Ohio & Mississippi R. W. Co. v. Dickerson

59 Ind. 317
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedNovember 15, 1877
StatusPublished
Cited by38 cases

This text of 59 Ind. 317 (Ohio & Mississippi R. W. Co. v. Dickerson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Ohio & Mississippi R. W. Co. v. Dickerson, 59 Ind. 317 (Ind. 1877).

Opinion

Biddle, C. J.

— Complaint in three paragraphs by the appellee, against the appellant, as a common carrier of passengers.

The first paragraph alleges negligence in running the train; the second, that the road was unsafe; and the third, negligence and unsafeness of the road also; whereby the appellee, who was a passenger, was injured.

No question is made upon the complaint.

Answer, general denial; trial by jury; verdict and judgment for the appellee.

Without more particularly stating the proceedings, it is sufficient to say that the following questions are presented by the record and discussed by the parties:

1. The fii’st assignment of error is, overruling a motion for a continuance of the cause, on account of the absence of a witness.

The affidavit upon which the motion was founded is too long to set forth in full, but we think it is defective in some necessary particulars. Assuming that the affidavit is sufficient in other respects, we do not think it shows any reasonable probability that the witness could have been obtained by the next term of the court, or indeed by any certain time, if ever. The statement is as follows :

That the witness, “ without informing any of the officers of the defendant of his intention to quit the defendant’s service, in time to enable the defendant to serve notice upon the plaintiff and take his deposition, to be used on the trial of this cause, suddenly and without any cause whatever left the service of the defendant, merely informing the section foreman, in whose gang he was at the time employed, about two hours before he left, that he intended to go away on the next train, and that he was going to some place in the vicinity of the city of New York” (but did not mention the name of the place), “and that as soon as he arrived at his destination he would inform his said section foreman of the place, in order that Ms deposition might be taken in this cause; but, as [319]*319affiant is informed, up to the present time, no communication has been received from the said Gaiavan, and for these reasons affiant is unable to state where the said Gaiavan now is. Affiant further says, that, immediately upon hearing that said Gaiavan had left the service of the defendant, he caused inquiry to be made among all the friends and acquaintances of the said Gaiavan, with a view of learning where he went to, and has continued such enquiries to this time: but, so far as affiant has learned, none of said Galavan’s friends or acquaintances know where he went, nor where he now is. Affiaut further says, that he believes the testimony of said Gala-van can be procured by the next term of this court, if this cause is continued.”

Laying aside the objections which might be made to this affidavit on account of its loose and general statements, without date as to when the witness went, and when enquiries were instituted to find him, that the court might judge whether due diligence had been used or not, and the statement that the friends and acquaintances of the witness did not know where he went, nor where he was, instead of stating directly that neither the affiant nor the appellant knew where he went and where he was at the time of making the application for a continuance, the affidavit means no more than that the witness was absent at some unknown place, with no means of ascertaining where he was, except his voluntary act in notifying the appellant, which he might never do. This is not sufficient; nor is it sufficient that the affiant states that he believes the testimony of the witness can be procured by the next term of the court, when the facts stated do not reasonably warrant such a belief. The absence of the witness may be the misfortune, without the fault, of the appellant; but, if so, the misfortune can not be cast upon the appellee, and thereby delay his right to a trial. The court did not err in overruling the motion for a continuance.

[320]*3202. Upon the request of the appellant, the court refused to give the following instruction to the jury:

“ If the jury believe, from the evidence, that the defendant and its employees, at and before the time the plaintiff sustained the injuries of which he complains, in and about the condition of its railroad, track, ties and rails, and the soundness and proper repairs thereof at the place of the accident and the injury complained of, did exercise the highest degree of care and skill which prudent, careful 'and competent men engaged in such business use under similar circumstances, it is the duty of the jury to find for the defendant.”

In view of the instructions given by the court to the jury, which we shall hereafter notice in this opinion, we think this instruction was properly refused.

3. The court refused to give the following instruction to the j ury:

“If the jury find for the plaintiff, they will find compensatory damages only, which means the fair and reasonable expenses of his cure, and the value of his time lost; and the burden of proof is upon the plaintiff to establish by evidence the extent and amount of such damages.”

This instruction was properly refused. Compensatory damages include reasonable compensation for the bodily pain and suffering necessarily attending the injury complained of; this the instruction ignores. Upon this point the appellant cites the following cases, but we do not think they sustain its views: Kentucky Central R. R. Co. v. Dills, 4 Bush, 593; Seymour v. Chicago, Burlington and Quincy R. W. Co., 3 Bissell, 43; Kennedy v. North Missouri R. R. Co., 36 Mo. 351; Stoneseifer v. Sheble, 31, Mo. 243; New Orleans, Jackson and Great Northern R. R. Co. v. Statham, 42 Miss. 607. The appellant also cites the case of The Pennsylvania R. R. Co. v. Books, 57 Pa. State, 339, which, as it seems to us, supports the [321]*321views of the court below. See, also, the case of Wright v. Compton, 53 Ind. 337.

The court, of its own motion, instructed the jury as follows :

“ The company is not an insurer of the absolute safety of the passenger, as it is of goods which it undertakes to carry. It does, however, in legal contemplation, undertake to exercise the highest degree of care to secure the safety of the passenger, and is responsible for the slightest neglect resulting in injury to the passenger; and this care applies alike to the safe and proper construction and equipment of the road, the employment of skilful and prudent operatives, and the faithful performance by them of their respective duties. On the other hand, the law exacts of the passenger, that, while travelling on the train, he exercise ordinary care and caution, to avoid the injuries incident to that mode of travel. In legal contemplation, he expects to take, and does take upon himself the hazards of such danger as may occur to him without any want of care or diligence on the part of the company and its operatives. A railroad company is under no legal obligation to transport passengers on its freight trains. The company confines its carriage of passengers to regular passenger trains, and its cai’riage of goods to its freight trains.

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

Related

Texas Power & Light Company v. Jacobs
323 S.W.2d 483 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1959)
Herrick v. Sayler
160 F. Supp. 25 (N.D. Indiana, 1958)
Minninger, Admx. v. NY Central Railroad
109 N.E.2d 104 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1952)
Snyder v. Pennsylvania General Transit Co.
17 Pa. D. & C. 163 (Northumberland County Court of Common Pleas, 1931)
Cunnien v. Superior Iron Works Co.
184 N.W. 767 (Wisconsin Supreme Court, 1921)
Miller v. City of Eldon
185 Iowa 307 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1919)
Pointer v. Mountain Railway Construction Co.
189 S.W. 805 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1916)
Webb v. Southern Ry. Co.
235 F. 578 (S.D. Alabama, 1916)
Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis Railway Co. v. Bir
105 N.E. 921 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1914)
Wells v. Minneapolis Baseball & Athletic Ass'n
142 N.W. 706 (Supreme Court of Minnesota, 1913)
Indianapolis Southern Railroad v. Tucker
98 N.E. 431 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1912)
St. Louis S. F. R. Co. v. Cox
1910 OK 158 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1910)
Houston & Texas Central Railroad v. Gerald
128 S.W. 166 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1910)
St. Louis & S. F. Ry. Co. v. Gosnell
1909 OK 130 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1909)
Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway Co. v. Ralston
93 P. 592 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 1908)
Indianapolis & Eastern Railway Co. v. Bennett
79 N.E. 389 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1906)
Southern Railway Co. v. Cunningham
50 S.E. 979 (Supreme Court of Georgia, 1905)
Pennsylvania Co. v. Coyer
72 N.E. 875 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1904)
Southern Railway Co. v. Burgess
143 Ala. 364 (Supreme Court of Alabama, 1904)
Nashville, Chattanooga & Saint Louis Railway Co. v. Miller
47 S.E. 959 (Supreme Court of Georgia, 1904)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
59 Ind. 317, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ohio-mississippi-r-w-co-v-dickerson-ind-1877.