Nichols v. Grand Trunk Western Railway Co.

176 N.W. 419, 209 Mich. 331, 1920 Mich. LEXIS 612
CourtMichigan Supreme Court
DecidedFebruary 27, 1920
DocketDocket No. 72
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 176 N.W. 419 (Nichols v. Grand Trunk Western Railway Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Michigan Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Nichols v. Grand Trunk Western Railway Co., 176 N.W. 419, 209 Mich. 331, 1920 Mich. LEXIS 612 (Mich. 1920).

Opinion

Moore, C. J.

This is a personal injury case growing out of a collision between an automobile owned by the plaintiff in which he was riding, and defendant’s locomotive. He was quite severely hurt. He recovered a substantial judgment and the case is brought [332]*332here by writ of error. The wife of the plaintiff was injured in the same accident. She sued and recovered a judgment which was affirmed in this court and is reported in 203 Mich. 372.

It is the claim of the plaintiff that his son was driving the automobile of the plaintiff in which the plaintiff and his wife were seated; that they were going south on Center street where they stopped and an east-bound freight train passed. It is further claimed that after listening and looking the automobile was started across the track and that almost instantly thereafter it was struck by a train consisting of a locomotive, tender and caboose running as a special at 30 miles an hour without ringing its bell or blowing a whistle.

It is the claim of the defendant that the driver of the automobile was guilty of contributory negligence as a matter of law; that the train was running at a lawful rate of speed, and that the proper signals of the. approach of the train to the crossing were given. At the close of all the testimony the court was asked in writing to direct a verdict in favor of the defendant. The trial judge declined to do this and submitted the case to the jury in a charge covering more than 20 pages of the printed record. The jury returned a verdict in favor of the plaintiff in the sum of $2,800, upon which judgment was entered. The defendant then moved for a new trial which motion was overruled, and the defendant has brought the case here for review.

It is the claim of plaintiff that the case now presented is more favorable for the plaintiff than was the case of Ida Nichols against this defendant, supra, and that the judgment in this case should be affirmed. Counsel for defendant says this record is quite different from the record in the former case and that the judgment should be reversed.

[333]*333Counsel says that the facts are materially different from the facts contained in the Ida Nichols Case,

“'and I will proceed to state why they are different. Fred Forsythe and Henry Truesdale were examined as witnesses in the Ida Nichols Case, but were not examined as witnesses on the trial of the present case, nor is there anything contained in this record to show why they were not produced as witnesses. If the testimony that was given by the above named > witnesses in any way induced the result of the decision in the Ida Nichols Case, certainly that testimony cannot be taken into consideration in disposing of this case on the present record. To that extent there is a difference between the records in the two cases.”

Counsel then analyzes the testimony of the witnesses to show he is right in his contention. We again quote from the brief:

“When you come to compare and consider the question whether the giving of the signals by the engineer-on the train that collided with the automobile, with the testimony offered on the part of the defendant-with relation to the giving of these signals, I confidently submit the testimony is overwhelmingly in favor of the defendant. This testimony certainly is no defense to pur contention that the great weight of the evidence is in favor of the defendant that the statutory signals were given at or near the defendant’s station. See the names of the witnesses who testified to the giving of the signals, ten in all, I think, who testified positively that the statutory signals were given at or near the depot. If the court reaches the conclusion, that the testimony of the plaintiff and his witnesses was sufficient to carry the case to the jury, still, we insist on this record that the testimony is overwhelmingly in favor of the defendant that the statutory signals were properly given at or near the defendant’s station.”

Counsel discusses at length the testimony as to the location of the car on the siding which is said to have obstructed the view of the occupants of the automobile. We again quote from the brief:

[334]*334“As to the location of this car at the time of the collision, I submit with the greatest confidence that on this record this court must reach the conclusion that the testimony of the defendant overwhelmingly outweighs the testimony offered on the part of the plaintiff, and some besides. This question was not and could not have been considered in the Ida Nichols Case, because there was no proof in that record in relation to how cars were placed upon and taken off the mill track. * * *
“In the trial of this Ida Nichols Case, I did not suppose the box car standing on the mill track would be considered, except as an obstruction to one about to cross the railroad tracks, the same as though it had been a permanent structure. I thought this case controlled by the Sanford Case [190 Mich. 390]. I thought the only question that would be considered by this court would be, Was the driver of the automobile guilty of negligence in driving 18 or 19 feet with a clear view to the east after passing the box car where he could see an approaching engine for 1,000 feet? Not until after the decision in the Ida Nichols Case was handed down, did I suppose this court would hold that the driver of the automobile was or might be in danger of the box car backing up, if he had stopped his automobile while passing over the mill or sidetrack.
» “To overcome this inference, on this trial, we have made full and complete proofs, showing that all cars placed upon this mill track had to be put in from the west end, and that all cars that were taken off this mill track, the engine would go in on the west end of the mill track and remove loaded or empty cars from this mill track. With these full and complete proofs in this record and no such proofs in the Ida Nichols Case having been made, we claim that this case should be disposed of on this record, and not controlled in any way by the Ida Nichols Case. The proofs in this case demonstrate to a certainty, that the driver of 'the automobile was in no way in danger from the car that was standing upon the mill track backing up.”

This argument overlooks the fact that there is nothing in the record to show that the driver of the car [335]*335knew that the siding did not connect with the main track at each end of the siding.

Counsel discusses at great length the testimony as to the location of the tracks, the obstructions to the view and the opportunities of the driver of jhe automobile to see an approaching train. We again quote from the brief:

“On my oral argument, I called the court’s attention to the testimony of the ne,w witness, Day, who was produced for the purpose of corroborating the testimony of the plaintiff that the statutory signals were not given and the crossing bells were not rung just before the collision took place.

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

Related

Daleiden v. Stevens
209 N.W. 94 (Michigan Supreme Court, 1926)
Uithoven v. Snyder
182 N.W. 80 (Michigan Supreme Court, 1921)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
176 N.W. 419, 209 Mich. 331, 1920 Mich. LEXIS 612, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/nichols-v-grand-trunk-western-railway-co-mich-1920.