Pointer v. Mountain Railway Construction Co.

189 S.W. 805, 269 Mo. 104, 1916 Mo. LEXIS 116
CourtSupreme Court of Missouri
DecidedDecember 4, 1916
StatusPublished
Cited by46 cases

This text of 189 S.W. 805 (Pointer v. Mountain Railway Construction Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Missouri primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Pointer v. Mountain Railway Construction Co., 189 S.W. 805, 269 Mo. 104, 1916 Mo. LEXIS 116 (Mo. 1916).

Opinions

GRAVES, C. J.

Action for personal injuries. The sum first claimed was .$50,000, but about the conclusion of the trial nisi, a gracious amendment of the petition reduced the sum to $25,000. Plaintiff was a metal polisher in the city of St. Louis, earning, when at work, four dollars per day, the amount to which the union of which he was a member limited the earnings of their members. Country-bred, he had not at the date of the accident been fully initiated in all the amusements of a great city [109]*109although he had lived there for a considerable time. His chum, Arthur Boardman, was of city origin, but not fully acquainted with some of the devices for entertaining a metropolitan public. At least they both disclaimed knowledge of the operation of a certain scenic railway called “The Racer Dip,” and in the petition alleged to have been operated at Forest Park Highlands by the Park Circuit & Realty Company and the Mountain Railway Construction Company. So close was the relationship of the two that we find the following from Board-man in the course of his testimony:

“Q. What interest have you in this case that you continually, when I ask you one question, put in something at the tail end that nobody asks you for? A. Well, this is a friend of mine, and we had it made up to stick together, and I am going to stick to the finish.”

On a Sunday evening early in May, 1910, these two friends, after partaking of a couple of bottles of beer each (according to Boardman), which beer was obtained from a negro bootlegger in the vicinity of plaintiff’s home, repaired to plaintiff’s home, where they had supper. After supper they visited Delinar Garden for a short time and then wended their way to Forest Park Highlands, and whilst there were attracted to the scenic railway or “Racer Dips.” The cars and tracks of this miniature railway were in plain view and could have been seen had they looked. The evidence shows, though not from these two parties, that the cars and most of the tracks were in open view for a person standing at the platform from which the trains started. The evidence shows that “The Racer Dips” was a device for public entertainment, consisting of two miniature railway tracks upon which separate trains of small cars were run and so arranged that there was the appearance of racing between the two trains. The tracks had a common starting point and a common ending point. By mechanical force the trains of cars were pulled up grade to a considerable height and then turned loose -to make the trip by gravity. This was accomplished by steep declines and elevations in the tracks so that the momentum gath[110]*110eréd.by going down a decline would carry the trains up the next elevation. Of necessity these declines and elevations were marked and sharp and had to follow each other in rapid sucession. Variety was added to the trip by‘acute and sharp curves in the tracks as well as by a tunnel constructed thereover. Gravity being the sole power operating the train, the speed down the incline would be great and this speed would slacken gradually until the succeeding elevation was passed and the next decline reached. When the car turned the next decline it of necessity picked up speed rapidly.

■ The evidence discloses that these trains were made up of three cars having three seats each, and which seats would accommodate two pleasure seekers. In other words, eighteen persons constituted a train-load. While plaintiff was not always clear in his testimony,' yet, taken as a whole, the evidence shows that plaintiff and his friend took passage on this pleasure device in the middle seat of the middle car of one of these trains. It is made quite clear that they were not in the front seat of the car. When the train was nearing the end of the journey plaintiff’s foot got out of the car and struck an object to the side of the car, and a severe fracture of the right leg resulted, together with some other injuries.

■ It appeared from the evidence that the Park Circuit & Railway Company was the holding companyfor the defendant Mountain Railway Construction Company, and was not, itself, engaged in the actual operation of the pleasure device known as the “Racer Dips.” But, whilst it held and owned the stock of the operating company, it was not, in fact, operating the device. Upon this showing plaintiff voluntarily dismissed as to such corporation.

The plaintiff’s case largely turns upon the testimony of himself and his friend, although he Introduced some other evidence which will be noted in the course of the opinion.

Going to the pleadings, it will be seen that the negligence of the defendant is thus stated in the petition:

[111]*111“That said racer dip, the ears and tracks thereon were so faulty and so defectively constructed and defendants so negligently and carelessly maintained and operated the same that by reason thereof the car in which plaintiff was a passenger as aforesaid vibrated and shook so that the plaintiff was thrown with much force against the back of the conveyance or car in which he had passage, and plaintiff’s right foot and leg were suddenly and violently thrown upwards and out of said conveyance or car, thereby causing his said right foot and leg to be caught in and thrown upon and against railings, posts and uprights along and outside of said conveyance or ear, through which plaintiff was greatly and permanently injured, as follows.”

The answer filed by defendant thus reads:

“Come now the defendants in the above-entitled cause and for answer to the plaintiff’s amended .petition deny each and every allegation' in said amended petition contained and set forth.
“Further answering, defendants say that what, if any, injuries were received by the plaintiff on the occasion in question and by and on account of the things mentioned in his amended petition were caused by the ordinary and usual movements of the racer dip mentioned in the plaintiff’s petition, which was an amusement device, the real attractiveness of which depended solely upon the sensations that rapid changes of speed give the person using it and that the plaintiff assumed all such dangers and risks and on account thereof cannot recover.
“Further answering, defendants say that what,, if any, injuries plaintiff received on the occasion in question and by and on account of the things mentioned in his amended petition were caused by his own negligence in this:
“That the plaintiff negligently and carelessly failed to remain in his seat in the car and negligently and carelessly threw his feet up and outside of the car and negligently and carelessly failed to hold to the car in which he was riding and negligently and carelessly failed [112]*112to keep a lookout for his own safety, and that by reason thereof threw his right leg up, above and outside of the car in which he was riding, whereby he received what, if any, injuries complained of in his amended petition and that the same were caused by his own negligence contributing thereto.
Wherefore, having fully answered, defendants pray to go hence and recover of plaintiff their costs herein.”

The reply was a general denial.

Upon a trial the court gave to the jury a peremptory instruction to find for the defendant, and plaintiff chose to submit his case to the jury rather than take an involuntary nonsuit.

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Bluebook (online)
189 S.W. 805, 269 Mo. 104, 1916 Mo. LEXIS 116, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/pointer-v-mountain-railway-construction-co-mo-1916.