Feinberg v. Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad

21 N.E.2d 26, 300 Ill. App. 278, 1939 Ill. App. LEXIS 805
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedMay 2, 1939
DocketGen. No. 40,542
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 21 N.E.2d 26 (Feinberg v. Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad) 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
Feinberg v. Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad, 21 N.E.2d 26, 300 Ill. App. 278, 1939 Ill. App. LEXIS 805 (Ill. Ct. App. 1939).

Opinion

Mr. Presiding Justice Scanlan

delivered the opinion of the court.

A suit for damages for personal injuries sustained by plaintiff. At the conclusion of plaintiff’s case defendant made a motion, in writing, for a peremptory instruction, accompanied by an instruction, to find defendant not guilty, which motion and instruction were refused. Defendant offered no evidence, but again moved for a peremptory instruction of not guilty, accompanied by a written instruction to that effect, and the trial court reserved its ruling upon the motion and instruction. The jury returned a verdict finding defondant guilty and assessing plaintiff’s damages in the sum of $9,000. Thereupon defendant filed a motion, in writing, for a judgment in its favor notwithstanding the verdict, and also filed an alternative motion, in writing, for a new trial. The trial court granted the motion for a judgment for defendant notwithstanding the verdict and plaintiff appeals from the judgment entered in favor of defendant.

The first paragraph of the complaint alleges that defendant, on August 27, 1935, owned, operated and controlled a certain line of railroad extending- in a generally northeasterly and southwesterly direction through Lincoln, Nebraska, and upon said line operated,'maintained and controlled trains of cars, both freight and passenger, drawn by locomotives. Paragraph two alleges, in substance, that the depot and freight house of defendant were located on said line so extending through a portion of Lincoln and along and across various intersecting streets o.f said city; that near the said depot and freight house defendant used divers switch tracks, spur tracks, side tracks, and main line tracks, upon which, at all times, there were standing various cars and trains of cars “from which goods and freight were being loaded and unloaded”; that said cars and trains were often left upon said tracks, for convenience, when not used, and some of said cars and trains were frequently moved back and forth by locomotives in switching movements over said tracks ; that at various times said cars, trains and locomotives blocked the progress of pedestrians who were then and there rightfully attempting to cross said line of railroad, so that it became and was necessary for such pedestrians, in order to cross said line of railroad, to pass through gaps between the various cars and trains of cars so blockading said streets, so that on the date aforesaid, under the then existing conditions, defendant might reasonably expect and anticipate pedestrians to be passing- through the various gaps and apertures between the various cars and trains of cars then and there placed and standing upon and along said line, all of which defendant knew, or in the exercise of due and proper care would or should have known; that it thereupon became and was the duty of defendant, in the operation of its said line of railroad, cars, and trains of cars to be conscious of and have due regard to the then surrounding conditions and circumstances and not to wilfully and wantonly operate or move any of its said cars or trains of cars in a wilful, wanton and reckless manner or with conscious indifference and disregard to the then existing conditions and surrounding circumstances so as to injure anyone then and there so passing through said gaps and apertures between said cars and trains of cars. Paragraph three alleges, in substance, that about 9:30 p.m. on August 27, 1935, defendant caused a certain train of cars to be standing for a long time, to wit, two hours, upon one of its main line tracks at the place aforesaid, and caused a certain train of cars to be standing* upon a certain side track immediately adjacent thereto, in such a manner as to completely block the various public highways then and there crossing its said line of railroad at that place and in such a manner that the only means of ingress and egress for pedestrians then and there rightfully traveling upon and along said public highway and desirous of crossing said line of railroad at that time and place were by means of and through the various gaps and apertures so left open by defendant in said two trains of cars then and there standing upon said main line tracks and immediately adjacent switch track of defendant for the express purpose of permitting* pedestrians to cross as aforesaid,* that at said time and place defendant wilfully and wantonly, with conscious indifference to the then existing conditions and surrounding circumstances, caused said train of cars so standing on. said switch track to be suddenly propelled or moved without giving any warning or notice by blowing a whistle, ringing a bell, or otherwise, by means whereof plaintiff, who was then and there attempting to cross, as he lawfully might, said line of railroad through one of said gaps so left in said train of cars standing on said switch track for said express purpose, and being then and there in the exercise of due and ordinary care for his own safety, was run over, struck and thrown beneath the wheels of one of said cars to and upon the ground there. Paragraph four alleges, in substance, that before plaintiff entered said gap there was no locomotive attached to either end of said train of cars and for that reason plaintiff, in the exercise of due and ordinary care for his own safety, well knew that said train* of cars would not and could not be propelled or moved in either direction until a locomotive should be attached to either end thereof, and plaintiff, so knowing, proceeded to cross through said gap in said train, all of which defendant then and there well knew, or in the exercise of due and proper care under the then existing conditions and surrounding circumstances would and should have known; and while plaintiff was in the act of passing through said gap and at a time when he was in between two adjacent cars of said train aforesaid, and thus in a position of peril, which such position of peril on the part of plaintiff was apparent to the servants of defendant, or by the exercise of due and proper care should have been apparent, defendant wantonly and wilfully, with conscious indifference to the then existing conditions and surrounding circumstances, suddenly and without any warning or notice by blowing a whistle, ringing a bell or otherwise, caused a certain locomotive with a car or cars attached thereto, which had been standing upon its main line track immediately adjacent to said switch track on which said train of cars through which plaintiff was then and there passing had been so standing, to be violently and suddenly propelled and moved from said main line track onto said switch track and up to and against said standing trains of cars on said switch track with such force and violence that the entire train of cars so standing on said switch track was moved and propelled forward thereby a distance of, to wit, 15 or 20 feet, and said gap or aperture through which plaintiff was then and there passing as aforesaid, was then and thereby violently and suddenly closed and plaintiff was caught between the ends of the two adjacent cars and crushed thereby and caused to be run over by the wheels of said adjacent car or cars. The fifth paragraph alleges general negligence and that plaintiff and “a group.of pedestrians” were then and there passing through said gaps in said train of cars standing on said switch track, by the express invitation of defendant. On motion of defendant that paragraph was stricken. Plaintiff has not assigned error thereon.

The only witness who testified as to the accident and the locus in quo was plaintiff.

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Bluebook (online)
21 N.E.2d 26, 300 Ill. App. 278, 1939 Ill. App. LEXIS 805, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/feinberg-v-chicago-burlington-quincy-railroad-illappct-1939.