Neal v. Northern Texas Traction Co.

258 S.W. 877
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedDecember 1, 1923
DocketNo. 10445. [fn*]
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 258 S.W. 877 (Neal v. Northern Texas Traction Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Neal v. Northern Texas Traction Co., 258 S.W. 877 (Tex. Ct. App. 1923).

Opinion

DUNKLIN,'J.

Mrs. Jennie Neal instituted this suit on her own behalf and as next friend for the benefit of her minor son, Howard Neal, against the Northern Texas Traction Company for damages alleged to have been sustained as the result of negligence of the defendant company. Prom a judgment in favor of the defendant, plaintiff has appealed.

The evidence shows that on the night of October '31, 1921, plaintiff’s son, Howard Neal, in company with Prank Peek and some other companions, boarded a street car of the defendant cbmpany; that the two boys were attired in clownish costume' which was donned for Hallowe’en festivities. The proof further showed that after the two boys had advanced down the aisle of the car to a point near the front vestibule the ear came to a sudden stop, following which Howard Neal fell to the floor and skidded forward out into the front vestibule, where he came,in violent contact with an upright iron rod and sustained personal injuries by reason of such contact. In plaintiff’s petition, it was' alleged that such sudden stopping of the car was negligence, which was the proximate cause of the injuries. It was also alleged that before the ear stopped it was running at a high rate of speed, and that defendant was guilty of negligence in running at that rate of speed, which was also one of the proximate causes of the injuries.

In addition to a general denial, the defendant alleged that Howard Neal was himself guilty of contributory negligence, which would preclude a recovery, in the following particulars: That he was attired in clownish costume which incumbered the freedom of his movements, and also had o¡n large, heavy and cumbersome shoes, many times too large for his feet, which rendered his movements awkward and by reason of which, standing on his feet was made more difficult, and which costume and shoes each caused him to fall. It was further alleged that he was wearing a mask over his face which obscured,his vision and rendered his movements more difficult and uncertain, and that he was also engaged in the performance of clownish antics, which likewise contributed to his fall.

Poliowing an instruction defining the degree of care which the defendant owed, to Howard Neal while he was a passenger on its car, and definitions of contributory negligence and proximate cause, the court submitted in his general charge special issues, which, together with' the'findings of the jury thereon, were as follows:

Special Issues Submitted.

“(1) Did plaintiff, Howard Neal, while a passenger on defendant’s street car, upon the occasion in question, receive an injury? Ans. Xes.
*878 “(2) At what rate of speed in'miles per hour do you find from the evidence defendant’s street car was being operated by the employees of the defendant in charge of said car at the time the mqtorman began to bring said car to a stop upon the occasion in question? Ans. Twenty miles per hour.
“(3) Was the rate of speed at which defendant’s employees were operating the street oar at the time defendant’s motorman began to stop said car, upon the occasion in question, under all .the facts and circumstances shown by the evidence, negligence on the part of said employees, as the term negligence has been defined for you hereinabove? Ans. No.”
“(5) Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that defendant’s employees operating the car in question brought the said car to a sudden stop upon the occasion in question? Ans. Tes'.
“(6) Was the manner in which the defendant’s employees'brought said car to a stop upon the occasion in question, under all the facts and circumstances shown by the evidence, negligence as that term has been hereinabove defined for you? Ans. Yes.
“(7) Was the negligence, if any, of defendant’s employees, in the manner in which they brought said car to 'a stop upon the occasion in question, a proximate cause of an injury to plaintiff, Howard Neal, if you believe that said plaintiff, Howard Neal, was injured upon the occasion in question? Ans. Yes.
“(8) Under all the facts and circumstances shown by the evidence, were the conduct and movements, if any, of plaintiff, Howard Neal, after he boarded defendant’s street 'car, upon the occasion in question, contributory negligence on his part, as the term ‘contributory negligence’ has been defined for you herein-above? Ans. No.”
“(10) Under all the facts and circumstances shown by the evidence, was plaintiff, Howard Neal, in the matter of the mask, clothing, and shoes that you may find from the evidence he wore while a passenger upon the street ear of defendant upon the occasion in question, guilty of contributory negligence as that term has been defined for you hereinabove? Ans. Yes.
“(11) If under all the facts and circumstances shown by the evidence you have found in answer to special issue No. 10 that plaintiff, Howard Neal, was guilty of contributory negligence, while a passenger on defendant’s car on the occasion in question, in the matter of the mask, clothing, and shoes that he wore, then answer further: Was such contributory negligence, if any, on the part of said plaintiff, Howard Neal, a contributing proximate cause of his having received an injury upon the occasion in question, if you believe from the evidence he did receive an injury upon the occasion in question? Ans. Yes.”

In answer to other issues the jury found that Mrs. Jennie Neal had sustained damages by reason of the injuries to her son in the sum of $750, and that Howard Neal himself' had sustained damages by reason of his injuries in the sum of $2,500.

In addition to the foregoing issues submitted in the general charge, the court also submitted other issues upon request of the defendant, which, with the answers of the jury thereto, are as follows:

“1. (a) Did the costume in which plaintiff was attired on the occasion in question cause or contribute to cause plaintiff to fall? Ans. No.
“2. (a) Did the shoes that were worn by the plaintiff on the occasion in question cause or contribute to cause the plaintiff to fall? Ans. Yes.
“(b) If you have answered the preceding question in the affirmative, then answer the following question: Did ,the wearing of such shoes on the street car in question constitute negligence as that term has been defined to you? Ans. Yes.
“(c) If you have answered that the wearing of such shoes on the street car in question was negligence, then go further and state whether or not it was the proximate cause or contributed proximately to cause the plaintiff to fall? Ans. Yes.”
“4. (a) Did plaintiff have a mask over his face on the occasion in question? Ans. No.
“8. Was the plaintiff thrown astride the upright rod in the front of defendant’s street car on the occasion in question? Ans. Yes.”

Other issues were submitted to determine whether the injuries of which Howard Neal now complains resulted from the accident in controversy or from other causes, but the same will be omitted, because not material to any assignment of error presented here.

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Bluebook (online)
258 S.W. 877, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/neal-v-northern-texas-traction-co-texapp-1923.