Mulligan v. Montana Union Railway Co.

47 P. 795, 19 Mont. 135
Montana Supreme Court·Decided February 1, 1897·Published·Cited by 13 cases

Opinion

Hunt, J.

The plaintiffs (respondents) have not seen fit to appear by counsel or by brief in this court. We have, nevertheless, examined all the errors specified by respondent Mulligan in his motion for a new trial, to. determine whether any of [138] them were well taken, and justified the lower court in granting the motion. In this examination, however, we have been precluded from considering the testimony, because the plaintiff did not base his motion for a new trial upon the insufficiency of the evidence to sustain the verdict in favor of the railroad company, or upon any other possible errors based “upon rulings on the evidence, but relied entirely upon alleged errors committed in the court’s instructions to the jury. (Raymond v. Thexton, 7 Mont. 299, 17 Pac. 258.)

The first instruction assigned as erroneous substantially told the jury that, if plaintiffs directly contributed to their own injuries by their own negligence, they could not recover, even if the defendant was negligent. This is the general elementary doctrine of contributory negligence, laid down by text writers and sustained by the decisions of this court. (Beach on Contributary Negligence, § 14; Hamilton v. Railway Co., 17 Mont. 334, 42 Pac. 860, and 43 Pac. 713.) We see nothing of record to take this case out of the general rule.

The next error assigned is that the court instructed the jury that defendant was not obliged to furnish the plaintiffs with the newest or latest improvements in construction upon the engine, but that all the law required was that defendant furnish plaintiffs with reasonably safe machinery and appliances, and that, if the jury believed from the evidence that the boiler of the locomotive was a good boiler of the kind, and in good repair, then plaintiffs assumed the risks incident to their employment, notwithstanding the jury’s belief that a boiler of different construction would have been safer. This instruction must be considered with reference to several others, wherein the court expressly told the jury that the duty of the master is to use ordinary care to furnish suitable and safe machinery and appliances, and to keep the same in good repair, and to make all needed inspection and examination of the machinery and appliances, with a view of keeping the same in repair, and that a failure to do so would render him liable to the servant injured by reason of the omission of the master to properly perform these duties. The instructions on this point [139] were in accord with our recent decision in Johnson v. Mining Co., 16 Mont. 164, 40 Pac. 298, where, in discussing the meaning of the words “ordinary care,” we said: “And so we find the opinions, in discussing the definition of ‘ordinary care, ’ recognize that no fixed, arbitrary rule can be laid down, but that the degree of care and vigilance required varies according to the exigencies which require attention and vigilance, conforming in amount and degree to the particular circumstances under which they are to be exercised. The care and attention necessary on an employer’s part in furnishing a steam boiler is relative to the work to be done by the boiler, and the capacity of such án instrument for harm as well as good. * * * The employer is in duty bound to see that the machinery is fit and safe for the work only so far as due and reasonable care and diligence and prudence will go towards having it and keeping it safe and fit. He is not a warrantor of the safety of the machinery, and, when he has exercised the degree of care hereinbefore discussed as ordinary or reasonable, his duty is done. (Wharton on Negligence, § 211.)”

Error is also assigned because the ■ court charged that the engineer and fireman were fellow servants, and, if the fireman was injured by reason of the engineer’s negligence, plaintiff could not recover. This is the law generally, as laid down by the supreme court of the United States, cited and followed by this court in the following cases, by which we feel bound : (Goodwell v. Railway Co., 18 Mont. 293, 45 Pac. 210; Hastings v. Railway Co., 18 Mont. 493, 46 Pac. 264.)

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Mulligan v. Montana Union Railway Co., 47 P. 795, 19 Mont. 135 (Mo. 1897).

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