Englund v. Mississippi Valley Traction Co.

139 Ill. App. 572, 1908 Ill. App. LEXIS 610
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedMarch 11, 1908
DocketGen. No. 4,950
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 139 Ill. App. 572 (Englund v. Mississippi Valley Traction Co.) 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
Englund v. Mississippi Valley Traction Co., 139 Ill. App. 572, 1908 Ill. App. LEXIS 610 (Ill. Ct. App. 1908).

Opinion

Mr. Justice Thompson

delivered the opinion of the court.

It is insisted that the amendment to the declaration by inserting among the names of the next of kin the name of Arvid Englund set up a new cause of action, and that the court erred in sustaining the demurrer of appellee to appellant’s plea that “the said alleged cause of action set forth in said second amended declaration as amended and each count thereof is other and different from the cause of action set forth in the original declaration, and other and different from the cause of action set forth in the first amended declaration herein, and that said alleged cause of action in said second amended declaration as amended set forth did not accrue to the plaintiff as said administrator for the use and benefit of said Arvie Englund within one year next prior to the filing thereof.” Each count of the declaration alleged that the deceased left surviving him “E. Emil Englund, his father, * * * his next of kin who have sustained damage by the death of said Maurice E. Englund.” The amendment made more than a year after the accident inserted the name of Arvid Englund, the brother born after the death of Maurice F. Englund among the names of the next of kin.

Each count of the declaration as amended within one year of the accident stated a good cause of action against the defendants. The cause of action was in the administrator for the exclusive use of the next of kin. The declaration alleged that the deceased left surviving him next of kin and named some of them, but the name of Arvid was omitted from the list. If a cause of action had not been stated, then the plea of the statute would have been good. If the declaration had failed to state that the deceased left surviving next of kin, a cause of action would not have been stated, because the action is based on the statute, such an action being unknown to the common law. This act was passed in 1853 in substantially the same language that it now remains in the statute; and the question of the proper pleading of an action thereunder has been repeatedly before the courts, commencing with the City of Chicago v. Major, 18 Ill., 349. It has never been held in this State that, if the original declaration within the time mentioned for bringing the action, stated that the deceased left next of kin surviving, it could not be amended after the time had expired by inserting the names of the next of kin. If, however, it did not state that the deceased left next of kin surviving then a cause of action was not stated, and such a declaration could not be amended to avoid the effect of the lapse of the statutory time given for bringing an action. Chicago & R. I. R. R. Co. v. Morris, 26 Ill., 400; Foster v. St. Luke’s Hospital, 191 Ill., 95. In Quincy Coal Co. v. Hood, 77 Ill., 68, the declaration only alleged that the deceased left plaintiff, his father, surviving; the proof showed that there also survived a mother and five brothers and sisters-; the case was reversed with directions for the plaintiff to have leave to amend the declaration. In Chicago City Ry. Co. v. Hackendahl, 188 Ill., 300, the only averment in the declaration in the question in issue was “and the plaintiff avers that as the father and next of kin of said Robert Hackendahl and as administrator, etc., * * * a cause of action had accrued to the plaintiff and heirs of said Robert Hackendahl,” etc. More than two years after the cause of action accrued the declaration was amended by inserting the names of the mother, brother and Sisters. Pleas of not guilty and of the two years’ Statute of Limitations were filed, and to the latter plea the plaintiff demurred. The court sustained the demurrer and the defendant stood by its plea. The Supreme Court there said: “The original declaration did allege, though in an imperfect manner, that the deceased left next of kin surviving him and that the suit was brought for the benefit of such next of kin. It cannot be said that because the cause of action was defectively stated it was not stated at all, and that the amended declaration, filed after the lapse of two years, stated the cause of action for the first time.” The action of the Circuit Court was upheld. Amendments of like effect were held not to be pleading a new cause of action in Grace & Hyde Co. v. Strong, 224 Ill., 630, and in North Chicago St. R. R. Co. v. Aufmann, 221 Ill., 614. The demurrer was properly sustained to the plea of the Statute of Limitations.

It is insisted by the appellants that the trial court improperly admitted in evidence on the part of appellee, the following resolution of the city of Moline: “Alderman Gustafson moved that the Mississippi Valley Traction Company be notified to equip all the street cars with proper fenders, the equipment to be complete within sixty days from date. Carried,” and that the court improperly refused to admit in evidence a resolution thereafter passed suspending the foregoing resolution, and proof of certain negotiations pending between the city and appellants during the time of such suspension. An ordinance of a city can only be passed by the affirmative vote of a majority of the aldermen elect. A resolution may be passed by a majority of the aldermen present. The, resolution of the city council was not proper evidence, for the reason that an ordinance cannot be suspended or modified by anything except- an ordinance. Galt v. City of Chicago, 174 Ill., 605. A city can only legislate by the passage of ordinances in the manner provided by law. The negotiations between the city and appellants with reference to widening the street were not competent evidence in a suit to which the city ivas not a party. People v. Mount, Mayor, 186 Ill., 560; Elgin, Aurora & Southern Traction Co. v. Hench, 132 Ill. App., 535. The objection to the resolution offered in evidence by appellee should have been sustained, but there was no error in sustaining the objection to the resolution and the record of the negotiations offered in evidence by appellants.

The contention of appellee is that section 5 of the ordinance granting a license to appellants to maintain and operate a street railway on certain streets of the city requires that the cars of appellants shall be equipped with fenders. The section is as follows: “Section 5. The cars used upon said railway shall be new and of such style and class as are used upon the best approved street railways in the. United States, and gates and guards shall be placed upon the front platform of all motor cars, so as to prevent passengers from using the same in getting on or off said car. Said motors and cars may be run at a maximum rate of speed not exceeding ten (10) miles per hour in said city.” There is nothing in the ordinance containing any reference to fenders. The ordinance did not add anything to the recognized duty of a street railway in equipping its cars with appliances for the safety of pedestrians. “A street railway company is under a duty to use reasonable care to see that its cars are in proper condition, so that they may be operated without undue damage to the public and to equip its cars with such safety appliances as men of average prudence would use under the circumstances.” 27 Am. & Eng. Encyc. of Law (2d ed.), 61.

Appellants contend that the first, third and fourth instructions given for appellee were erroneous.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
139 Ill. App. 572, 1908 Ill. App. LEXIS 610, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/englund-v-mississippi-valley-traction-co-illappct-1908.