Heed v. McDaniels

129 N.E. 641, 75 Ind. App. 4, 1921 Ind. App. LEXIS 237
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedJanuary 28, 1921
DocketNo. 10,647
StatusPublished

This text of 129 N.E. 641 (Heed v. McDaniels) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Heed v. McDaniels, 129 N.E. 641, 75 Ind. App. 4, 1921 Ind. App. LEXIS 237 (Ind. Ct. App. 1921).

Opinion

Nichols, J.

Action by appellee to recover damages for personal injuries sustained by him while employed as a section man, such injuries being the result of being struck by a bottle alleged to have been thrown by a passenger from a moving train.

The amended complaint avers that on September 15, 1915, appellee was employed by appellant as a section hand and engaged in keeping the railroad track in repair; that, having stepped to one side of the track to avoid a passing train, while standing there he was struck just below the right eye by an empty bottle thrown from the train, severely injuring him and permanently injuring the sight of his eye. Long prior to said time appellant had unlawfully, carelessly and negligently allowed and suffered persons who carried intoxicating liquors in bottles and who were intoxicated to board trains at Terre Haute, and constantly allowed, suffered and permitted such persons to ride on its trains going south from Terre Haute and allowed them to drink liquor from bottles on said trains and to throw the empty bottles out of the coaches of said trains and on to the right of way of said company as the cars moved along over its tracks. Appellant knew of the practice and that it was dangerous to the life and limb of servants at work on said right of way. On said day appellant unlawfully, carelessly, knowingly and negli[6]*6gently permitted persons unknown to appellee who were unlawfully intoxicated and who unlawfully carried liquors to board one of its trains, to enter the coaches of said trains and knowingly allowed such persons to ride on said trains, and unlawfully to . drink from bottles while on such train, and to throw the empty bottles from the windows of said train onto the right of way of the company, appellant at the time knowing that appellee and others were working on said right of way and were likely to be struck by said bottles. • Some one of such persons so carrying said bottles threw the bottle which struck and injured appellee.

There was a demurrer to the complaint, which was overruled, and, after answer in general denial, the cause was submitted to a jury for trial, which returned a verdict for appellee in the sum of $1,500. After motion for a new trial, which was overruled, judgment was rendered on the verdict from which appellant appeals, presenting as errors relied upon for reversal the court’s action in overruling appellant’s demurrer to the complaint and in overruling his motion for a new trial. We hold that the complaint states facts sufficient to constitute a cause of action, and there was therefore no error in overruling the demurrer thereto.

Appellant contends that the evidence was wholly insufficient to support the verdict of the jury, and that the verdict was contrary to law.

James Lyman, witness for appellee, testified that he was riding on the train in the smoker next to the window, and that three other men were there. He saw a basket containing bottles of beer at his feet between the seats with a newspaper over it. One of the men drank and threw the bottle out of the window before reaching Shelburn. He could not say that the men were drunk. After leaving Shelburn, another bottle was [7]*7thrown off by a man who first looked out of the window. The basket was at Lyman’s feet and could be seen. He does not, howeyer, testify that the conductor or any of the employes of the company saw it. He says one of his feet was over the basket and the other at the side, and that four people were sitting in the seats. One of the men had a bottle concealed under his coat while the conductor .was there, and kept it there until the conductor left. The men were careful to drink only when the employes were not there.

Appellee’s witness Robert Allen had seen men intoxicated on the train before the day of the injury and had seen one whisky bottle thrown from the train prior thereto, but could not say that he had seen drinking on the train during the summer of 1915. On September 15, 1915, the men were intoxicated and so acted, but he could not say that the train employes were in the car or that they saw what was going on. They were raising no trouble, just “cutting up.”

Appellee’s witness Frank Barnhart said it was common to see men on the train going out of Terre Haute who were intoxicated prior to the date of the injury, and that trainmen were passing through the car. The men drank out of bottles, but he did not know what they did with the bottles. He had-been on the train a half dozen times and possibly did not see drinking every time he was on the train and could not say that the conductor or brakeman was in the car.

Charles Johnson, a section hand on the date of the injury, had been such for four months, and never saw any bottles thrown from the trains. He worked ten hours per day in the daytime, and had seen passenger trains go by and had seen no bottles thrown from the windows.

Thomas Toms, a section man, did not see bottles thrown and never did see a bottle thrown from the win[8]*8dow, although he worked on the section from March, 1913, to early 1916, all the time ten hours per day in the daytime, and would see six passenger trains go by daily.

The engineer of the train testified that he was on the engine and with his fireman, who was then in France in the army, and that his conductor was dead, and had been for a year. Neither he nor his fireman knew what transpired in the coaches. The brakeman knew nothing of the accident, saw no men on the train that were intoxicated or drinking from bottles; he was himself in the smoking car. The baggageman had nothing to. do with the work of the coaches and did not come into them; neither did the engineer or fireman. He, the brakeman, saw no bottles thrown from the window. There was nothing that he saw to indicate anything unusual in the conduct of the passengers, and there was nothing to indicate drinking or throwing bottles. He had been running as brakeman on this line for about a year and had never seen any bottles thrown from the train.

Appellee testified that he could not tell who threw the bottle or from what part of the train it came. He did not know of anybody on the train who was drinking or carrying bottles of liquor, and did not know that any members of the train crew knew that there were persons on the train who had liquor in bottles and were drinking therefrom or who threw bottles from the train or had notice thereof, nor that they were about to throw bottles from the train. He had no personal knowledge that there was anyone on the train intoxicated or drinking or throwing bottles from the train, nor did he have knowledge that any member of the train crew on any other occasion had such knowledge.

[9]*9[8]*8This is substantially all the .evidence pertaining to the negligence of appellant, and the question for us to [9]*9determine is whether, as a matter of law, it shows actionable negligence upon the part of appellant in failing to prevent the person who threw the bottle from the window from committing the trespass. Appellant was only bound to anticipate such circumstances or combination of circumstances and injuries therefrom as, taking into account his own past experience and the experience and practice of others in similar situations, he might reasonably forecast as likely to happen. Wabash, etc., R. Co. v. Locke (1887), 112 Ind. 412, 14 N. E. 391, 2 Am. St. 193.

In the case of Galbraith v. Canadian Pacific R. Co. (1914), 17 D. L. R.

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Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific Railway Co. v. Locke
14 N.E. 391 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1887)
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Bluebook (online)
129 N.E. 641, 75 Ind. App. 4, 1921 Ind. App. LEXIS 237, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/heed-v-mcdaniels-indctapp-1921.