Missouri Pac. Rd. Co., Guy A. Thompson v. Creekmore

102 S.W.2d 553, 193 Ark. 722, 1937 Ark. LEXIS 68
CourtSupreme Court of Arkansas
DecidedMarch 1, 1937
Docket4-4538
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 102 S.W.2d 553 (Missouri Pac. Rd. Co., Guy A. Thompson v. Creekmore) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Arkansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Missouri Pac. Rd. Co., Guy A. Thompson v. Creekmore, 102 S.W.2d 553, 193 Ark. 722, 1937 Ark. LEXIS 68 (Ark. 1937).

Opinion

Mehappy, J.

The appellees filed separate suits against the trustees of the Missouri Pacific Railroad Company, and George Watson, engineer, and J. O. Lookhart, fireman, to recover damages for the alleged negligence of the appellants, where the highway crosses the railroad track near Charleston, Arkansas. Several acts of negligence' were alleged. Lynch Creekmore sued for damage to his truck, and alleged that it was damaged in the sum of $3,000. Pete Shelby and Virgil Reddick filed suit for $10,000 each for personal injury. C. R. Thompson, administrator of the estate of Hubert McNulty, filed suit for $25,000 for the benefit of the estate of McNulty, and $25,000 for the benefit of the next of kin.

The trustees of the railroad company filed petitions and bonds for removal to the federal court. The petition was overruled, and the appellants filed answers, and the eases were consolidated for trial. The trial resulted in a verdict and judgments against the railroad company and George Watson, the engineer, as follows: For Lynch Creekmore, $500; for Pete Shelby, $2,100; for Virgil Red-dick, $2,000; for C. R. Thompson, administrator, for benefit of the widow and next of kin, $17,000. The jury found in favor of appellants on the cause of action for the benefit of the estate.

Separate motions for a new trial were filed and overruled, and appeals prosecuted to reverse these judgments.

The appellees alleged that a truck with a trailer attached, the trailer being a 24-foot inclosed furniture van, driven by Pete Shelby, one of the appellees, approached tlie crossing on highway 22 near Charleston, traveling in a westerly direction, the crossing being the highway crossing with the track of the railroad company, and that a freight train approached the crossing from the north; said freight train had two locomotives in front of the rest of-the train,one locomotive immediately before the other; that the first locomotive was in charge of George Watson, as engineer, and J. O. Lockhart, as fireman. It was alleged that the train approached the highway crossing without ringing the bell, blowing the whistle, or giving any other signal or warning of its approach, and that it was being operated at a careless, negligent and reckless rate of speed, fifty miles an hour; that the engineer and fireman negligently failed to exercise ordinary care to keep and maintain a lookout, and that as a result of their negligence, appellees were damaged as alleged in their separate complaints.

The crossing of the railroad track and the highway is an extremely dangerous one. In approaching the track, from the direction in which said truck was approaching, the view of the train, approaching from the direction in which' this one was approaching, is entirely obscured and obstructed, and it is impossible for a person approaching on said highway to determine or know of the approach’ of a train on said track from the north unless some signal or warning either by ringing the bell or blowing the whistle or otherwise of the approach of said train to said crossing to warn travelers along said highway. Each appellee alleged the same acts of negligence and each appellee described the injuries and damage. McNulty, for whose death O. R. Thompson, administrator, brings shit, was killed and Pete Shelby and Virgil Reddick were injured, and Creekmore’s truck was damaged.

The appellants filed separate answers in which they denied all of the material allegations of the complaint, and alleged that the injury and damage were caused wholly as a result of the negligence of appellees. The answers then set out the specific acts of negligence charged against appellees.

A cross-complaint was filed by the railroad company alleging that Creekmore’s-agent negligently drove the truck and trailer against the locomotive of appellants and damaged same. There is no dispute about the collision, and no dispute about the crossing being a very dangerous one.

The appellants contend for a reversal, first, because they say the evidence is not sufficient to justify a finding in favor of appellees, and that their requests for a verdict in favor of appellants should have been given by the court. There is some conflict in the evidence as to the speed of the train. The testimony on the part of the appellees shows that the train was traveling' at a rate of about 50 miles an hour. The appellants’ witnesses testify, however, that it was going about 30 miles an hour. The undisputed evidence shows that after the engine struck the truck it carried Reddick on the pilot a quarter of a mile beyond the crossing before it stopped. The undisputed evidence also shows that nothing was done by the enginemen to stop the train or to reduce its speed. Lockhart, the fireman on the engine, testified that when the engine got to the whistling post he saw the lights of the truck and called the engineer’s attention to it. He saw the lights first when they came out of the cut. The engine at that time was about 200 feet from the crossing. He saw the truck coming down the hill and saw it slow down. The fireman, therefore, knew that the truck was approaching the crossing, knew it was a dangerous crossing ; the highway and railroad track were both in the cut so that the persons in the truck could not see the train until they got almost on the crossing.

Watson, the engineer, testified, when asked what he did with reference to the crossing, that he whistled and rang the bell. He saw the lights on the bridge, but he said he did not know what it was. He knew it was something. He did nothing, according to his own testimony, to check the speed of the train as they approached the crossing. When asked what he did about stopping the train, he said he did nothing until he felt the impact. Watson was asked if he could see the left-hand side of the track. He answered that he looked out on his side of the cab. He was then asked if he refused to answer the question about being able to see on tbe left-hand side, and he said: “I refuse to answer that.”

The evidence is in conflict as to whether the whistle was sounded or the bell rung. Lockhart, the fireman, testified that when he saw the truck coming down the hill he told the engineer, and the engineer undertook to start the bell to ringing, but it stuck and he, Lockhart, finally started it. The engineer and fireman on the second engine and the conductor on the train, as well as the engineer and fireman on the first engine, all testified about giving the alarm, but their testimony was in conflict. One witness testified that he heard the alarm at the time he felt the emergency brake applied. This, of course, means that the brake was not applied until about the time the engine struck the truck.

The evidence on the question of negligence of the train crew is in conflict, and it would serve no useful purpose to set it out in detail. The evidence was ample to submit the question to the jury, and its finding is conclusive here.

As to. the railroad company, when it was shown that the injury and damage were done by the operation of a train, this made a prima facie case, and the burden was on the railroad company to show that it was not guilty of negligence.

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384 S.W.2d 490 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1964)
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189 S.W.2d 419 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1945)
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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
102 S.W.2d 553, 193 Ark. 722, 1937 Ark. LEXIS 68, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/missouri-pac-rd-co-guy-a-thompson-v-creekmore-ark-1937.