Horton v. Seaboard Air Line Railroad

175 N.C. 472
CourtSupreme Court of North Carolina
DecidedMay 8, 1918
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 175 N.C. 472 (Horton v. Seaboard Air Line Railroad) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of North Carolina primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Horton v. Seaboard Air Line Railroad, 175 N.C. 472 (N.C. 1918).

Opinions

Claetc, C. J.

Tbe defendant does not discuss in bis brief Exceptions 3, 5, 6, 7, 11, and 12, wbicb, therefore, under Rule 34, are deemed abandoned.

Tbe plaintiff alleged that tbe death of her intestate was caused by tbe negligence of tbe defendant (1) in allowing loaded freight cars to run down its main line without any one in charge to exercise control over them; (2) in making up a train upon its main line upon a steep grade, and in allowing loaded 'freight cars to stand upon tbe grade without brakes being properly applied; (3) in violently bumping ears left upon tbe grade; (4) in equipping tbe cars wbicb broke loose with defective couplers.

There was-evidence tending to support these charges .of negligence and tbe court properly instructed tbe jury in regard thereto.

Tbe fourth assignment of error is that tbe court charged as follows: “If tbe jury find from tbe evidence that tbe wreck wbicb caused tbe death of tbe plaintiff’s intestate was solely and proximately caused by tbe negligence of defendant’s servants in not properly applying brakes on cars standing on its main line on a grade, tbe jury are instructed that tbe risk of this negligence was not assumed by tbe deceased in allowing tbe caboose in which be was riding to be pushed by tbe engine, even if tbe deceased would have escaped injury if tbe caboose bad been behind tbe engine instead of in front of it.”

In this we find no error. Tbe doctrine of assumption of risk is that an employee assumes tbe risk of accidents and injuries incident to tbe business properly operated. He does not assume tbe risk caused by tbe negligence of tbe company, in not furnishing proper appliances or in any other respect. In this case tbe jury have found that tbe death of tbe intestate was due to tbe negligence of tbe defendant in tbe partic-lars above set forth. If tbe plaintiff in any respect contributed thereto by putting tbe caboose and tank car in front of tbe engine, this was not assumption of risk, but was contributory negligence, and though it is not clearly apparent that this action contributed to tbe collision with tbe runaway cars, tbe jury have so found, and neither party has appealed [475]*475on tbat ground, and tbe jury bave apportioned tbe damages un'der tbe Federal statute. Sucb contributory negligence was tbe act of tbe intestate and not a risk of tbe business wbicb be assumed.

In R. R. v. Campbell; 241 U. S., 497, tbe Court said: “It is most earnestly insisted tbat tbe findings established tbat Campbell was not in tbe course of bis employment wben be was injured, and consequently tbat judgment could not properly be entered in bis favor upon tbe cause of action established by tbe general verdict. This invokes tbe doctrine tbat where an employee voluntarily and without necessity growing out of' bis work abandons tbe employment and steps entirely aside from the line of bis duty, be suspends tbe relation of employer and employee and puts himself in tbe attitude of a stranger or a licensee. Tbe cases cited are those where an employee intentionally has gone outside of tbe scope of bis employment, or departed from tbe place of duty. Tbe present case is not of tbat character. ... We are not aware tbat in this case it has been seriously contended tbat because an engineer violated bis orders be went outside of tbe scope of bis employment.”

Conceding tbat tbe conduct of tbe deceased was in violation of State law because tbe intestate, who was -a conductor, was running tbe train without tbe headlight displayed as required by State law, be did not thereby become a trespasser to whom tbe defendant owed no duty save to refrain from willful injury. His conduct, at most, as between him and bis employer was contributory negligence, wbicb tbe jury bave found. In tbe case just cited tbe United States Supreme Court held tbat though Campbell was guilty of a criminal offense in violation of State law, “bis right to recover against bis employer depends upon tbe acts of Congress, to wbicb all State legislation affecting tbe subject-matter must yield,” citing R. R. v. Riggsbee, 241 U. S., 33.

Tbe deceased was not a trespasser, but was an employee engaged at tbe time of bis death in the discharge of bis duty, and if guilty of negligence in tbe make-up of bis train, tbe damages bave been diminished on account of tbat negligence by tbe provision of tbe Federal Employers Liability Act tbat tbe negligence of an employee should not defeat but merely diminish tbe recovery.

There is a vital difference between contributory negligence and assumption of risk, wbicb is thus stated, 1 Labatt on Master and Servant, secs. 305 and 306, as follows: “Assumed risk is founded upon the knowledge of tbe employee, either actual or constructive, of tbe risks to^ be encountered, and bis consent to take tbe chance of injury therefrom. Contributory negligence implies misconduct, tbe doing of an imprudent act by tbe injured party, or bis dereliction in failing to take proper precaution for bis personal safety. Tbe doctrine of assumed risk is founded upon contract, while contributory negligence is solely matter of conduct. [476]*476This distinction has often been approved by the United States Supreme Court in cases under the Employers’ Liability Act. R. R. v. Horton, 233 U. S., 492; R. R. v. Wright, 235 U. S., 376.

The distinction is well stated in Richie “Federal Employers’ Liability Act” (2 Ed.), 169, as follows: “Though an employee is said to assume the risk of the consequences resulting from a violation of rules, this is properly contributory negligence. And an employee in view of severe weather conditions is guilty of contributory negligence and does not assume the risk when he fails to protect the rear of his train by proper signals, though warned by the following engineer that it was impossible to see the block signals and told to do a good job of ‘flagging.’ ”

Exceptions 8 and 9 are as follows

8. “If you answer this third issue (assumption of risk) ‘Yes,’ the plaintiff cannot recover at all.”

. 9. “In this connection I will say to you that ‘assumed risk’ is founded upon the knowledge of the employee of the hazards to be encountered and his consent to take the chance of injury therefrom.”

We find no error in these instructions, which require no discussion.

The intestate left a wife and two children, and Exceq>tions 1 and 2 are to the court submitting an issue as to damages sustained by each of the three beneficiaries for whom the action was brought.

At the time of his death the deceased was engaged in discharging the duties of a- freight conductor on one of the defendant’s freight trains engaged in interstate commerce, as is admitted in the defendant’s brief, and this action was brought under the Federal Employers’ Liability Act.

There is a radical difference between the wrongful death statute of North Carolina, Revisal, 59, and the provision of the Federal Statute under which this action is brought. Revisal, 59, provides that the action shall be brought by the personal representative of the decedent: “The amount recovered in such action is not liable to be applied as assets in the payment of debts or legacies, but shall be disposed of as provided in this chapter for the distribution of personal property in case of intestacy.” And Revisal, 60, provides: “The plaintiff in such action may recover such damages as are fair and just compensation for the pecuniary injury resulting from such death.”

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Bluebook (online)
175 N.C. 472, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/horton-v-seaboard-air-line-railroad-nc-1918.