Gulf, M. N.R.R. Co. v. Hardy

117 So. 536, 151 Miss. 131, 61 A.L.R. 1073, 1928 Miss. LEXIS 299
CourtMississippi Supreme Court
DecidedJune 11, 1928
DocketNo. 27016.
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 117 So. 536 (Gulf, M. N.R.R. Co. v. Hardy) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Mississippi Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Gulf, M. N.R.R. Co. v. Hardy, 117 So. 536, 151 Miss. 131, 61 A.L.R. 1073, 1928 Miss. LEXIS 299 (Mich. 1928).

Opinions

*136 Smith, C. J.

This is the second appearance of this case in this court. The suit is for the recovery of damages for a personal injury sustained by the appellee for which he claims the appellant is responsible.

The original declaration contained four counts, all of them setting forth in substance that the appellant owns and operates a railroad running through the town of Philadelphia, at which place, in addition to its main track and others, it has a side track running parallel with the main track, about seventeen yards therefrom, the appellant’s depot being located between it and the main track, Oin this side track the appellant places ears containing freight to be unloaded by the consignees thereof. .A public road crosses the railroad track a short distance north of the depot.

On the occasion in question a car containing “horse feed and other articles” was on the side track, north of the crossing, and about eigjhty-five yards from the depot. The appellee drove a wagon drawn by two mules and •two horses to the car, and at the instance of the consignee, was preparing to place a portion of the contents of the car in the wagon, when the horses became frightened at a train approaching from the south, and while the appellee was endeavoring to control them, one of the mules was thrown down and on the appellee, breaking his leg.

The first count alleges the failure of the appellant’s servants in charge of the train to sound the whistle or ring the bell continuously as the train approached the crossing, as required by section 4045; Code of 1906, now section 1, chapter 320, Laws 1924 (Hemingway’s 1927 Code, section 7964).

*137 The second count alleges that the train was running at greater speed than six miles per hour.

The third count alleges that the engineer and fireman failed to exercise due care to prevent injury to the appellee, after seeing that the horses were frightened, and that he was in peril.

The fourth count seems to set forth the three acts of negligence complained of in the other counts.

On the first trial the case was submitted to the jury on the second and third counts, resulting in a verdict for the appellee. The 'case was then brought to this court by the appellant, and reversed, because of the submission of the case to the jury on the second count of the declaration. G., M. & N. R. R. Co. v. Hardy, 137 Miss. 608, 102 So. 66.

On the return of the case to the court below a fifth count was added to the declaration, which alleges:

“That in operating engines or trains along the said main line, common prudence and ordinary care requires that a careful lookout be maintained ahead of such engines or trains as the same approaches the place provided by the defendant for unloading ears, and that the said engine or train be there operated at a slow rate of speed, and under easy control, and without any unnecessary noise or the making of sounds calculated to- frighten horses; and a failure to so operate such engines or trains is dangerous and calculated to cause the death or great bodily harm to those engaged about such unloading as is required by the defendant;” that “the defendant did negligently, carelessly, and in wanton disregard of the rights and safety of this plaintiff, run and cause to run the said train and engine along the said main line approaching the said point where this plaintiff was working, at a high and dangerous rate of speed, and without keeping a careful or constant lookout ahead of said train and engine, and without having' and keeping the said train and engine under easy control, and while the said *138 train and engine were making unnecessary sounds and noises calculated to frighten horses,” by reason of which the horses were frightened and the appellee was injured.

According to the evidence for the appellee, the train approached from the south, running* at about twelve or fifteen miles an hour without the sounding of either bell or whistle. .His attention was attracted to the approaching train just as the engine passed the depot by his horses becoming frightened thereat. He then left the oar, walked on the tongue of the wagon to a mule on which there was a saddle on which he rode in driving the team, and got on the mule for the purpose of controlling'; the team, when the two front horses swerved around the car, throwing the saddle mule down and on the appellee. The train stopped after or about the time the mule fell, and when the engine was even with the appellee, at which time steam began to escape from the engine.

According to the evidence for the appellant, the train approached and passed the depot in the usual and ordinary way, and without any unusual or unnecessary noise. The signal for the station was given by sounding the whistle, and the bell was ringing as the train approached the crossing. The speed of the train was less than that stated by the appellee; the engineer saw the team and the fright thereof just after passing the depot, and then did all he could to stop^ the train, and succeeded in stopping it when the engine was something, over halfway from the depot to the car the appellee was unloading. The engineer and the fireman then left the engine, and went to the appellee’s assistance. The escape of steam when the engine stopped was from the automatic safety valve, over which the engineer had no control.

A witness who testified on the second, but not on the first trial, stated that he heard the train approaching before it reached the depot, warned the appellee thereof, *139 and advised him to move his team, but he declined to do so. This the appellee denied.

On the second trial the court granted the appellee an instruction based on the third count of the declaration, and another based on the fifth count thereof. Several instructions asked by the appellant were refused, among which are the following:

“(1) The court charges the jury to find for the defendant. ’ ’
“(3) The court instructs the jury for the defendant that under the law in this case you should not consider any evidence as to the failure of the defendant to blow the whistle and ring the bell, or either, but, on the other hand, the court instructs the jury that, even though you may believe from the evidence that the whistle was not blown nor the bell rung,, these facts cannot be considered as negligence on the part of the defendant.”
“(5) The court instructs the jury to find for the defendant under the fifth count in the declaration.
“(6) The court instructs the jury for the defendant that, if you believe from the testimony that the engineer did all in his power to prevent the injury to the plaintiff after seeing him in a position of danger, then under your oaths you must return a verdict for the defendant. ’•’

On the former appeal this court held that the appellant was not entitled to a directed verdict for the reason that the evidence presented a case for the jury under the third count of the declaration (G., M. & N. R. R. Co. v. Hardy, 137 Miss. 608, 102 So.

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Related

Young v. Columbus & G. Ry. Co.
147 So. 342 (Mississippi Supreme Court, 1933)
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15 Tenn. App. 662 (Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 1932)

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Bluebook (online)
117 So. 536, 151 Miss. 131, 61 A.L.R. 1073, 1928 Miss. LEXIS 299, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gulf-m-nrr-co-v-hardy-miss-1928.