Ft. Worth & D. C. Ry. Co. v. Brown

205 S.W. 378, 1918 Tex. App. LEXIS 767
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJune 26, 1918
DocketNo. 1378.
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 205 S.W. 378 (Ft. Worth & D. C. Ry. Co. v. Brown) 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
Ft. Worth & D. C. Ry. Co. v. Brown, 205 S.W. 378, 1918 Tex. App. LEXIS 767 (Tex. Ct. App. 1918).

Opinion

BOYCE, J.

Appellee, W. M. Brown, recovered of appellant, the Ft. Worth & Denver City Railway Company, damages for personal injuries alleged to have been sustained while a passenger on said railway company, and while in its depot at Chillicothe, waiting for a train. The appellee was traveling by rail from Blackwell, Tex., to Electra, Tex., and changed cars from the Kansas City, Mexico & Orient Railway Company to the appellant railway company at Chillicothe. He had to wait at Chillicothe several hours for a train to Electra, and spent this time in appellant’s depot at Chillicothe. The appellee was- an old man about 74 years old, and his sight was not very good. While waiting at the depot he engaged in conversation witn another person sitting in one of the seats in said depot, and attempted to sit down in the seat next to such person. The bottom of the seat was out, leaving only the frame work, and the appellee fell partly through the seat, and sustained injuries for which he recovered this judgment.

[1,2] A number of assignments contend that the evidence was insufficient to warrant a finding that appellee was a passenger, and that the court below erred in not so holding. Error is also assigned on the ground that the court assumed in his charge that appellee was a passenger. Appellee’s petition negatives the fact that he had a through ticket, it being alleged that he purchased a ticket over appellant’s line of road at Chillicothe. The evidence does not show whether appellee had purchased a ticket at the time of the injury or not; in fact, it is silent as to whether he ever had a ticket over appellant’s road or paid his fare from Chillicothe to Electra. He did, however, board the train at Chillicothe, and was transported by appellant to Electra, and it is to be presumed, we think, that he either purchased a ticket *379 or paid Ms fare on the train. It does not appear definitely just bow long after the accident before the arrival of such train; the witnesses describing the interim between the time of the accident and the boarding of the train by appellee as “just a little while” and “a few minutes.” One who goes to the depot of a carrier within a reasonable time before the time scheduled for the departure of a train on which he intends to take passage, with the intention in good faith of paying his fare and boarding such train, is to be deemed a passenger during the interim between Ms arrival and that of the train, even prior to the time of Ms actual purchase of the ticket entitling him to transportation. Texas Midland R. R. Co. v. Griggs, 106 S. W. 411; 4 R. C. L. 1033. The evidence here is conclusive that appellee was in defendant’s depot, intending to board its train, and that he did subsequently do this, and, as we have already stated, we think it is to be presumed that he paid the regular transportation charges.

[3] We are also inclined to think that the evidence is so conclusive that 'the injury occurred within that reasonable period of time prior to the departure of the train referred to in the rule stated as that, under the circumstances, there was no harmful error in the action of the court in assuming that appellee was a passenger, and we would not be disposed to reverse the case on this assignment. The facts will probably be developed more fully on this phase of the case on another trial, and the court will be controlled in its action in reference to the submission of this issue by the rule stated.

[4] Complaint is made of the charge of the court which imposed upon the appellant company “in the treatment of their passengers awaiting trains in their depots * * * that high degree of care that a very cautious and prudent person would have exercised under the same or similar circumstances,” on the ground that the rule requiring the exercise of that high degree of care as stated applies only to those duties in connection with the actual transportation of the passenger, and that only ordinary care is required in reference to the condition of its station and premises ' occupied by its passengers preliminary to or upon termination of the actual transportation. There are some authorities which sustain this proposition. C. J. vol. 10, p. 910. But it seems to be settled by the decisions of this state that the rule of high degree of care is applicable alike in both situations stated. St. Louis & S. W. Ry. Co. v. Gresham, 106 Tex. 452, 167 S. W. 724; M., K. & T. Ry. Co. v. Harrison, 56 Tex. Civ. App. 17, 120 S. W. 254 (writ of error denied); S. A. & A. P. Ry. Co. v. Turney, 33 Tex. Civ. App. 026, 78 S. W. 256 (writ of error denied); Texas Pacific Railway Co. v. Cameron, 149 S. W. 709 (writ of error denied); G., C. & S. F. Ry. Co. v. Butcher, 83 Tex. 309, 18 S. W. 583; R. C. L. vol. 4, p. 1222, § 644.

[5] Appellant contends that appellee was guilty of contributory negligence as a matter of law in sitting down in the seat without ascertaining that its bottom was out. The seats were located along the wall in a row. The seats to each side of this one were occupied, and tMs seat was complete with arms and framework. Its appearance to the casual glance of a person having no reason to anticipate a condition of this kind, especially one whose sight was not good, might be such as to invite repose therein, and such person, accepting its invitation without the particular examination necessary to disclose that it was not really what it appeared and was meant to be, is not, we think, to be conclusively held to be guilty of contributory negligence. Appellant also contends that there was error in the submission of the issue of contributory negligence in this language:

“Was plaintiff himself guilty of contributory negligence in sitting in said seat as he did ?”

[6] The contention is that tMs language applies only to the actual manner of the sitting down, and does not cover the principal contention that appellee was guilty of negligence in not .discovering that the seat had no bottom and was thus negligent in sitting down at all under such circumstances. We think the general language “sitting in said seat as he did,” would embrace this element of negligence; that is, sitting down as he did without ascertaining that the bottom of the seat was out. We think the submission of the issue was sufficient, at least in the absence of a correct request for a more specific submission. The special issue requested by appellant in this connection was incorrect, and there was no error in refusing it. G., C. & S. F. Ry. Co. v. Mangham, 29 Tex. Civ. App. 486, 69 S. W. 80.

[7] By the fifth assignment appellant complains that the charge of the court is erroneous, in that it authorizes a recovery both for “physical injury and suffering” and “damages to health.” The instruction is so drawn as that the physical injury and suffering is referred to as that having already been sustained, and the damage to the appellee’s health is such “that may, with reasonable probability, hereafter result from such injury.” We do not think that this assignment should be sustained, though the charge in this respect is not as clear as it might be.

[8] We are of the opinion, however, that we must sustain the sixth assignment.

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205 S.W. 378, 1918 Tex. App. LEXIS 767, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ft-worth-d-c-ry-co-v-brown-texapp-1918.