Graham v. Seaboard Air Line Railroad

250 F. Supp. 566, 1966 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6435
CourtDistrict Court, D. South Carolina
DecidedFebruary 2, 1966
DocketCiv. A. No. 8099
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 250 F. Supp. 566 (Graham v. Seaboard Air Line Railroad) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. South Carolina primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Graham v. Seaboard Air Line Railroad, 250 F. Supp. 566, 1966 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6435 (D.S.C. 1966).

Opinion

SIMONS, District Judge.

In this action plaintiff seeks to recover for personal injuries to himself and damages to his automobile alleged to have resulted from a crossing collision in Mullins, South Carolina, at about 6:50 p. m. on January 8, 1963. In his complaint plaintiff alleges several specifications of negligence, heedlessness and recklessness on the part of the defendant, to wit: Speed of the train, failure to warn of the approach of the train, failure to keep a proper lookout, failure to reduce the speed of the train or to apply the brakes in time to avoid the collision, failure to observe the plaintiff’s perilous condition in time to avoid the collision, and lack of control of the train.. In its answer defendant generally denies the material allegations of plaintiff’s complaint; and also pleads contributory negligence, gross negligence, recklessness, wilfulness and wantonness on the part of the plaintiff.

The case was tried before the court without a jury at the December 1965 term at Florence, South Carolina. From the evidence I make the following findings of fact and conclusions of law:

FINDINGS OF FACT

The single track main line of defendant runs generally north and south through the City of Mullins, South Carolina, and intersects at right angles U. S. Highway No. 76, also known as McIntyre Street. The automatic electric blinker lights, which were maintained at this crossing by defendant, were functioning properly at the time of the collision. The right-of-way of McIntyre Street is 60 feet wide and defendant’s right-of-way is 30 feet wide. McIntyre Street is intersected by Gapway Road 324 feet east of the crossing. Both of these streets are paved. In the northwest corner of the intersection of McIntyre Street and Gapway Road there is located a small, one-story service station. Nearer the crossing there is a tobacco barn, which is located 38 feet north of McIntyre Street and 47% feet east of the railroad track. At the time of the accident there were no structures of any kind between the service station and the tobacco barn. Subsequent to the accident in question a tire rack and a telephone booth have been installed just west of the service station. At a point 1300 feet north of the center of McIntyre Street defendant’s track begins a curve to the west. At the crossing where the collision occurred plaintiff had an unobstructed view in a northerly direction along the railroad track for 1600 feet. [569]*569The point at which the lead unit of a southbound train makes contact and activates the automatic electric blinker lights at the subject crossing is 1990 feet north of the crossing.

Plaintiff lived in Mullins at that time, was employed as an insurance salesman, and was thoroughly familiar with the crossing and the approaches thereto.

On the night in question plaintiff, who ate supper at a friend’s home situated at the corner of Gapway Road and Lowman Street in Mullins, proceeded about 6:45 p.m. to take Gladys Bowens, his friend’s maid to her home. He was driving his 1961 Ford Sedan with five other occupants therein. His sister, Mrs. Sallie Strickland, was in the middle front and her son, Laverne Gibson, was seated on the right front. The maid was in the left rear seat, Jerry Lewis was in the middle rear and his sister’s other son, James E. Gibson, was seated on the right rear. As he left his friend’s home, he drove in a southerly direction along Gapway Road to its intersection with McIntyre Street. He turned right on McIntyre and headed westerly toward defendant’s track crossing. The night was dark and the weather was cold. As he proceeded along McIntyre Street, defendant’s freight train #71 made up of 3 engines and 78 cars, having a gross load of 4,661 tons, equipped with a double beam headlight, was approaching the McIntyre Street crossing at a speed of from 20-25 miles per hour, traveling in a southerly direction. After plaintiff had traveled by the filling station located at the northwest corner of Gapway Road and McIntyre Street, there were no obstructions to his right except the small tobacco barn; the oncoming train, with its headlight burning, its bell ringing, and its whistle blowing in accordance with the crossing statute, Section 58-743 of 1962 Code of Laws of South Carolina,1 was in clear and open view of plaintiff and his passengers, if it were within 1600 feet of the crossing at that time. The red flashing lights and automatic bells on both sides of the McIntyre Street crossing were in operation and in full view and hearing of plaintiff as he approached the railroad track, the same having been activated and set in operation by defendant’s train when its lead unit reached a point 1990 feet north of said crossing.

At 25 m. p. h. the train was traveling 37 feet per second, requiring almost 54 seconds to cover the 1990 feet after automatic crossing signals were activated before the train reached the crossing, during which time said signals were in continuous operation. If plaintiff were traveling at the same speed, it took him less than 9 seconds to travel the 324 feet from the intersection of Gapway Road and McIntyre Street to the railroad crossing; consequently the said crossing signals were in operation about 45 seconds before he turned into McIntyre Street and headed along a straight and level stretch of roadway toward the crossing. Even if the train had been traveling at 50 m. p. h., the maximum estimated by plaintiff’s own witnesses, the automatic crossing signals were operative for at least 31 seconds before the collision.

When plaintiff proceeded near the crossing without making an apparent effort to stop his car, one of his passengers warned him of the approaching train. Nevertheless, he drove his automobile upon defendant’s tracks where it stalled or was stopped.

At this point the train was approaching dangerously close to the car. All of the occupants including plaintiff hurriedly abandoned the automobile, and everyone but plaintiff reached a point of safety before the collision. For some un[570]*570explained reason plaintiff remained at the left or south side of the car until it was struck by the train. In the collision his car was knocked in a southerly direction, causing it to strike plaintiff. The car came to rest about 75 feet south of the crossing a few feet east of the railroad track, with its engine still running and its headlights burning. After defendant’s train was brought to a stop, 13 cars and the 3 engines were south of the crossing.

There was ample time for plaintiff to extricate himself from a place of danger, after his car was stopped upon the tracks, even if he had not seen the approaching train prior to that time.

Under an effective ordinance of the City of Mullins the maximum speed limit for all trains was 20 miles per hour. Defendant’s train which was being driven between 20-25 m. p. h. before its emergency brakes were applied with full force was in violation of this ordinance as it approached the crossing.

The engine crew in charge of defendant’s train first saw plaintiff’s car drive up on the tracks when the train was 8 to 10 car lengths away [400 to 500 feet]. They did not realize that the car would not be removed from the tracks until the occupants were abandoning the same, and the train was approximately 4 to 6 cars [200 to 300 feet] from the crossing. Then the emergency brakes were applied with full force and alarm signals were given.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
250 F. Supp. 566, 1966 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6435, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/graham-v-seaboard-air-line-railroad-scd-1966.