Perez v. Baltimore and Ohio R. Co.

164 N.E.2d 209, 24 Ill. App. 2d 204
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedFebruary 24, 1960
DocketGen. 47,749
StatusPublished
Cited by51 cases

This text of 164 N.E.2d 209 (Perez v. Baltimore and Ohio R. Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Court of Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Perez v. Baltimore and Ohio R. Co., 164 N.E.2d 209, 24 Ill. App. 2d 204 (Ill. Ct. App. 1960).

Opinion

PRESIDING- JUSTICE DEMPSEY

delivered the opinion of the court.

A verdict of not guilty was returned in this personal injury suit, which charged that the defendants failed to provide the plaintiff with reasonably safe tools and with a reasonably safe place to work. The plaintiff complains of the admission of improper evidence, of the giving of erroneous instructions and of the prejudicial misconduct of the defendants’ attorney.

The plaintiff was employed as a laborer. On February 27, 1956, he was a member of a five-man section crew engaged in tightening track bolts with wrenches furnished by the defendants. He testified that his wrench, which he had used all morning, was worn at its mouth and that he had reported this condition to his foreman at some previous time. He said that as he was working in the early afternoon, his wrench slipped from a bolt, causing him to lose his balance and, because of snow and ice on the ground, he fell and struck his head on a rail. He said he was knocked unconscious and did not come to until he was in a hospital. The defendants claim that he fell because of the spontaneous bursting of a congenital aneurysm at the base of his brain.

Perez was in the hospital for 26 days. During this period, and afterwards, he was examined by several doctors. All who testified agreed that his illness came from the rupture of an aneurysm, which was defined as a bulge or pouch in the wall of an artery. The question before the jury on this subject was whether the rupture occurred before Perez fell or whether it resulted from an injury to his head caused by this fall.

One specialist said it was possible the rupture could have been caused by a fall with trauma. However, he had previously stated that in his opinion the plaintiff had “a spontaneous hemorrhage and as a result, he fell.” Two other specialists testified they had never known of an aneurysm rupturing due to trauma. In relating the history of his case to these two doctors Perez had said that at the time he was tightening a nnt he felt a pain at the hack of his head, lost his vision, tried to talk bnt conld not, passed ont and, after regaining consciousness, was taken to the hospital.

Of the four members of the section crew only one saw the plaintiff fall. This witness said that he was facing Perez from about 25 feet away, saw him stumbling, and that he staggered sideways for about 15 feet. This man went to his aid but did not reach him before he fell backwards. Two members of the crew testified that Perez was conscious after he fell. One asked him what happened and he replied, “I got dizzy.”

Two of his fellow workmen accompanied him to the hospital. In the emergency room one asked him what had occurred and Perez replied that he had felt a pain in the back of his head, his eyes blurred and he was shaky and after that “he couldn’t tell what happened.” This man talked to him the following day and again asked him what had happened. Perez answered that he had felt a pain and “then something like ticklish in the back” and that he just fell and passed out.

When he first entered the hospital he told the examining intern that he was there because he felt dizzy with a headache while he was working. A physical examination was made at that time by the intern and later by his family physician, who attended him daily. There were no swellings, black and blue marks, lacerations or abrasions on his head or neck.

This is a case under the Federal Employers’ Liability Act and, since a review of the record discloses a substantial evidentiary basis for the verdict, we turn to the consideration of the errors which the plaintiff contends deprived him of a fair trial. Pennell v. Baltimore & O. R. Co., 13 Ill.App.2d 433; Bowman v. Illinois Cent. R. Co., 11 Ill.2d 186. In doing so we are immediately confronted with the assignment of numerous errors which were not mentioned in the plaintiff’s post-trial motion. Other errors were specified therein. "When a written post-trial motion is filed and errors are specified in it, it is the rule that those not included in the motion are regarded as waived upon appeal. School Trustees v. Batchelder, 7 Ill.2d 178.

In reference to his assertion that the trial court erred in admitting improper evidence, the plaintiff contends that paragraph 6 of his post-trial motion covers all errors of evidence raised on appeal. This paragraph is as follows: “6. The Court erred in admitting improper evidence offered by the defendant at the trial of said cause over the objection of the plaintiff.” The Civil Practice Act (68.1(2), ch. 110, Ill. Rev. Stat. 1959) states: “The post-trial motion must contain the points relied upon, particularly specifying the grounds in support thereof . . .” Paragraph 6 of the motion is a “point relied upon” but it satisfies only one requirement of the statute. The paragraph is general. It does not meet the further requirement of “particularly specifying the grounds in support thereof.” The word “particularly” is opposed to generality. The word “specifying” means to define in detail. Either one of these' words would suffice to show what is needed. The combination of both of them emphasizes the necessity of itemizing the grounds supporting the points advanced in a post-trial motion. A trial judge should have an opportunity to appraise the errors which are asserted to have taken place. It is unfair to charge him with errors in a reviewing court without having brought them to his attention so that a new trial could have been granted if he found it advisable. Illinois Cent. R. Co. v. Johnson, 191 Ill. 594; Pajak v. Mamsch, 338 Ill. App. 337. We will, therefore, consider only the errors which were particularly specified in the post-trial motion.

One of these pertains to the intern who examined Perez when he entered the hospital. We have related Ms testimony. An objection was made to Ms testifying on tbe ground tbat bis name had not been listed in tbe answer to an interrogatory asHng tbe defendants to “State tbe names and addresses of eacb doctor or nurse wbo examined tbe plaintiff . . . tbe dates of tbe examinations . . . tbe dates of their reports to tbe defendant, tbe findings of eacb doctor . . . and whether or not said doctors and nurses were or are in tbe employ of tbe defendant.” Tbe answer was — -“Numerous doctors, interns and nurses examined tbe plaintiff at St. Francis Hospital during tbe month be was there following tbe incident of February 27, 1956. 'None of these doctors, interns or nurses made any report to tbe defendant and none of them are in tbe employment of tbe defendant.” Tbe answer then gave detailed information about three other doctors wbo bad made examinations and wbo bad reported to tbe defendants.

This answer indicates tbat tbe defendants assumed tbe interrogatory was directed to those doctors wbo bad made reports to them. Under this reasonable interpretation tbe interrogatory was answered fully and candidly. There was no attempt to conceal tbe name of anyone. Tbe intern was not a witness peculiarly within tbe knowledge of tbe defendants. His name, tbe history be obtained from tbe plaintiff and tbe observations be made of him, were in tbe medical record of tbe hospital, which bad been produced in court by tbe plaintiff’s first witness. Tbe plaintiff’s attorney could not have been taken by surprise. The trial court ruled correctly in permitting tbe witness to testify.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
164 N.E.2d 209, 24 Ill. App. 2d 204, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/perez-v-baltimore-and-ohio-r-co-illappct-1960.