New v. Hughes

1921 OK 16, 194 P. 897, 80 Okla. 129, 1921 Okla. LEXIS 14
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedJanuary 8, 1921
Docket10072
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 1921 OK 16 (New v. Hughes) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
New v. Hughes, 1921 OK 16, 194 P. 897, 80 Okla. 129, 1921 Okla. LEXIS 14 (Okla. 1921).

Opinion

COLLIER, J.

This is an action commenced by the defendant in error, J. L. Hughes, hereinafter called plaintiff, against the plaintiffs in error, Alexander New and H. C. Ferris, receivers of the Missouri, Oklahoma & Gulf R. Company, hereinafter called defendants, to recover the sum of $40,000 for alleged personal injuries due to negligence of the defendants.

The máterial evidence in the case is that the plaintiff was 35 years old and lived in and around Allen, Oklahoma; that he had a wife and three children; that he was a farmer, but for the last three years had been engaged. in different kinds of work, making about $50 per month; that he was acquainted with defendant’s depot and platform in Allen, Oklahoma. That there was no means of approach to the depot with a wagon and team for the purpose of receiving and- delivering baggage except along the north side of the platform between the platform and the main track, and this approach was used for the purpose of loading and unloading baggage. That the main track was straight for about a quarter of a mile west from the platform, and the coal chute was about a quarter of a mile west from the depot, and there were no obstructions between the coal chute and the depot. That the day of the accident he went to defendants’ depot in Allen about 10 o’clock in the morning of November 30, 1916, for the purpose of getting baggage belonging to his mother-in-law; that he drove a span of mules, which he knew well; one of which he had driven about two years and the other about six months; that they were gentle mules and he had never had any trouble with them nor knew of any one else having-trouble with them; that they had been accustomed to being around the railroad and had never giypn any' indication of being train shy. That he drove in from the west side along the driveway beside the platform and up to the telegraph post where trains are supposed to stop, about 10 or 12 feet from the west end of the depot, and stopped in the driveway between the main track and the platform, and stayed there about 10 or 15 minutes searching for the freight agent to deliver the baggage; that as soon as he found him he loaded the baggage and started to drive out and heard the train coming and looked and saw the train coming from the west and knew he didn’t have time to turn and drive out, which he would have to do in order to get out, which would be going toward the train; that the train was 150 to 200 yards from him when he first saw it, between him and the coal chute. That all this time the man on the engineer’s seat, whom he supposed to be the engineer, was looking out of the ‘cab window and directly towards him and his team; that he went to the mules and caught them by the bridle bits; that the train was coming very fast and making a lot of noise like shooting off steam — making more noise than a train usually makes in approaching a station; it was going “choo, choo,” and the steam was escaping on all sides of the engine. That the noise of the train frightened his mules and they began to cut up and prance around and jerked him close to the track, but he got them stopped and quiet when about six feet from the track; that when he had about got them quiet the train blew two whistles, at which time it was about 10 feet from him. That just when he had his team stopped he glanced around to see where the train was and saw the engineer with his head out of the window of the cab, looking .right at him and his team. That the train was running about 25 or 30 miles an hour at that time and did not slow down. That when the whistle blew it scared his team; that his right hand mule made a lunge right around by the track and the train ran into him. That after the train whistled the mules made a lunge and threw him into the train after he had really gotten his team under control. That at the time there was a large crowd at the depot, just in front of the depot, between it and the track. That the pilot, a cross-piece which goes across the cow-catcher, struck him, and that after the -train knocked him down he was unconscious and didn’t know anything.

That as a result of the accident “all the toes of his left foot were cut off, two of his ribs knocked from his back-bone; that one rib was broken, and his knee bruised; that for a long time he cóuld not put his weight on that leg; that his shoulder was also broken and his head gashed, which had to be sewed up. (At this time plaintiff offered to exhibit his injuries to the jury, to which *131 defendants objected and admitted tbe injuries as alleged in plaintiffs petition.) That as a result of his injuries he was unconscious untii about sundown of the day he was hurt. That he remained at Allen until Sunday morning, when he was taken to the hospital at Muskogee and remained there 51 days. That for the first month he was confined to his bed; that he continued to suffer and still suffers physical pain from his injuries. That before he was injured he was able to do all kinds of manual labor, was in good health, but since his injuries has not been able to do manual labor on account of them. That when he tries to work his foot breaks out and festers and runs; that his shoulder is all smashed up and has not gotten well, nor has his back; that he cannot lift as he could before his injuries; that he cannot operate a farm; that it was five months before he could do a lick of work, and since then he has not been able to do much; that he had to refuse a job because he was not able to do the work on account of his injuries; that he could not tell that his shoulder and back were improving at all. “The fact that I am not able to perform ordinary work, but have to limp when I walk, has caused and still causes me great mental pain and anguish,” plaintiff testified.

On cross-examination, he testified that he had been to defendants’ depot frequently, but had never driven a wagon and team to the depot before. That he didn’t know the schedule of the trains, but knew that the passenger train was due at Allen about 10:10 a. m. That when he first saw the train it had left the coal chute and was about 250 yards from the depot; that when he got the mules by the bridle bits the train was about 150 yards away, coming rapidly; that the mules went toward the track going pretty fast; that they -didn’t go but a few steps when he stopped them about six feet from the track, at which time the train was about 10 feet from him.

I. M. Cummins testified: That he was about 63 years old; lived at Allen, Oklahoma, and was at the depot the day the plaintiff was injured; saw the passenger train come in from the west; it was down close to the coal chute when he first saw it, at which time Joe Hughes was up by the wagon and team. When he noticed the train it was making a great deal of noise; steam was flying out of each side pretty bad; it scared the mules and they started and Hughes ran and got them by the bridle bits and stopped them, at which time they were 'between the track and the platform, and then the train got nearer to the team, making more noise, steam boiling out on each side, whistled two short blasts. When the train whistled the mules attempted to run; they ran toward and down the track and the train right after them; that the plaintiff got the mules stopped for about a minute when the train got closer. It was blowing out steam on each side. The train knocked him down; his feet were under the train. They got him out and carried him into the depot and he didn’t know anything. That the first whistle was at the coal chute; that the people ran into the depot house and some of them toward the depot, but none of them went on the track.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1921 OK 16, 194 P. 897, 80 Okla. 129, 1921 Okla. LEXIS 14, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/new-v-hughes-okla-1921.