Layne v. Portland Traction Co.

321 P.2d 312, 319 P.2d 884, 212 Or. 658
CourtOregon Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 24, 1957
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 321 P.2d 312 (Layne v. Portland Traction Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Oregon Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Layne v. Portland Traction Co., 321 P.2d 312, 319 P.2d 884, 212 Or. 658 (Or. 1957).

Opinions

ROSSMAN, J.

This appeal by the defendant, Portland Traction Company, challenges a judgment which the circuit court entered in favor of the plaintiff in an action brought by him to recover damages for personal injuries which he suffered November 19, 1953 at 6:04 p. m., when a west-bound freight train of the defendant, in crossing Southeast 92nd avenue in Portland, collided with the pickup truck which he was driving northerly at that point. The complaint alleges that the cause of the collision was negligence upon the defendant’s part. The entry of the challenged judgment [660]*660was preceded by tbe return of a verdict in tbe plaintiff’s favor in the sum of $10,000. The defendant-appellant presents nine assignments of error.

The course of 92nd avenue is north and south. The defendant’s track does not cross 92nd avenue at a right angle but pursues a direction which is southwest and northeast. The defendant’s train, as it approached Southeast 92nd avenue, came from the northeast and was therefore to the plaintiff’s right as he approached the crossing from the south.

The defendant’s track is straight for a considerable distance on both sides of Southeast 92nd avenue. At the time of the collision (nighttime) the sky was overcast and the weather was rainy. The air was free of fog. The plaintiff was familiar with the crossing. As he neared it he was aware of the fact that the rails were there and that trains, both passenger and freight, passed over them from time to time. He conceded that he saw at that time two signs which warned the motorist of the railroad crossing. There was a conflict in the evidence as to whether brush, which grows on or near the south side of the defendant’s right of way, partially obstructs the view of those who approach the crossing from the south, as plaintiff was doing.

The complaint charged that the defendant operated its train at an excessive rate of speed, without exercising due control and without displaying a light. It also alleged that the defendant failed to maintain a lookout and give a warning signal. The answer, in addition to denying the complaint’s charges, averred that the plaintiff was guilty of contributory negligence in failing to yield to the train the right of way, and made accusations against him respecting listening, lookout, stopping and control.

The evidence indicates that the area in the vicin[661]*661ity of the above-mentioned grade crossing is somewhat rural in nature. Photographs of the crossing disclose adjacent open fields. In the southwest corner near the track a small shelter for the convenience of the defendant’s passengers has been placed. South of the shelter are two dwelling houses. The second is 200 feet or so from the tracks. The three structures offered no interference to the view of the motorist, who approached the crossing from the south and looked to the east for the purpose of determining whether or not a train was in sight. The other three corners of the crossing contained no structures.

The first assignment of error follows:

“The Court erred in denying defendant’s motion to withdraw from the consideration of the jury plaintiff’s claim that the defendant failed to have or keep a proper or any lookout for vehicles traveling on and along S. E. 92nd Avenue and in particular for plaintiff’s vehicle, which motion was as follows:
“ ‘ME. BUELL: Since we did not request in our instructions we would specifically ask the Court to withdraw from the consideration of the jury the ground of negligence of failing to keep the train under proper control and of the failure to keep a proper or any lookout for the reason that there is no evidence to support either of such claims.
“ ‘THE COURT: Well, the motion is denied, and you have an exception in each instance.’ ”

We shall now take notice of the evidence which pertains to that assignment of error.

The plaintiff presented no direct evidence indicating that the members of the defendant’s train crew did not see his vehicle as it drew near the railroad crossing and, therefore, when he rested, the presumption that the defendant had exercised due care in the [662]*662maintenance of a lookout remained unimpaired so far as the plaintiff’s direct evidence upon the subject bore. We will presently quote the part of plaintiff’s (respondent’s) brief which presents the principal argument that defendant did not maintain an adequate lookout, but before doing so will identify the individuals whose names appear in the quoted passage. William H. Green was the defendant’s fireman and as such spent more time in the right half of the engine’s cab. Albert Masloskie was the engineer in charge of the defendant’s locomotive and, as the train approached the crossing, was seated in the left part of the cab facing the plaintiff. Nuel Hood lived in the immediate vicinity of the crossing and was driving home when the collision occurred. At the fateful moment, he was proceeding south [opposite plaintiff’s direction] and saw the plaintiff’s headlights. He swore that he also saw the train’s headlight and heard its whistle. Arthur K. Johnston, a witness for the plaintiff, was also proceeding home at the time of the collision. He was driving in the same direction as Hood and within a few feet of- him.

The following is the part of plaintiff’s brief to which we referred:

“At the time of the accident, fireman Green testified he was looking to the right (Tr. 489). Mr. Green further testified that it was the engineer’s duty to concentrate on the left side and that prior to the collision, Masloskie was sitting with his head out the left or south side of the cab (Tr. 478,489).
“The engineer, in his deposition, testified he first observed the plaintiff’s vehicle some 550 feet away from the crossing and at the moment the train was about 200 feet from the grade (Tr. 523, 524). It was only when the train reached a point 25 feet from the crossing that the engineer was aware a collision was likely to occur (Tr. 524).
[663]*663“Defendant’s witness, Nuel Hood, who was north of the crossing, however, was aware that a collision was going to occur when the train was 400 feet from the crossing and plaintiff’s vehicle some 200 feet from the crossing (Tr. 414, 417). On cross examination the same witness testified that a collision was imminent when he was 100 feet north of the crossing (Tr. 430). While there is considerable conflict as to what Mr. Hood did see by reason of his position at the time of the accident, it is elementary that the jury could believe all or any part of the testimony produced by the two witnesses, Masloskie and Hood Kirby v. Southern Pacific, 108 Or. 290.
“Based upon the testimony of these two witnesses it is readily apparent that the jury could find MaslosMe should have discovered a collision was likely, as did Nuel Hood, before the train reached a point a mere 25 feet from the crossing. Mr. Hood, who obviously could not observe plaintiff’s approach as well as the engineer, discovered the peril before MaslosMe.
“Witness Johnston testified he saw the train when it was about 100 feet from the crossing and when his southbound vehicle was some 60 feet north of the intersection (Tr. 307, 308, 309). Johnston further stated that he stopped momentarily before the collision and that the stop was made about a car length from the crossing (Tr. 328, 329, 340).

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Layne v. Portland Traction Co.
321 P.2d 312 (Oregon Supreme Court, 1957)

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Bluebook (online)
321 P.2d 312, 319 P.2d 884, 212 Or. 658, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/layne-v-portland-traction-co-or-1957.