McDonald v. St. Louis & San Francisco Railroad

146 S.W. 83, 165 Mo. App. 75, 1912 Mo. App. LEXIS 454
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedApril 2, 1912
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 146 S.W. 83 (McDonald v. St. Louis & San Francisco Railroad) 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
McDonald v. St. Louis & San Francisco Railroad, 146 S.W. 83, 165 Mo. App. 75, 1912 Mo. App. LEXIS 454 (Mo. Ct. App. 1912).

Opinion

NORTONI, J.

(after stating the facts). — All the evidence tends to prove, and indeed it is conceded throughout the case, that the train on which plaintiff took passage was an extra on which the carriage of passengers.was prohibited. From plaintiff’s evidence alone it appears that the relation of passenger and carrier did not subsist between him and defendant. Plaintiff says that, being without sufficient means to pay the regular passenger fare, he entered into an arrangement with the conductor of the freight whereby he was to be carried from Cape Girardeau to Crystal City on the payment of twenty-five cents. Bnt this arrangement involved his carriage in a freight car. While it does not appear conclusively plaintiff knew the carriage of passengers was prohibited on this particular train, it is obvious that he did not become a passenger by merely paying a bribe of twenty-five cents to the conductor and accepting passage in the freight car in no sense designed for pas[104]*104senger service. At most, plaintiff • was not a trespasser, but, instead, occupied that relation which, attends one upon the train, who does not know that he is violating the rules of the carrier, and relies upon the consent of the conductor. This being true, the duty of extraordinary care and other incidents to the relation of passenger and carrier does not obtain in the case, but, instead, it devolved upon defendant only to exercise ordinary care for plaintiff’s safety while in transit and during his ejection or until he had safely alighted from the train. Such we deduce from the following authorities to be the rule of decision which obtains in the jurisprudence of this state: Whitehead v. St. L., I. M. & S. R. Co., 99 Mo. 263, 11 S. W. 751; Berry v. Mo. Pac. R. Co., 124 Mo. 223, 25 S. W. 229; O’Donnell v. K. C., etc. R. Co., 197 Mo. 110, 95 S. W. 196.

But it is argued by defendant that though it owed plaintiff the duty to exercise ordinary care for his safety, the court should have- directed a verdict for it, because the evidence conclusively shows that no-injury was inflicted upon him until after he had been ejected in safety. In this connection it is urged that the duty which obtains between carrier and passenger and requires the carrier to exercise high care to save .the passenger from the insults or assaults of its own servants and others may not be invoked. Of course, this proposition is to be conceded, for, unless the relation of carrier and passenger exists, the obligations incident thereto are wholly beside the case. But though such be true, defendant is liable to respond for the wrongful acts of its servant’s, committed within the scope of their authority while pursuing the-master’s business, even though such acts are wanton and willful and in no sense directed by the master as-to the particular manner of conduct. [See Bouillon v. Laclede Gas Light Co., 148 Mo. App. 462, 129 S. W. 401; Haehl v. Wabash R. Co., 119 Mo. 325, 24 S. [105]*105W. 737.] The record abounds with evidence to the effect that, among other things, it was the duty of Allison, defendant’s brakeman, and its conductor, too, for that matter, to eject persons from the train when found riding thereon. Obviously, then, defendant may be required to respond to plaintiff for any injury which he suffered at the hands of the brakeman, Allison, or the conductor, Gribson, or the other brakeman, through the breach of the obligation to exercise ordinary care for his safety or because of their wanton and willful conduct thereabout. But defendant’s responsibility touching this matter proceeds in accord with the principle respondeat superior and rests upon the law of agency, wholly irrespective of the relation of passenger and carrier. [See Farber v. Mo. Pac. R. Co., 116 Mo. 81, 22 S. W. 631; Whitehead v. St. L., I. M. & S. R. Co., 22 Mo. App. 60, 63.]

It is true that none of the injuries inflicted upon plaintiff was suffered by him while in the car, but it appears from his testimony that the brakeman,. Allison, entered the car and sought to eject him therefrom while the train was in motion. Plaintiff says Allison demanded money from him, and, upon his refusal to pay, ordered him to jump from the car, and fired several shots át his feet with a revolver in attempting to enforce the order. During this controversy plaintiff obtained possession of Allison’s pistol and ejected him from the car instead. The box car in which plaintiff was riding was next adjacent to the caboose on the train, and it appears that both Allison and the other brakeman assumed positions on the steps annexed to the front platform of the caboose, with guns, as though they intended to inflict injury upon plaintiff. Plaintiff says as he looked out ■of the ear he observed these men so stationed while the train moved along, just prior to reaching Neely’s Landing. From this it is obvious that, besides the assault commenced by Allison in the car, defendant’s [106]*106other brakeman was at least consenting thereto and omitted to exercise any care whatever concerning plaintiff’s safety. Bnt be this as it may, plaintiff was in no respect injured while in-the car nor in the initial attempt of Allison to eject him therefrom, and it must be conceded that all of the injuries for which compensation is sought were received thereafter. After conceding such to be true, for it is, we are not permitted to accept defendant’s argument in its fullest scope, and declare that it conclusively appears plaintiff had been ejected with safety before the assault was made of which he complains. According to plaintiff’s evidence, the trainmen on the caboose, that is, the brakeman, Allison, and his companion, were standing ready to participate in his ejection as the train approached Neely’s Landing. Immediately upon the stopping of the train, the conductor approached and ordered plaintiff to alight from the car. Plaintiff says the conductor tossed the twenty-five cent piece to him and ordered him to “fall out” of there. In obedience to this command, plaintiff stepped from the car and was assaulted while in the act. Plaintiff says, “I got out and when I first lighted a lick hit me in the back of the head. I was right at the car door in front of the station door but didn’t know what brakeman it was. He hit me in the back of the head with the gun he had and gave me a punch and I didn’t look around but went straight to that woman’s house.” Prom this it appears that the assault which Allison had commenced in the car was followed up by one of defendant’s brakemen while plaintiff was in the act of alighting from the car in obedience to the command of the conductor. Obviously, both the conductor, who ordered plaintiff out of the car, and the brakeman, who assaulted' him while he was stepping therefrom, were acting in the line of their duty about the master’s business, in ejecting plaintiff from the train. It appears, then, the assault which, according to the evidence of plain[107]*107tiff, seems to have continued without perceptible intermission, was first made by defendant’s brakeman while acting within the scope of his authority about the master’s business, pertaining to ejecting plaintiff from the car. This being true, defendant is prima facie liable for the wrongful and willful acts of its servants in pursuing and shooting plaintiff thereafter, for, where an agent begins a quarrel while acting within the scope of his agency, the master may be required to respond for his subsequent wrongful acts pertaining to the same matter, as the law will not undertake to say when he ceased to act as agent and commenced to act'upon his own responsibility.

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

Related

Hicks ex rel. Maize v. Shanabarger
236 S.W.2d 49 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1951)
Wolfe v. Kansas City, Mo.
60 S.W.2d 749 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1933)
Robbs Ex Rel. Robbs v. Missouri Pacific Railway Co.
242 S.W. 155 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1922)
Lampe v. United Railways Co.
232 S.W. 249 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1920)
Hoeffen v. Columbia Taxicab Co.
162 S.W. 694 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1913)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
146 S.W. 83, 165 Mo. App. 75, 1912 Mo. App. LEXIS 454, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mcdonald-v-st-louis-san-francisco-railroad-moctapp-1912.