objection, that it was based upon this state of the pleadings. If the objection had been specific it would doubtless have been sustained;, for while no allegation of special damages was necessary in this behalf, and it would have been enough had there been a general allegation that appellee was hindered by the injury in his ordinary business, yet some allegation, either special or general, was essential. The court ruled properly in admitting testimony of a witness as to rate of speed, although such witness had shown no special qualification as an expert in matters of speed of railway trains. Ill. C. R. R. Co. v. Ashline, 171 Ill. 313.

A question was permitted over objection, by which a physician who had attended appellee was asked what his usual charges were for such services. The question was improper. The proper measure was the usual and reasonable charge of the profession generally, not the usual charges of the particular physician who was testifying. But the witness, by his answer, in part cured the fault of the question, for he answered generally as to Avhat a reasonable fee would be.

A witness testified in part as follows: “ I saw the car coming down at a terrible speed.” Counsel for appellant moved the court to strike out this ansAver as being improper. The court overruled the motion, saying: “ That is one Avay of telling Avhat kind of speed it was. I do not see anything improper about it.” The answer was improper and should have been stricken out on motion. It conveyed to the jury no measurement of the rate of speed of the car, except as it conveyed to them the fact that it was such a rate as the witness disapproved. The remark of the court was calculated to give additional weight to the improper evidence. Counsel for appellant saved an exception, and Ave think the error Avell assigned.

A witness, who was being examined in reference to the condition of appellee and Hull in matter of sobriety, was asked:

“ How did he appear to you, Avith reference to whether he had been drinking or not % ”

The question Avas excluded. It was proper, and answer to it should have been allowed. City v. Hillman, 90 Ill. 61; Rogers on Expert Testimony, 10.

It is complained that the court improperly placed a limit upon the number of witnesses to be examined by counsel for appellant upon material issues in the case. ¡No exception was preserved to the ruling, but as the question may again arise upon another trial, we deem it proper to say that the ruling was erroneous. A limit upon the evidence presented might with propriety have been put, to the extent of the payment of costs for witnesses called beyond a certain number.

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Bluebook (online)
93 Ill. App. 411, 1900 Ill. App. LEXIS 337, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/chicago-city-ry-co-v-wall-illappct-1901.