Chicago Union Traction Co. v. May

125 Ill. App. 144, 1905 Ill. App. LEXIS 327
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedDecember 4, 1905
DocketGen. No. 12,123
StatusPublished

This text of 125 Ill. App. 144 (Chicago Union Traction Co. v. May) 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 Union Traction Co. v. May, 125 Ill. App. 144, 1905 Ill. App. LEXIS 327 (Ill. Ct. App. 1905).

Opinion

Mr. Presiding Justice Adams

delivered the opinion of the court.

Counsel for appellants advance and argue certain propositions which will be considered in their order.

First, the court erred in refusing the peremptory instruction as to the whole case, and also as to the second and third counts of the declaration. At the close of all the evidence each of the appellants moved the court to exclude all the evidence from the jury, and to instruct the jury to find it not guilty, and presented an instruction to that effect; and each of them also moved the court to instruct the jury to find it not guilty on the second count of the declaration and also on the third count of the declaration. A separate motion was made as to each of said second and third counts. The court overruled all of said motions and refused to instruct as requested. We gather from the argument of counsel for appellant, and from what they said to the trial court, on making their motions as to the 'second and third counts, that» the motions were based on the theory that the evidence failed to-show that the ear was suddenly and violently started, before the appellee had a reasonable opportunity to board the same, and that it was suddenly and violently started while the appellee was a passenger. The evidence tends to prove that the car was stationary, for the purpose of receiving passengers, when the appellee was attempting to board it, and that it started with a jerk while she was so attempting, and therefore the question, whether the car was suddenly and violently started, when the appellee was attempting to board it, was a question for the jury, and the court properly refused appellant’s motions and instructions as to the second and third counts. But even though there were no evidence that the car was suddenly and violently started, there ivould be no error in the ruling of the court on the motions as to the second and third counts; because the first count is merely for negligent management of the car, resulting in injury to appellee, and the appellee’s evidence is admissible under that count. Swift & Co. v. Rutkowski, 182 Ill., 18.

A motion to take the whole case from the jury, by excluding all the evidence, or by instruction to find for the defendant, or defendants, as the case may be, can only be allowed when there is no evidence fairly tending to support the plaintiff’s case, or no evidence of some element so essential to a recovery that, without proof of it, there could be no recovery. Roberts v. C. & G. T. Ry. Co., 78 Ill. App., 526, 529-30, and cases cited. In Met. El. Ry. Co. v. Fortin, 203 Ill., 454, 456, the question on a motion of defendant to take the case from the jury, is thus stated: “Such motion presents to this court a question of law and not one of fact, and is in the nature of a demurrer to the evidence; that is, admitting the evidence in favor of the plaintiff to be true, does it, together with all legitimate conclusions to be drawn therefrom, fairly tend to sustain the plaintiff’s cause of action? If it does, then, as matter of law, the plaintiff is entitled to have his case passed on by the jury.”

The conductor of the car in question, called as a witness by appellants, testified that he was in the front end of the car facing north, the car moving south on Robey street, and saw appellee standing on the crossing of Potomac avenue and Robey street, waiting to get on the car; that the car came,to a stop at Potomac avenue, and he held it until appellee got on and then started it.

George Bixly, witness for plaintiff, testified that he was in the front seat of the car facing the front; that he first saw appellee when she attempted to board the car; that the car started forward as she had placed her foot on the running board and threw her back, and he reached out and caught hold of her, and with his assistance, she boarded the car. He also testified that immediately after he helped her on the car she looked very pale. The appellee testified, substantially, that she put her left foot on the running board, and took hold with her left hand, when the car started with a jerk and threw her around backward, twisting her back, in which she felt a severe pain; that she then became faint, and didn’t remember who assisted her into the car until she came to her senses; that, afterward, the conductor came to her and said that he didn’t see her; that, after recovering from her faintness, she experienced pain in her back, shooting up into the back of her head, and numbness in her left side and limb; that she stayed on the car till it reached Van Burén street, when she alighted, with the assistance of two gentlemen, and that a lady assisted her onto a Van Burén street car, on which she rode to Washtenaw avenue, when the conductor of that car assisted her to alight; that then she walked about a block to 1160 Jackson boulevard, the house of Miss Hannah, her friend, where.she remained until after dark, when Miss Hannah assisted her to board a Western avenue car, on which she rode to Potomac avenue, where the conductor assisted her to alight, and she walked thence to 164 Potomac avenue, where she lived. Appellee then proceeded to relate the ailments and suffering which she attributes to the accident, and which will be referred to hereafter.

Miss Hannah testified that May 5, 1901, she saw appellee in front of the house, 1160 Jackson boulevard, about four o’clock; that appellee rang the bell, and she, witness, went to ' the door; that appellee said nothing when she came'in, hut-sat down in a chair and remained silent three or four minutes before she could speak; that she stayed there two and a half or three hours, and that witness stayed with her and helped her to get on a car.

There is other evidence fairly tending to support appellee’s case, and we think it clear that appellants’ motions to take the case from the jury were properly overruled.

Second. It is objected that the court admitted improper evidence as to the damages.

April 1, 1903, and December 10, 1903, appellee underwent surgical operations. Dr. Moore, appellee’s attending physician, was present at both operations, and Dr. Henrotin performed the operations. Dr. Moore testified that at the first operation there were removed a cyst as large as a large orange from appellee’s left ovary, a degeneration of that ovary, three-fourths of the right ovary, in which degeneration had taken place, and part of the left Fallopian tube; that at the second operation a cyst about the same size as the former one, and the remainders of the right ovary and of the Fallopian tube were removed.

Dr. Henrotin testified that at the first operation he removed from the right ovary a cystic tumor the size of a large fist, also the Fallopian tube and ovary, which last was completely diseased, also a small tumor from the body of the uterus; that at the second operation he removed a cyst which had grown to quite a large size, which was between the walls of the broad ligament and the location of the first operation, on the right side, as he thinks, and also removed what remained of the ovary from the former operation, and the left Fallopian tube.

The appellee testified to the performance of the two operations, but, naturally, did not describe them.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Chicago & Erie Railroad v. Meech
45 N.E. 290 (Illinois Supreme Court, 1896)
Swift & Co. v. Rutkowski
54 N.E. 1038 (Illinois Supreme Court, 1899)
Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railway Co. v. Fortin
67 N.E. 977 (Illinois Supreme Court, 1903)
Illinois Central Railroad v. Smith
208 Ill. 608 (Illinois Supreme Court, 1904)
Roberts v. Chicago & Grand Trunk Ry. Co.
78 Ill. App. 526 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1898)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
125 Ill. App. 144, 1905 Ill. App. LEXIS 327, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/chicago-union-traction-co-v-may-illappct-1905.