Pecos & N. T. Ry. Co. v. Suitor

153 S.W. 185, 1913 Tex. App. LEXIS 79
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJanuary 4, 1913
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 153 S.W. 185 (Pecos & N. T. Ry. Co. v. Suitor) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Pecos & N. T. Ry. Co. v. Suitor, 153 S.W. 185, 1913 Tex. App. LEXIS 79 (Tex. Ct. App. 1913).

Opinion

HUFF, C. J.

The appellees Mrs. Laura Suitor and Hunter Suitor, in their own right, and Laura Suitor as next friend for Myrtle, Nora, Ruby, Johnnie, .and Mallory Suitor, minors, as surviving wife and children of J. J. Suitor, brought suit in the district court of Potter county against the appellant, the Pecos & Northern Texas Railway Company, and the Southern Kansas Railway 'Company ■of Texas for damages alleged to have been sustained as a result of the negligence of the defendants’ employés in charge of a switch engine running over and killing J. J.' Suitor, who at the time was acting in the capacity ■of flagman at the Tenth street crossing in Amarillo, Tex. A trial resulted in a verdict for the appellees in the sum of $15,000 against the Pecos & Northern Texas Railway Company. A verdict was rendered in favor of the Southern Kansas Railway Company of Texas, and that -Hunter Suitor take nothing by his suit.

Appellees, for cause of action, among other things, aver that “those operating said engine and tender last aforesaid negligently failed to keep a lookout for the said J. J. Suitor, although they knew, or would have known in the exercise of ordinary care, that he was on said track, and he did not know that said engine and tender were backing towards him.” And further alleged; “The defendants’ said servants operating said engine and tender running down and killing the said J. J. Suitor were negligent in failing to discover the said J. J. Suitor on said track in time to have avoided running him down, which they could and would have done in the exercise of ordinary care; and such servants were then and there negligent in failing to ring the bell, in failing to blow the whistle, in failing to notify the' said J. J. Suitor in any other way of the coming and proximity of said engine and tender; and they were also negligent in failing to keep a lookout, and in failing to discover the said J. J. Suitor in time to avoid running him down; and after the said servants did start to knock him down, and he caught on to said engine, and they dragged him about 100 feet before they seriously injured him, they were negligent in failing to discover his peril and stop said engine after they had knocked him down and before they killed him, which injury and killing could have been avoided by defendants by the ex-, ercise of ordinary care, which care they failed to exercise, and which was the proximate cause of said injury; that after the defendants stopped said tender and engine said Suitor was next to and south of the wheel of the tender, and this the said servants knew, and they were negligent in running the said tender south onto said Suitor and killing him; that each and every act of said negligence, separately, was the proximate cause of the death of said J. J. Suitor, and all of said negligent acts taken together were the proximate cause of said death and injury.”

There were several other grounds of alleged negligence in the petition, which were not submitted to the jury by the trial court. The trial court submitted only the issue as to whether or not the employés of appellant in charge of the engine were negligent in failing to discover the position of Suitor upon the track in time to prevent the accident and injuries, and whether such negligence, if any, was the proximate cause of the injury and death of Suitor.

[1, 2] The deceased, J. J. Suitor, for whose death damages are claimed by appellees, was employed by the appellant as flagman at the Tenth street crossing in the city of Amarillo, over the railway track of appellant, at which point and on the south line of the street and west of the main passenger track the flagman had his shanty. It is shown to have been his duty to remain at said crossing and warn the traffic crossing on that street of danger, and to notify them when and when not to cross the railway. At the time of his death he was so engaged. At that time there were two switching crews at and near the crossing, known as the Tenth street crew and the Twentieth street crew. The Tenth street crew then had in charge a string of cars on what was known as the main freight track, some eight or ten feet east of the main passenger track, upon which Suitor was killed. This train or string of cars was across and obstructed the Tenth street crossing and at the time prevented passage on the street *187 over the railway tracks. Tenth street ran east and west over and across the railway tracks of appellant. The direction of the railway at that point was practically north and south. Suitor was killed on the main passenger track, which was next to the shanty or station and on what is called the west track, by the switch engine and tender in charge of the Twentieth street crew. This engine and tender had gone north of Tenth street near the depot (the distance is not shown) for water. The engine was headed north. Its place of work was at Twentieth street, some distance south of Tenth street. After getting water it started back south towards the station, traveling on the main passenger track, which ran next to Suitor’s station at the south line of Tenth street. In returning it backed onto and across Tenth street. In going south the tender or water tank was in front. At the back or end of the water tank there was a foot-board, upon which the switchmen or members of the crew could stand. The engine was equipped with a headlight, both in front and at the rear. At the crossing near Suitor’s station there were street lights; the size or power of the lights, or just where placed, the evidence does not designate. Suitor was struck and run down by the switch engine as it was backing to the station somewhere near Suitor’s place and injured, from which injuries he died in a few minutes. It was somewhere near 11:55 o’clock p., m. on the 8th day of April, 1911, when Suitor was struck. At that time there was an auto standing in Tenth street just west of the track, near Suitor’s station, waiting for the street to be cleared in order to pass over. A. Molyneaux was in this auto at the time the engine struck Suitor. The above are substantially all uncontroverted facts, but most every other fact is in conflict.

A. Molyneaux testified he was on Tenth street at the railway line, waiting for a train to pass so he could get across the track. When he first noticed the engine and tender which killed Suitor, it was north of the crossing, backing down south. When it got to the crossing, it kept going and did not stop. It was making no more noise than an engine would ordinarily make when in motion. It was his recollection that the bell was not ringing or the whistle blowing. He stated the first he noticed was three lanterns to the southeast of him on the track. He said these three men jumped on the footboard and disappeared, and at the time they did so he heard an outcry, and at the same time the engine came to a stop. He could not say how far the engine ran after he heard the cry. The cry was south of where the road crosses the track. He went to Suitor after the engine stopped, and assisted in carrying him to the flagman’s house. When he got to him, Suitor was on the track and south of the flagman’s house. This witness, on cross-examination, testified that the engine was’ going at a pretty good gait while backing across the street and did not slow down; that he did not hear any whistle blown or notice the bell ringing; and that he was reasonably certain that no bell was rung or whistle blown. He noticed three lanterns together, and did not notice any fourth man with lantern. When three men got on the footboard, they were south of the roadway, standing on the track.

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Bluebook (online)
153 S.W. 185, 1913 Tex. App. LEXIS 79, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/pecos-n-t-ry-co-v-suitor-texapp-1913.