Chicago & Erie Railroad v. Biddinger

109 N.E. 953, 61 Ind. App. 419, 1915 Ind. App. LEXIS 81
Indiana Court of Appeals·Decided October 26, 1915·No. No. 8,651·Published·Cited by 6 cases

Opinion

Moran, J.

On April 1, 1911, while Err Biddinger, accompanied by his wife, Minnie Biddinger, was attempting to cross appellant’s railroad upon the principal street of the city of Rochester, Indiana, the conveyance in which they were riding was struck by appellant’s west bound passenger train and the occupants of the conveyance were violently thrown therefrom and Minnie Biddinger was severely injured, from the effects of which she died the following day. Appellee, as administrator of her estate, brought an action against appellant alleging that her death was caused by the negligence of appellant. A trial by a jury resulted in a verdict in. favor of appellee in the sum of $3,000. From a judgment on the verdict, appellant has [423] appealed and seeks a reversal on the grounds: (1) that the complaint does not state facts sufficient to constitute a cause of action; (2) error in overruling a demurrer to each paragraph of complaint; (3) error of the court in overruling appellant’s motion for judgment on answers to interrogatories; (4) error in overruling appellant’s motion for a new trial; (5) error in overruling appellant’s motion in arrest of judgment; and (6) error in overruling motion to modify judgment.

The complaint is in two paragraphs, and the material allegations that are common to both paragraphs are, that on April 1, 1911, appellant was a corporation, organized under the Taws of the State of Indiana, and that its line of railroad, passed through the city of Rochester, Indiana, in an easterly and westerly direction, crossing the main street of the city at right angles; on the west side of the street south of the crossing were located a large number of frame buildings, and on the east side and south of the crossing were located a number of dwellings, piles of tile, forest trees, an elevator and freight ears, which obstructed the view to the railroad east of the crossing and the approach of trains from that direction. As Err Biddinger and his wife drew near the crossing, they exercised due care and caution to hear the approach of trains; that appellant carelessly and negligently ran its train of ears to the west at a speed of forty miles per hour, and against the conveyance in which Err Biddinger and his wife were riding, and that his wife by reason thereof was violently thrown from the conveyance and greatly injured, so that she died on the following day; the operators of appellant’s train failed to sound the whistle or ring the bell attached to the locomotive until within about 150 feet of the crossing, not leaving [424] sufficient time for the decedent and her husband to escape; if the whistle had been sounded at a point not less than 80 rods nor more than 100 rods from the crossing, and if the bell had been rung not less than 80 rods nor more than Í00 rods from the crossing, and continuously until the train of cars had passed the crossing, the accident could have been avoided. It is alleged that the husband of the decedent is the sole heir and next of Mn and entitled to any damage that may accrue by reason of the death of his wife. The second paragraph, in addition to the above facts, alleges the violation of an ordinance of the city of Rochester, which limits the speed of locomotives and trains to twenty-five miles per. hour, and, at the time of the accident, the locomotive that came in contact with the •conveyance in which the decedent and her husband were riding, was propelled at a high and dangerous rate of speed of forty miles per hour. Damages were demanded in the sum of $10,000.

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Chicago & Erie Railroad v. Biddinger, 109 N.E. 953, 61 Ind. App. 419, 1915 Ind. App. LEXIS 81 (Ind. Ct. App. 1915).

109 N.E. 953 (Chicago & Erie Railroad v. Biddinger) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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