Estate of Clifton v. Southern Pacific Transportation Co.

686 S.W.2d 309, 1985 Tex. App. LEXIS 6466
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJanuary 31, 1985
Docket04-83-00127-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 686 S.W.2d 309 (Estate of Clifton v. Southern Pacific Transportation Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Estate of Clifton v. Southern Pacific Transportation Co., 686 S.W.2d 309, 1985 Tex. App. LEXIS 6466 (Tex. Ct. App. 1985).

Opinions

OPINION

REEVES, Justice.

James Bozeman, Horace Clifton and Ronald Athey were accidently killed while on a fishing trip in Val Verde County. The accident occurred when the van in which they were riding was struck by a freight train owned by Southern Pacific Transportation Company at a railroad crossing on Box Canyon Road. The train’s engineer was Rusty Reams. Suit was instituted by Linda Clifton, widow of Clifton, individually and as legal representative of the estate of Clifton, and as next friend of their three minor children, Anthony Paul Clifton, David Wayne Clifton, and Julie Ann Clifton, and Clifton’s mother, Ada Clifton Weatherly. Ronald Athey’s widow, Diane Athey, individually and as legal representative of Athey’s estate and as next friend of their three minor children, Jeffrey Athey, Kathy Athey and Michael Athey, and his parents, Mae and Elzie Athey, also sued the Railroad and its engineer.

Southern Pacific and Reams filed a third party action against the estate of James Bozeman alleging Bozeman was the driver of the van and was negligent in his operation of the vehicle. They sued Bozeman for contribution and/or indemnity on any judgment that might be rendered against them.1 Thereafter, Clifton and Athey amended their pleadings to add the Boze-man estate as a defendant. Bozeman instituted a counterclaim against Southern Pacific and Reams.2 The jury found that the railroad crossing at Box Canyon Road was extra hazardous and the failure of Southern Pacific to have flashing lights at the crossing to warn vehicular traffic was negligence and a proximate cause of the accident. The jury also found that the driver of the van was guilty of negligence, which negligence was a proximate cause of the accident in the following particulars: failure to keep a proper lookout, failure to timely apply the brakes, and stopping the van on the railroad track. The jury, however, failed to find that Bozeman was driving the van.

While the jury was deliberating its verdict, Clifton and Athey settled their case with the estate of Bozeman for $1,500,-000.00.

[313]*313The jury answered the damage issue as follows:

Linda Clifton (widow):
A. Care, maintenance, support, services, advice, counsel and contributions of a pecuniary value that Linda Clifton would in reasonable probability have received from Tony Clifton during his lifetime had he lived.
ANSWER: $500,000.00
B. Loss of companionship, society, affection, comfort, sexual relationship and love.
ANSWER: $250,000.00
Anthony Clifton (son):
A. Care, maintenance, support, services, education, advice, counsel and contributions of a pecuniary value that Anthony Clifton would in reasonable probability have received from Tony Clifton during his lifetime had he lived.
ANSWER: $25,000.00
B. Loss of companionship, society, affection, comfort and love.
ANSWER: $10,000.00.
David Wayne Clifton (son):
A. Care, maintenance, support, services, education, advice, counsel and contributions of a pecuniary value that David Clifton would in reasonable probability have received from Tony Clifton during his lifetime had he lived.
ANSWER: $50,000.00
B. Loss of companionship, society, affection, comfort and love.
ANSWER: $25,000.00.
Julie Clifton (daughter):
A. Care, maintenance, support, services, education, advice, counsel and contributions of a pecuniary value that Julie Clifton would in reasonable probability have received from Tony Clifton during his lifetime had he lived.
ANSWER: $50,000.00
B. Loss of companionship, society, affection, comfort and love.
ANSWER: $50,000.00.
Mrs. Ada Clifton Weatherly (mother):
A. Care, maintenance, support, services, advice, counsel and contributions of a pecuniary value that Ada Clifton Weatherly would in reasonable probability have received from Tony Clifton during his lifetime had he lived.
ANSWER: $5,000.00
B. Loss of companionship, society, affection, comfort and love.
ANSWER: $5,000.00.
Diane Athey (widow):
A. Care, maintenance, support, services, advice, counsel and contributions of a pecuniary value that Diane Athey would in reasonable probability have received from Ronald Athey during his lifetime had he lived.
ANSWER: $1,000,000.00
B. Loss of companionship, society, affection, comfort, sexual relationship and love.
ANSWER: $250,000.00
C. Mental suffering in the past and which in reasonable probability she will suffer in the future.
ANSWER: $10,000.00
Mr. Elzie Athey (father):
A. Care, maintenance, support, services, advice, counsel and contributions of a pecuniary value that Elzie Athey would in reasonable probability have received from Ronald Athey during his lifetime had he lived.
ANSWER: $2,500.00
B. Loss of companionship, society, affection, comfort and love.
ANSWER: $2,500.00
C.Mental suffering in the past and which in reasonable probability he will suffer in the future.
ANSWER: $500.00
Mrs. Mae Athey (mother):
A. Care, maintenance, support, services, advice, counsel and contributions of a pecuniary value that Mae Athey would in reasonable probability have received from Ronald Athey during his lifetime had he lived.
ANSWER: $2,500.00
B. Loss of companionship, society, affection, comfort and love.
ANSWER: $2,500.00
[314]*314C. Mental suffering in the past and which in reasonable probability he [sic] will suffer in the future.
ANSWER: $500.00
Fay Bozeman (Widow):
A. Care, maintenance, support, services, advice, counsel and contributions of a pecuniary value that Fay Bozeman would in reasonable probability have received from James C. Bozeman during his lifetime had he lived.
ANSWER: $500,000.00
B. Loss of companionship, society, affection, comfort, sexual relationship and love.
ANSWER: $250,000.00
Amanda Bozeman (daughter):
A.

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686 S.W.2d 309, 1985 Tex. App. LEXIS 6466, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/estate-of-clifton-v-southern-pacific-transportation-co-texapp-1985.