Gratiot v. Missouri Pacific Railway Co.

21 S.W. 1094, 116 Mo. 450, 1893 Mo. LEXIS 304
CourtSupreme Court of Missouri
DecidedJune 6, 1893
StatusPublished
Cited by50 cases

This text of 21 S.W. 1094 (Gratiot v. Missouri Pacific Railway Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Missouri primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Gratiot v. Missouri Pacific Railway Co., 21 S.W. 1094, 116 Mo. 450, 1893 Mo. LEXIS 304 (Mo. 1893).

Opinions

Burgess, J.

The plaintiff, a physician, aged sixty years, brought this action in the circuit court for the city of St. Louis, to recover damages on account of injuries sustained in a collision with a passenger train on defendant’s railway, at a point where it is crossed by a highway commonly known as Campbell’s road. The accident occurred within the limits of the City of St. Louis, at a point distant from the union depot a little over five and one half miles. From the union depot along the defendant’s railway to the western boundary of the city limits is about eight miles.

By his petition, the respondent relied upon the three following grounds for recovery:

First. The failure to ring the bell of the engine eighty rods before reaching the crossing, as required by statute.

Second. Moving the train at a speed exceeding six miles per hour, the limitation imposed by ordinance of the City of St. Louis.

Third. -A failure to constantly sound the bell, as required by ordinance, when trains are moving.

The answer was a general denial, with the plea of contributory negligence on the part of plaintiff.

[456]*456With respect to the details of the respondent’s conduct immediately preceding, and at the time of the casualty, he is the only witness.

The:prominent points of reference in the testimony are, “The bridge,” Howard’s Station, the smelting works, Cheltenham and Campbell’s road. From the union depotto Cheltenham it is five and one-fourth miles; Campbell’s road crossing is about 150 yards west of Cheltenham’; Howard’s station is one-half mile east of Cheltenham; the bridge is 200 or 300 yards east of Howard’s, and the smelting works are a little west of Howard’s, and between Howard’s and Cheltenham.

The defendant’s railway is a double track between the Union depot and Kirkwood, a suburban town fourteen miles distant, and the trains, both freight and passenger upon it, are frequent in both directions. The north track, regarding it as running east and west, is used by the west bound trains, and the south track by the east bound.

'Dr. Gratiot had lived and practiced medicine at Cheltenham for forty-five years, was perfectly familiar with the locality and its' surroundings, and with the schedules of time of defendant’s trains, and knew from daily observation the rate of speed at which the train that occasioned the injury ran over that part of the road passing through Cheltenham and vicinity.

He was struck by the through express train which leaves the Union depot at 9 o’clock in the morning, and which, he says, was due at Cheltenham at about 9:10; that on the morning he received his injuries, and before venturing a crossing of the railroad track at Campbell’s road, at the time he was hurt, he had gone quite up to the crossing, and because he was unadvised 'whether the express train had passed along, he would not venture over, although he, at that time, saw no evidence of an approaching train from a perfect view of [457]*457the tracks in both directions. Instead, however, of crossing at that time, he went to the house of a lady friend for the purpose of ascertaining the exact time of the day, so that he might’ know positively whether the express train had passed along or not. He ascertained the time, and after waiting a little while, proceeded down to the crossing along the Manchester road, which runs in that vicinity, parallel with and just nqrth of the defendant’s railway for a mile and a half, until he got within seven or eight feet of the railroad track, where he stopped, having a perfect view of the tracks in both directions, and especially to the east, for a distance of 1,200 or 1,400 yards — as far as the bridge immediately east of Howard’s — raised himself up in his buggy and looked to the east, where he saw an engine facing in his direction. He also heard a whistle, which he took to be a whistle at the bridge for Howard’s station. He then immediately resumed his seat, turned his horse to effect a crossing, saw a waver on his glasses, attempted to pull his horse, whose front feet were then nearly on the north rail of the north track, back; was immediately struck and injured.

After seeing the engine, as he supposes, at a distance of 800 or 1,000 yards, and after hearing the whistle, he took no further notice, but immediately attempted a crossing, as he said, supposing that the engine which he saw was a switch engine at the smelting works, and the whistle which he heard was a whistle at the bridge east of the smelting works. He gave no expression of opinion whether the glimpse or the slight view which he had of the engine, supposed-by him to be a switch engine at the smelting works, enabled him to. judge whether the engine was moving or standing still.

It is conceded that the train by which plaintiff was injured was moving at a speed of thirty-five or [458]*458forty miles an hour, though some of the witnesses for the plaintiff gave it as their opinion that the train was moving much faster.

At the close of the plaintiff’s evidence, as well as all of the evidence, the defendant prayed instructions in the nature of a demurrer to the evidence, which were refused. It further prayed the following instructions, which the court refused and defendant excepted.

“3. The court instructs the jury that if they believe from the evidence that the plaintiff could have avoided the collision which resulted in his injury, by stopping his horse and buggy to look and listen carefully and constantly for an engine or train, both up and down defendant’s track before attempting to drive over the said track, and failed to do so, they must find a verdict for the defendant.

“4. If the jury believe from the evidence in this case that plaintiff attempted to drive his horse and buggy on to defendant’s tracks at the crossing on Campbell’s road, without first having stopped said horse and buggy to look and listen carefully and constantly, both up and down said track, for an approaching engine and train, and was thereby injured, they must find a verdict for the defendant, even though they find from the evidence that defendants servant’s in charge of the engine were also at the same time guilty of negligence.

“5. The court instructs the jury that it was the duty of the plaintiff, at the time and place in question, while he was approaching on Campbell’s road to the tracks of defendant’s railroad crossing said road, to stop his horse and buggy, and to look and listen carefully and constantly, both up and down said tracks, for an approaching engine or train, before attempting to drive across said tracks, and a failure on his part so to do would constitute in law contributory negligence, which [459]*459would preclude a recovery in this action for damages-resulting therefrom in whole or in part.

“6.

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Bluebook (online)
21 S.W. 1094, 116 Mo. 450, 1893 Mo. LEXIS 304, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gratiot-v-missouri-pacific-railway-co-mo-1893.