Owensboro City Railroad v. Louisville, Henderson & St. Louis Railway Co.

178 S.W. 1043, 165 Ky. 683, 1915 Ky. LEXIS 592
CourtCourt of Appeals of Kentucky
DecidedSeptember 23, 1915
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 178 S.W. 1043 (Owensboro City Railroad v. Louisville, Henderson & St. Louis Railway Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Kentucky primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Owensboro City Railroad v. Louisville, Henderson & St. Louis Railway Co., 178 S.W. 1043, 165 Ky. 683, 1915 Ky. LEXIS 592 (Ky. Ct. App. 1915).

Opinion

Opinion op the Court by

Judge Nunn.

Reversing..

The appellant will be referred to as the street car company, and the appellee as the railroad.

One Haden was severely injured through the joint- and concurring negligence of the street car company and. the railroad. He sued them jointly and recovered against-each. ■

The jury awarded $500 against the street car company and $1,500 against the railroad.

On appeal to this court the judgment as to each was-affirmed' and the instructions approved. Owensboro Street Railway Co. v. Haden, 155 Ky., 283; 159 S. W., 792.

Including penalty, interest, and cost, the railroad was compelled to pay $1,877.58 on account of this accident. The railroad then brought suit against the street car company to recover that sum as damages for alleged breach of contract. The street car company answered in several paragraphs, and also set up a counter-claim in damages for the expense it had been put to by reason of the accident. The circuit court sustained demurrer to the answer and counter-claim. The street car company, declined to plead further and the circuit court rendered judgment against it for $1,877.58, the amount paid out by the railroad, conceiving that to be the measure of damages. From this judgment the street car company appeals and contends that, (1) The contract was without consideration. (2) There can be no contribution between joint tort feasors.

For a better understanding of the questions it will be necessary to relate more details of the accident and the other trial.

The appellant, street car company, owns and operates a street railway in the city of .Owensboro. The appellee owns and operates a line of railroad which runs from Evansville, through Owensboro, to Louisville. In 1910, the street car company decided to extend one of its lines in Owensboro out West 9th Street, crossing the railroad track near the western limit of the city. The Constitution of Kentucky, Section 216, required the railroad to [685]*685allow such ■ crossing at a reasonable or feasible point. Since both companies operated cars and trains as common carriers it was evident, of course, that the crossing would devolve many new'duties and responsibilities upon each. Instead, however, of litigating to determine their relative duties they agreed upon them, and entered into-a written contract. This contract, among other things-, provided that a crossing be constructed at the place designated, and that it be kept in repair by the railroad, • but wholly at the expense of the street car company.

It was further stipulated that the railroad “shall,at all times be the sole judge of the condition of said crossing and shall determine when or whether or not it is to-be renewed or repaired. ’ ’

. The clause with reference to the trolley wire is more material to the issue, and is as follows:

‘ ‘ The trolley wire or wires of the said street car company over the track of said railroad company at said crossing shall be at all times not less than twenty-two-(22) feet above the top of the rails of said railroad company, and such wires, and all poles, arms, supporting wires, wire connections, etc., used at or near such crossing shall be so constructed and maintained by the said street car company, its successors and assigns* as that they shall in no manner interfere with the movement of any locomotive, engine, train, or car of any kind, or endanger the life or safety of any person on such locomotive, train or cars, whether in the employ of said railroad company or not, and no such pole, poles, brace, braces, guy wire or other wire, or any other portion of the over-head construction of said street car company shall be constructed or maintained nearer than fifteen (15) feet to the center line of said railroad company’s track at said crossing, and if the' said street car company shall fail or refuse when called upon by said railroad company, or by any one authorized to call upon it, to properly maintain or place any such wires, poles, braces, or other things in the manner above set out, and in such? way as said railroad company may from time to time-deem necessary and proper to guard said crossing and! the safety and lives of its employes and others, then and' in such event the said railroad company may proceed to remove such poles, wires, and appliances and the materials therein, or said railroad company, or its successors, and assigns, may at its option make such repairs or changes in or repairs on such-wires, poles, or appliances; [686]*686as- it considers necessary and proper, charging the cost thereof to said street car company, which shall pay for same on demand. ”

At noon on the 27th of June, 1912, a railroad work train passed the crossing and a derrick on one of the cars came in contact with the overhead trolley wire and broke it. One end of the live wire fell on Haden, who was standing in the street near the crossing. Haden sued and recovered for the injury thus inflicted. Each party to this action, whose joint and concurrent negligence the jury believed caused the injury, is now seeking to have the court charge the whole expense to the other, notwithstanding the apportionment made by the jury.

About nine hours previous to the accident, that is about 3 o’clock in the morning, another railroad work train passed the crossing. In this train there was a derrick car also. The derrick consisted of a perpendicular mast standing 18 feet above the track, and braced by a boom fastened to the mast at the top, and slanting about 45 degrees to a fastening on the floor at the other end of the car. This 18-foot mast interfered with the trolley wire, but did not break it. Considerable damage was done, however, to the trolley poles and guy wire. At 7 o’clock that morning the work train, which later caused the accident, passed the crossing while going out of the ■city. This train had a derrick car with a mast 19% feet .above the track, and a boom pole, 28 feet long, anchored to the top of the mast and to the floor at the opposite end of the car. This boom sloped at a 45-degree angle. In going out of the city that morning the sloping boom lifted the wire over the mast without breaking it. When the train returned at noon the wire, which was still swinging low, came first in contact with the perpendicular mast and was broken, injuring Haden, as above stated.

As to the street car company, Haden alleged that it ; negligently allowed this trolley wire to swing so near the ¡ tracks as to render it unsafe and dangerous; as to the/ railroad, he alleged that it negligently' ran its train-against the live trolley wire and broke it, when its servants knew that it was sagged low and in a dangerous position, or when they could have known it by the exercise of ordinary care.

The instructions directed the jury to find against the street car company if they believed it negligently suffered the trolley wire to sag down and come closer to the track than 22 feet, or find against the railroad if they believed [687]*687it so negligently operated its trains as to strike and break tbe trolley wire when tbe wire was 22 feet or more above tbe track. Or if they believed the wire was banging closer to tbe track than 22 feet, and low enough to comé in contact with tbe derrick, and tbe servants of tbe railroad knew this fact, or in tbe exercise of ordinary care could have known it in time to stop tbe train and avoid breaking tbe wire, then they should find against tbe railroad alone.

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

Related

Louisville Transit Co. v. Louisville & N. R. Co.
253 S.W.2d 240 (Court of Appeals of Kentucky, 1952)
Brown Hotel Co. v. Pittsburgh Fuel Co.
224 S.W.2d 165 (Court of Appeals of Kentucky (pre-1976), 1949)
Louisville Railway Co. v. Louisville Taxicab & Transfer Co.
77 S.W.2d 36 (Court of Appeals of Kentucky (pre-1976), 1934)
Aetna Life Insurance Company v. Roper
50 S.W.2d 8 (Court of Appeals of Kentucky (pre-1976), 1932)
Royan Indemnity Co. v. Becker
173 N.E. 194 (Ohio Supreme Court, 1930)
United States Casualty Co. v. Cincinnati, New Orleans & Texas Pacific Railway Co.
291 S.W. 709 (Court of Appeals of Kentucky (pre-1976), 1927)
Middlesboro Home Telephone Co. v. Louisville & Nashville Railroad
284 S.W. 104 (Court of Appeals of Kentucky (pre-1976), 1926)
Colorado & Southern Railway Co. v. Western Light & Power Co.
214 P. 30 (Supreme Court of Colorado, 1923)
Illinois Central Railroad v. Louisville Bridge Co.
188 S.W. 476 (Court of Appeals of Kentucky, 1916)
Cumberland Telephone & Telegraph Co. v. Mayfield Water & Light Co.
179 S.W. 388 (Court of Appeals of Kentucky, 1915)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
178 S.W. 1043, 165 Ky. 683, 1915 Ky. LEXIS 592, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/owensboro-city-railroad-v-louisville-henderson-st-louis-railway-co-kyctapp-1915.