Hutton v. Metropolitan Street Railway Co.

150 S.W. 722, 166 Mo. App. 645, 1912 Mo. App. LEXIS 589
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedOctober 7, 1912
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 150 S.W. 722 (Hutton v. Metropolitan Street Railway Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Missouri Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hutton v. Metropolitan Street Railway Co., 150 S.W. 722, 166 Mo. App. 645, 1912 Mo. App. LEXIS 589 (Mo. Ct. App. 1912).

Opinion

BEOADDUS, P. J.

— Action' for damages. The plaintiff claims she was injured while stepping off one of defendant’s street cars near the intersection of [648]*648Twelfth and Cherry streets in Kansas City, Missouri, on June 16, 1909.

The plaintiff is a young woman, at the time of her injury twenty years of age, weighing 160 pounds, and by occupation a milliner’s maker. At about 7:30 a. m;, of the day she was injured, she boarded a west bound car on Twelfth street for passage to said intersection of Twelfth and.Cherry streets. Her evidence went to show' that when the car arrived at said intersection, it stopped at the usual place for passengers to get on and off.

The main controversy is whether she attempted to get off the car while it was standing or while it was in motion, and it is urged by appellant that plaintiff’s own statements, taken as a whole, show that she got off the car after it had started.

Her testimony was to the effect, that the car and 'both vestibules were crowded; that, before she reached her stopping place, she signaled the conductor to stop by pressing on the push button, which was the usual way for passengers to signify that they wanted the car to stop for them to get off. She testified, in answer to a question as to what happened, as follows: “Well, as the car neared Cherry street I arose from my seat and started to the. back of the car, as it was crowded. I stepped down in the vestibule and pushed past the conductor, who was standing there, and as the car stopped at Cherry street I stepped to the door to get off, and before I could step down a man wanted on and swung up, and I had to push back until he could step down or step on; as soon as he took his arm away from the rod I started to step off, but before I stepped down from the car the car started and threw me to the street. ’ ’

On cross-examination she was asked: “Where were you when the car started? A. I was stepping down from the car to the street.

[649]*649Q. “How long would you say — they came to a full stop, didn’t they? A. Tes, it stopped just long enough'for this man to get on and for me to start to get off.

Q. “How long would you say the ear stopped there, a matter of a minute and a half or two minutes ? A. Possibly a minute.

Q. “Did you make any statement to the company about this accident? A. Yes, sir.

Q. “Did you read it over before you signed it? Did you read it? A. Yes, sir.

Q. “Don’t you remember in that saying that some man jumped on the car as you were getting off?”

Plaintiff’s counsel insisted that his client should be permitted to read the statement before she answered the question. The defendant’s counsel consented that the witness might read the particular statement referred to, but objected to her reading the entire statement. The court ruled that she might read the entire statement, and said that would be fair to the witness. To this action of the court, defendant excepted.

The witness denied that the signature to the writing offered was her own, but she admitted, practically, that all the statements it contained were correct.

After a number of questions, some of which referred to the man getting on the car about the time plaintiff was preparing to get off, defendant’s counsel asked: “You were out there to get off and he swung up there to get in? A. Yes, sir.

Q. “And he swung in against you and you got out after the car started and you fell? A. Yes, sir.”

The written statement was given in evidence by defendant. It corresponds, in every essential particular, with the plaintiff’s evidence, except as to the answer to the last foregoing question.

Charles Bassett, whose place of business was near the intersection of the two streets, testified; that the [650]*650car stopped at the usual place for stopping; that he was standing outside of his shop and saw the plaintiff fall and helped to pick her up; that he say one man get on the car as the plaintiff fell off; and that the car was in motion while she was falling.

The plaintiff did not appear at first to have been seriously injured, but her evidence and that of her witnesses tend to show that in a short time thereafter it was disclosed that her injuries were very severe, and resulted in permanent disability.

The defendant’s conductor and motorman in charge of the car at the time both testified that it did not stop at the usual place for stopping — the intersection of Cherry and Twelfth streets.

Several persons, who were passengers on the car at the time, testified that the car did not stop and that plaintiff steped or fell off while it was in motion. And other evidence tending to contradict that of plaintiff was also introduced by the defendant.

Doctor Longan, who had examined the plaintiff and learned the history of her case, and who found a partial displacement of her womb, was asked the following question: “Doctor, I will ask you whether, if a lady, twenty years of age, was thrown while stepping off a street car when she was in the act of alighting, falling upon the right knee and left side, whether such a fall would or would not produce such a displacement of the womb as you found in this patient when you made the examination? A. It could, that kind of a fall.”

Instruction No. 1 given for the plaintiff, and to which exceptions are taken by defendant, reads as follows : “If you find and believe from the evidence that on the 16th day of June, 1909, defendant was engaged in the operation of a street railway on Twelfth street in Kansas City, Missouri; that plaintiff was a passenger on one of defendant’s cars in- said city going west; that it was customary for passengers on said cars to [651]*651notify the employees in charge of the same when they wished to alight from said cars by pushing a button provided for such use; that before reaching Cherry street plaintiff notified the conductor in charge of said car that she wished to get off at said street by pushing such button; that said car stopped at Cherry street; and the plaintiff started to get off the same; that while she was in the act of getting off said car, and in the exercise of ordinary care, if you find she was exercising such care, the servants and employees of defendant in charge of said car negligently and carelessly started the same before she had reasonable, opportunity to alight therefrom and she was thereby thrown to the ground and injured, then you will find for the plaintiff and assess her damages at such sum as you may believe will reasonably compensate her for such injuries as you may believe from the evidence she has received, if any, not to exceed, however, the sum of $10,000.”

The defendant asked and the court refused a demurrer to plaintiff’s case. The jury returned a verdict for the plaintiff in. the sum of $3000. From the judgment on the verdict, defendant appealed.

It is contended that the plaintiff’s admission that the car had started before she attempted to get off bars her right to recover, and defendant has cited numerous decisions to the effect that solemn admissions made in open court, whether orally or by written pleadings, are binding upon the party making them. The law in that respect is so well settled that comment is unnecessary.

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Bluebook (online)
150 S.W. 722, 166 Mo. App. 645, 1912 Mo. App. LEXIS 589, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hutton-v-metropolitan-street-railway-co-moctapp-1912.