Louisville, Evansville & St. Louis Consolidated Railroad v. Lohges

33 N.E. 449, 6 Ind. App. 288, 1893 Ind. App. LEXIS 138
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedMarch 2, 1893
DocketNo. 687
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 33 N.E. 449 (Louisville, Evansville & St. Louis Consolidated Railroad v. Lohges) 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
Louisville, Evansville & St. Louis Consolidated Railroad v. Lohges, 33 N.E. 449, 6 Ind. App. 288, 1893 Ind. App. LEXIS 138 (Ind. Ct. App. 1893).

Opinion

Gavin, J.

This is an action by the mother to recover damages for the death of her child, who was run over by appellant’s train of cars.

The complaint was in five paragraphs, to each of which a demurrer for want of sufficient facts was filed and overruled. This action of the court is assigned for error.

The appellant questions each paragraph upon the ground

First. That no negligence is shown upon the part of appellant.

Second. That no freedom from contributory negligence is shown upon the part of the mother and child.

Third., That no right of action whatever is shown in the mother, the appellee.

Counsel for appellant contend that under the allegations • of the complaint no duty of care toward the deceased rested upon appellant.

In the first four paragraphs it is shown that the deceased was a child of tender years, who was upon appellant’s rail[290]*290road track, either at a highway crossing or at a point between stations, the allegation being different in different paragraphs. After first alleging in general terms' that the child’s death was caused by the carelessness, recklessness and negligence of appellant, its servants and employes in charge'of and in the management of its train, in failing to check and stop its train after they had learned by ringing the bell and sounding the whistle that deceased did not heed the signals nor make any attempt to leave the track, numerous details and particulars are given, and among them it is averred, that signals (whistling and ringing the bell) were given, which the child did not and could not understand, nor did it realize the danger it was in; that after the defendant’s servants and employes ascertained that he could not and did not understand, and did not heed the signals given, they could have checked and stopped the train before reaching the child, but wholly failed to do so, whereby he was run over and killed, without any fault upon the part of the child 'or the mother with whom it resided.

We think counsel are in error in arguing that as to a child upon its track, even though a trespasser, no duty is' owing save not to willfully injure it.

It is doubtless true that we have many authorities holding that as to a trespasser of mature years upon its track, who does not appear under any disability, a railroad company owes no duty except not to injure willfully, or under such circumstances of recklessness as that the law will imply willfulness. When such persons are seen upon the track, the engineers have a right to presume that they will heed the signals. Palmer v. Chicago, etc., R. R. Co., 112 Ind. 250; Terre Haute, etc., R. R. Co.v. Graham, 95 Ind. 286.

As to children, however, a different rule applies, and the rule is thoroughly established that, after a child of tender years is seen upon the track, by those in charge of a train, there is then an affirmative duty of care owing to the child.

[291]*291It would be repugnant to our natural instincts of humanity to say, that after the engineer, as in this case, had seen the child upon the track, and learned that it did not understand or heed the danger signals, he was under no affirmative obligation to lift his hand and stay the train, and thus save the child’s life. Indianapolis, etc., R. W. Co. v. Pitzer, 109 Ind. 179; Beach on Contrib. Keg., section 204; Meeks v. Southern Pac. R. R. Co., 56 Cal. 513, 38 Am. R. R. Cas. 67; Isabel v. Hannibal, etc., R. W. Co., 60 Mo. 475 ; Philadelphia, etc., R. R. Co. v. Spearen, 47 Pa. St. 300; Lake Shore, etc., R. W. Co. v. Miller, 25 Mich. 274; Patterson’s Railway Accident Law, section 202; 2 Wood’s Railway Law, 1273-1282; 31 Am. and Eng. R. R. Cas. 415, and notes; Kansas Pac. R. W. Co. v. Whipple, 39 Kan. 531.

It is asserted by some authorities that the law goes still further, and that as to children of tender years the corn-pan}' may be held liable, not only where they fail to use proper care after the child is discovered, but also where they might, by the use of reasonable diligence, have discovered the child and have avoided any injury to it.

These eases proceed upon the principle that there is a general duty resting upon a railroad company to keep a diligent and careful lookout from its engines. 2 Wood’s Railway Law, 1267-1283, and cases cited in Notes; Meeks v. Southern Pac. R. W. Co., supra; Texas Pac. R. W. Co. v. O' Donnell, 58 Tex. 27.

There is, however, upon this proposition, a very stubborn conflict of authority, many cases holding that no duty of care arises as to an infant trespasser until it has been actually discovered. Chrystal v. Troy, etc., R. R. Co., 105 N. Y. 164, 31 Am. and Eng. R. R. Cas., 411; Moore v. Pennsylvania Co., 99 Pa. St. 301; Morrissey v. Eastern R. R. Co., 126 Mass. 377; 2 Wood’s Railway Law 1282, and cases cited in note.

Under the allegations of the complaint, wc are not required to pass upon this latter question. The averments [292]*292are certainly sufficient to show a duty from the appellant toward the child after its servants had ascertained its presence and failure to understand and heed the signals, and an actionable neglect of that duty.

There is nothing in the facts of either of these paragraphs which is sufficient to overthrow the general allegation that both mother and child were without fault. To overcome this general allegation, the facts must show cle'arly and affirmatively that there was such contributory negligence as would prevent a recovery. Citizens' Street Railroad Co. v. Spahr, (Ind. App.) 33 N. E. Rep. 446.

The fifth paragraph lacks the averment of want of negligence of the child, but as this was probably an oversight and as all the paragraphs must be held bad for another reason, we do not deem it necessary to set out the facts in such detail as would be required to consider its sufficiency upon its merits.

In none of these paragraphs is there any allegation whatever concerning the father of the child.

The appellee’s right of action must be founded upon section 266, R. S. 1881,which reads as follows:

“A father (or in case of his death, or desertion of his family, or imprisonment, the mother) may maintain an action for the injury or death of a child, and a guardian for the injury or death of his ward.”

Is any right of action shown in the mother without showing the death, desertion or imprisonment of the father ?

Appellee’s counsel state their position thus:

“ The mother, under certain conditions, may sue for the death of the child, and it is presumed she brings herself within the law. She is the mother of the child, and brings the action as such to recover damages for a wrong, and if she fails to connect herself with the wrong so as to entitle her to redress, this can not be reached by demurrers for want of sufficient facts.
If the complaint states a cause of action against defendant [293]*293in the main, facts, but fails to show a right of action'in plaintiff, then there is a defect of parties plaintiff, and the demurrer must raise the question directly or it is waived, and can not be raised in this court.”

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Chenoweth v. McDowell
226 P. 535 (Arizona Supreme Court, 1924)
Pere Marquette Railroad v. Chadwick
115 N.E. 678 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1917)
Wells & Nellegar Co. v. Short
97 N.E. 183 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1912)
Martin v. City of Butte
86 P. 264 (Montana Supreme Court, 1906)
Halstead v. Coen
67 N.E. 957 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1903)
Frankel v. Garrard
66 N.E. 687 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1903)
Wolfe v. Peirce
57 N.E. 555 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1900)
Bernhamer v. Hoffman
54 N.E. 132 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1899)
Citizens' Street Railroad v. Willoeby
43 N.E. 1058 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1896)
Louisville & Nashville Railroad v. Cronbach
41 N.E. 15 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1895)
Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis Railway Co. v. Adair
39 N.E. 672 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1895)
Bozarth v. Mallett
2 Ind. App. 417 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1894)
Cutshaw v. Fargo
34 N.E. 376 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1893)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
33 N.E. 449, 6 Ind. App. 288, 1893 Ind. App. LEXIS 138, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/louisville-evansville-st-louis-consolidated-railroad-v-lohges-indctapp-1893.