Missouri Pacific Railroad Co. v. Manion

120 S.W.2d 715, 196 Ark. 981, 1938 Ark. LEXIS 301
CourtSupreme Court of Arkansas
DecidedOctober 24, 1938
Docket4-5193
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 120 S.W.2d 715 (Missouri Pacific Railroad Co. v. Manion) 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 Pacific Railroad Co. v. Manion, 120 S.W.2d 715, 196 Ark. 981, 1938 Ark. LEXIS 301 (Ark. 1938).

Opinion

Mehaffy, J.

The appellee filed suit in the Lonoke circuit court and alleged in his complaint that he was the administrator of the estate of Lizzie Webb, deceased; that one of the trains of the Missouri Pacific Railroad Company going through the town of Ward, Lonoke county, Arkansas, while Lizzie Webb was attempting to cross the track, struck and injured the said Lizzie Webb so that she died soon thereafter; that the train ivas being-driven through said town at a high and excessive rate of speed without the use of ordinary care for the safety of appellee’s intestate and the general public; that appellants failed to exercise ordinary care in that they did not keep a proper lookout and did not give any warning either by ringing, the bell or blowing the whistle; that if appellants liad been keeping a proper lookout or had given proper warning they could have discovered the perilous position of appellee’s intestate in time to avoid striking and injuring and killing her; that because of the negligence in operating the train, appellee’s intestate was struck by appellants’ train, hurled through the air approximately 40 feet, receiving’ injuries to her head and back and breaking -both legs, from which injuries she afterwards died; that subsequent to striking Lizzie Webb, appellants negligently and carelessly caused said train to block the crossing, thereby preventing those aiding and assisting said Lizzie "Webb in rushing her to an available hospital. Appellee prayed judgment in damages’ in the sum of $3,000.

On October 7, 1937, appellants filed answer denying all the material allegations in the complaint and pleading contributory negligence of appellee’s intestate.

There was a jury trial and a verdict and judgment for $1,000. This appeal is prosecuted to reverse said judgment.

John Manion, the appellee, testified in substance that he lived at Ward, Lonoke county, and that the deceased was his mother-in-law; that he was appointed administrator by the probate court, and introduced letters of administration; the deceased was 65 years old when she was killed. Witness did not see the accident, but learned of it shortly afterwards; saw her at Dr. Utley’s office; she was conscious and suffering; every time she was moved she would scream and try to catch; both limbs were injured, and -she asked not to be touched; she lived about thirty minutes, possibly longer, after she was taken to Dr. Abington’s hospital at Beebe; in Ward she lived on the north side of the track and had a garden across [lie tracks, and it was customaiy for her to go across the tracks to get to the garden; the path was generally used by the public; there are cross-ties, logs and lumber piled along between the gravel highway and the main line in front of her house; she was conscious when witness arrived at the hospital.

Ernest Bailey testified that he lived in Cabot and was in the lumber and automobile business and mayor of the town; he was on the platform of the berry shed inspecting lumber at the time Lizzie Webb was killed; the Missouri Pacific has two main line tracks running through the town of Ward; there is a switch track on the right-hand side of the main line track going north; the berry shed is right up against the switch track; there were four or five railroad cars parked along beside the berry shed; two box cars and two furniture cars; he was loading one of the cars; Mrs.. Webb lived right across the track from the berry shed; on the west side of the main tracks is a gravel road or street, and south of the berry shed is a crossing; there is a curve just below the depot; the first curve south of the berry shed is approximately one quarter of a mile; there is a path that crosses the railroad between some crossties stacked along there and in front of her house; witness has been loading lumber at that point since 1928 and observed people going across through this path; the general public in the vicinity of Ward uses this path; he was on the platform when deceased was hit; she was hit by freight train about one-thirty or two o’clock; did not actually see the train hit her, but saw her immediately afterwards, imagines the train had around sixty or seventy ears; train went two-thirds its length before it stopped; did not hear it whistle and knows that it did not whistle a distress whistle; does not know whether it whistled at all; did not hear it; there is nothing to prevent anyone seeing up the track after coming around the curve; can see about a quarter of a mile; train usually comes through Ward about 50 miles an hour; after it passes the curve there is nothing to prevent the engineer seeing it if there is anything on the track; in using the path Mrs. Webb would go between the crossties; there was nothing from where she got hit on down to the curve to prevent the engineer, from seeing her; the track is straight a quarter of a mile; Mrs. Webb complained about her lungs hurting her and about how she was suffering; she was conscious; took her to Dr. Utley’s office at Cabot; the train stopped, but did not break for the crossing; when witness left the crossing was blocked; does not know how long it was blocked; in order to get to the pavement had to go around three-fourths of a mile over rough road; if the crossing had not been blocked by the train, he would have had to drive two blocks to the pavement; the conductor was there taking names of the people who knew anything about the accident ; took her to Dr. Utley’s office and was there when he examined her; both legs were broken and she was complaining and suffering; was delayed by the crossing being blocked, the time it took him to drive three-fourths of a mile over a dirt road.

Otis Read testified that he lived at Ward and had for the last twelve years; runs a cotton gin which is located by the Missouri Pacific railroad track at the north end of the berry shed; was in Ward when Mrs. Lizzie Webb was killed by the train; did not see the train hit her; is sure the train did not whistle and the bell was not sounded while it was coming through Ward; there was a path running across from the north end of the berry shed from Mrs. Webb’s house; the path is used generally by people going from and to Ward; was right at witness’ place; witness crosses there on the path three or four times a day; has seen many people come through there; is positive the train did not whistle; knows about the time of day that the train goes through there; there is but one train that stops at Ward regularly; the train sometimes whistles when it comes through there.

M. F. Garrett testified that he lives in Ward and was there when Mrs. Webb was hit and killed by the train; he was a little distance from the railroad track; the train did not whistle; if it had whistled witness would have heard it; was hauling lumber at the time and was coming into the shed with a load; had lived in Ward thirty years; there is a path that is frequently traveled that crosses the track where she was hit; quite a few people cross there.

B. B.. Walker testified that he lived in Ward and was there on the day Mrs. Webb was hit by the train; noticed that it did not blow the whistle nor ring the bell; he was paying attention to it; there was nothing to obstruct the view between the place where Mrs. Webb was hit and the curve; if the engineer had been looking out he could have seen her after reaching that curve.

Dr.

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

Related

Overstreet v. Missouri Pacific Railroad
195 F. Supp. 542 (W.D. Arkansas, 1961)
Bond v. Mo. Pac. R. Co.
342 S.W.2d 473 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1961)
Stockton v. Missouri Pacific Railroad
327 S.W.2d 206 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1959)
Mo. Pac. R. R. v. Vaughan
286 S.W.2d 6 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1956)
Thompson v. Carley
140 F.2d 656 (Eighth Circuit, 1944)
Thrower Ex Rel. Lockhart v. Henwood
173 S.W.2d 861 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1943)
Missouri Pac. R.R. Co., Thompson, Tr. v. Helmert
121 S.W.2d 103 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1938)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
120 S.W.2d 715, 196 Ark. 981, 1938 Ark. LEXIS 301, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/missouri-pacific-railroad-co-v-manion-ark-1938.