Oklahoma Union Railway Co. v. Hainey

1923 OK 1164, 222 P. 243, 96 Okla. 217, 1923 Okla. LEXIS 268
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedDecember 18, 1923
Docket14395
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 1923 OK 1164 (Oklahoma Union Railway Co. v. Hainey) 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
Oklahoma Union Railway Co. v. Hainey, 1923 OK 1164, 222 P. 243, 96 Okla. 217, 1923 Okla. LEXIS 268 (Okla. 1923).

Opinion

McNEILL, J.

This action was commenced in the district court of Tulsa county by Virginia Hainey against the ’ Oklahoma Union Railway Company to recover damages for personal injuries resulting from being struck by a car of the company. It was alleged *218 the ear was running at approximately 25 miles per hour, and plaintiff was standing at the station of Parenthia for the purpose of boarding a car, and the motorman operating the car waived his hand for plaintiff to cross the track in front of said car, and the plaintiff, believing the motorman knew the speed of his car and believing he had the same under control, attempted to cross defendant’s track as directed by the motorman, and while crossing said traok was struck by said car. It is alleged the dom-pany was negligent in the motorman motioning said plaintiff to cross said track and in failing to have control of the car.

To this petition, the defendant answered by general denial and alleging contributory negligence, and a further plea that plaintiff and defendant had compromised and settled said claim. Defendant filed a reply denying she was guilty of contributory negligence, and pleaded the contract of settlement was obtained by duress and fraud, and her signature was obtained while she was irrational and at a time her mental condition was such she did not realize it was a settlement. The case was tried to a jury, and a verdict returned in favor of plaintiff in the sum of $3,000. From said judgment, the defendant has appealed.

The plaintiff, to substantiate her cause of action, testified, in substance, that she lived in Tulsa, and on the 14th day of September, 1919, boarded the interurban at Tulsa for Parenthia, a station between Tulsa and Sapulpa, arriving there about 11 o'clock. She visited in the neighborhood, and returned to Parenthia about 1:30 to take a car to Tulsa. That she had been standing near the track about ten minutes waiting for a car, when she saw a car approach. The motorman and another party whom she recognized were standing in the vestibule near the center of the car laughing, and when the car was about 50 feet from her, the motorman looked straight at her, and raised his right hand and motioned the plaintiff to cross the track. The plaintiff started across the track, and before she reached the opposite side was struck by the car. That the man talking to the motorman was an electrician, by the name of Kin-slow, who had done some work on her house. He was not an employe of the company, but was standing close to and a little back of the motorman. She testified upon cross-examination there were two people in the vestibule where the motorman was, the motorman and the electrician, and the motorman motioned with his left hand. Paren-thia is a stop station. There is a box car used as a “bunk”' car, which according to other witnesses was 24 feet from the track or platform. In front of the box car is a seat with an awning for passengers. To the southwest .of the box car is a substation and power house, the north end of which is almost south of the “bunk” car, but several feet farther west and closer to the track. It is 16 feet from the center of the track upon which this box car used as a substation is situated to the center of the main track. There is a small platform for the use of passengers that is four feet wide and eight feet long next to the rails.

The motorman testified, in substance, that he had blown the whistle before coming to the station, and was running about 25 or 30 miles per hour, and when he first saw plaintiff she was running toward the track and about eight feet from the track; that he did not motion her to cross, and there was no occasion for him to do so, because she was on the right side of the track; that he was in the front right-hand corner of the car in the cab that was used for motormen. He was nor talking to any one. This was a flag station, and cars did not stop at the station unless they were flagged. He was approximately 30 feet from where the plaintiff crossed the track before he saw her, and he thought she was going to stop, and when he .was about 15 feet from her, he noticed she was not going to stop, but was attempting to cross the track. When he first saw her, he gave the car the straight air to make a regular stop, and when he saw her going across the traok he threw the car into emergency; that he ran 130 feet before he stopped, after striking her.

Mr. Kinslow, referred to as the electrician, testified for the defendant that he knew plaintiff and was riding in the front vestibule of the car, and standing in the door tc> the cab to the left of the motorman. He testified he had not been talking to the motorman; that when he first saw the plaintiff she was running, and was six or eight feet from the track. That she was perhaps 12 feet from the car when she started to cross the track. He testified that he did not see the motorman motion or signal the plaintiff to cross the track. Witness on cross-examination testified that he noticed the young lady come from behind the station building and proceed toward the traok.

Mr. Brown, a witness for defendant, testified that he was on the interurban, in the front end of the car, an.d three or four feet west of the motorman, sitting on a trunk, The motorman was in the northeast corner of the car and he was in the northwest corner and the car was 35 or 40 feet from the station when he saw the plaintiff about four or five feet from the track *219 waiting toward the track: lie thought she was going to stop, and she went up* there and hesitated a minute, and started across the track. The car was only about 15 feet from her when she started to step on the track. On cross-examination he stated she was not over 30 feet from the car when he first saw her, and the plaintiff had not reached the platform.

Mr. Tedford, who was substation operator at the station, testified that plaintiff had been sitting in front of the substation. He saw plaintiff jump up and go out toward the track, and instead of stopping at the platform, she ran across in front of the ear; that he could not see where the car was when she started across the track.

Mr. Dufford testified that he was on the rear of the interurban; he was looking out of the door, and he saw the plaintiff run toward the track; she seemed to hesitate for a second, then went on across the track. He stated he saw the woman come from behind the substation: that she was running all the time she was within his view: he did not see her walk any.

Mr. Fowlston testified that he was on the rear end of the car; he saw the plaintiff coming out from behind the box car substation running. He was about 100 feet 'from the plaintiff when he first saw her.

For reversal, it is first contended the evidence is insufficient to go to the jury upon the question of defendant’s negligence, and wholly fails to support the verdict of the jury. The plaintiff in error contends that the testimony of the plaintiff herself is so unreasonable and inconsistent and so opposed by the undisputed circumstances and evidence as to be unworthy of credit and justifying the court to direct a verdict or to vacate the verdict based upon said evidence. Plaintiff' in error asserts that a mathematical calculation discloses that a car going 25 miles per hour will travel 36 feet in a second, and when traveling at the rate of 30 miles per hour will travel 44 feet per second.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1923 OK 1164, 222 P. 243, 96 Okla. 217, 1923 Okla. LEXIS 268, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/oklahoma-union-railway-co-v-hainey-okla-1923.