Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati & Indianapolis Railway Co. v. Wynant

100 Ind. 160, 1885 Ind. LEXIS 181
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedJanuary 29, 1885
DocketNo. 10,778
StatusPublished
Cited by65 cases

This text of 100 Ind. 160 (Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati & Indianapolis Railway Co. v. Wynant) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati & Indianapolis Railway Co. v. Wynant, 100 Ind. 160, 1885 Ind. LEXIS 181 (Ind. 1885).

Opinion

Howk, J.

The first error of which the appellant complains here is the overruling of its demurrer to each paragraph of appellee’s complaint. The complaint contained two paragraphs. In the first paragraph, the appellee alleged that the appellant was the owner of, and for ten years last past had been operating, a railroad from the city of Cleveland, in the State of Ohio, to the city of Indianapolis, in this State, through the county of Madison, and that its railroad passed [161]*161over and across the highway leading from the city of Anderson to the town of Pendleton, both in Madison county; that, in 1867, the appellant constructed a branch railroad, leading from the main line of its road to a gravel bank in said county, of the length of about one mile, and had owned and operated such branch railroad continuously since its construction, which branch crossed the aforesaid highway in Madison county; that, on March 22d, 1882, the appellant placed about forty box and flat cars on the track of its branch railroad, at and near its crossing of the above described highway, one of which box cars the appellant then placed upon and partially across such highway, which box car as so placed by appellant extended twenty-four feet upon the highway, and to the •edge of the part of the highway then used by the public as their route of travel, and then and there unlawfully permitted such ear to obstruct the highway and the travel thereon; that, on the day last named, the appellee was going from her home in said county to the city of Anderson, in a two-horse .spring-wagon drawn by two quiet and gentle horses; that when' she came with said team of horses to the crossing of the highway by such branch railroad, the appellant by carelessly, negligently and unlawfully permitting said box car, in its then condition, to remain upon such highway as aforesaid, caused the said team of hbrses and each of them to become frightened and unmanageable, and to run away, and in their fright to overturn the wagon in which appellee was riding, ;and threw her out of the wagon, thereby breaking her arm ■and 'greatly injuring her body, causing her great bodily and mental pain and suffering, etc., all of which was done and ■caused by the appellant, without appellee’s fault or negligence, to her damage in the sum of $5,000, for which she demands judgment, etc.

In the second paragraph of her complaint, the appellee .alleged that, on March 22d, 1882, the appellant being the owner of a railroad and the cars and locomotives proper for [162]*162operating the same, and then engaged in operating the same,, the appellee then going along one of the public highways of .Madison county, in a two-horse spring-wagon drawn by two quiet and safe horses; that by reason of the negligence and carelessness of the appellant, unlawfully permitting an empty box car to remain on the track of its railroad, and to unlawfully remain in and upon such highway where appellee was compelled to travel, and by reason of such box car being so in the highway as above stated and “in its then condition,” the said horses became frightened and ran away, overturning' the wagon and throwing appellee upon the ground and against a fence, by reason of which her arm was broken, and she was-otherwise greatly injured and caused to suffer great bodily and mental pain, and to entirely lose the use of her arm; all of which was caused by the carelessness and negligence of appellant, without any fault or negligence of the appellee, by reason of which she sústained damages in the sum of $5,000,, for which sum she demanded judgment, etc.

Appellant’s counsel earnestly insist, in argument, that the facts stated in each of these paragraphs of complaint are insufficient to constitute a cause of action. It must be confessed that the facts of the case are not very fully or accurately stated in either paragraph, and, especially, in the second paragraph of the complaint. But it must be borne in mind, in considering this question, that all the facts well pleaded, whether fully or accurately stated or not, by force and for the purposes of the demurrer, are admitted to be true precisely as the same are pleaded. Thus considering the objections urged by appellant’s counsel to appellee’s complaint, in the case in hand, we have no difficulty in reaching the conclusion that none of them are well taken, as to either paragraph of the complaint, by the demurrers thereto for the want of sufficient facts. The argument of counsel is chiefly devoted to the consideration of the alleged insufficiency of the facts stated in the second paragraph of complaint to constitute a cause of action. Counsel say of this paragraph, that its allegations. [163]*163negative the idea that the box car was placed in and upon the highway by the appellant. We find no such negation in the paragraph. It simply fails to allege how or by whom the car was placed there, and it can hardly be said that this silence of the paragraph upon the subject either affirms or negatives the idea that the car was placed there by the appellant. This paragraph substantially charges that the appellant unlawfully permitted an empty box car, on the track of its railroad, to unlawfully remain in and upon the highway where appellee was compelled to travel, etc. That is, without any statement as to how or by whom the car was placed there, it is charged that the appellant unlawfully permitted it to remain in and upon the highway. In section 2170, R. S. 1881, in force since September 19th, 1881, it is made a criminal offence punishable by fine to permit or suffer a railroad train, used for carrying freight,” to remain standing across any public highway, street or alley. We know that box cars are ordinarily used for carrying freight, and when it was charged that appellant permitted an empty box car to. unlawfully remain in and upon the public highway, the appellant was thereby charged with the violation of a positive statute prohibiting the wrongful obstruction of a public highway. Section 1964, R. S. 1881. The act of the appellant in permitting the empty box car to remain in and upon the public highway was an unlawful act, and it was charged in effect that this act was occasioned by the appellant’s negligence.

It is settled by the decisions of this court, that a general allegation of negligence is sufficient to withstand a demurrer to the complaint for the want of facts; and that, under such allegation, the facts constituting negligence may be given in-evidence. Indianapolis, etc., R. R. Co. v. Keeley, 23 Ind. 133; Ohio, etc., R. W. Co. v. Selby, 47 Ind. 471; Pittsburgh, etc., R. R. Co. v. Nelson, 51 Ind. 150. So, too, it has been repeatedly held by this court, where it was claimed that the allegations of the complaint in regard to negligence were not suffi[164]*164ciently full, clear and explicit, that the objection could not be reached by a demurrer for the want of facts, but only by a motion to make the complaint, or the particular allegation thereof, more specific. Cincinnati, etc., R. R. Co. v. Chester, 57 Ind. 297; Hawley v. Williams, 90 Ind. 160; Pennsylvania Co. v. Dean, 92 Ind. 459.

Appellant’s counsel further insist that the second paragraph of complaint is bad on' demurrer, because “it is not even charged therein that the horses took fright at the car.” We think, however, that the paragraph is not fairly open to this objection. The allegation of the paragraph, on this point, is that by reason of the box car being so in the highway as above stated, and “ in its then condition,” the horses became frightened, etc.

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Bluebook (online)
100 Ind. 160, 1885 Ind. LEXIS 181, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/cleveland-columbus-cincinnati-indianapolis-railway-co-v-wynant-ind-1885.