Polkinghorn v. Riverside Portland Cement Co.

142 P. 140, 24 Cal. App. 615, 1914 Cal. App. LEXIS 48
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedMay 28, 1914
DocketCiv. No. 1478.
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 142 P. 140 (Polkinghorn v. Riverside Portland Cement Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Polkinghorn v. Riverside Portland Cement Co., 142 P. 140, 24 Cal. App. 615, 1914 Cal. App. LEXIS 48 (Cal. Ct. App. 1914).

Opinion

JAMES, J.

Decision was heretofore made in this cause and a rehearing thereafter granted. The rehearing was ordered because of the contention of appellant that certain of the points relied upon for reversal were not treated of in the opinion. Upon a re-examination of the record and briefs the court is satisfied that the judgment heretofore ordered is the correct one to be entered, and the opinion as filed on February 26, 1914, is, as to its main text, readopted as follows:

“This action was brought to recover damages occasioned by the death of one Nick Shannas, which was alleged to have been caused through the negligent acts of defendant. Verdict was in favor of the defendant, and plaintiff has appealed from an order denying his motion for a new trial.
“Nick Shannas, the deceased, was employed in July, 1910, as a day laborer at the cement manufacturing plant of defendant. In the carrying on of its business at its factory the defendant made use of a railroad track along which cars were propelled to and fro. Close beside this track in the yard of the factory was a rock crusher and certain rock bins. It was necessary for the convenient handling of the business of defendant that the rock crusher and bins should be placed, and they were so placed, close enough to the railroad track to enable material to be quickly handled to and from the cars and the bins and crusher. On the twenty-seventh day of July, in the year mentioned, Shannas was engaged at his work about the plant, when, as was a common occurrence, several cars were backed in upon the railroad track toward the point where the bins and rock crusher were located. As the ears came opposite the structures mentioned, Shannas was caught between a car and the planking and killed. It was alleged that no warning was given of the approach of the cars, and further that the rock crusher and planking were negligently *618 located close to the track so as to render the place dangerous and unsafe for the employees to perform the labor required of them.

Appellant first assigns as error rulings of the court made respecting the admission of testimony. Respondent’s counsel suggest that these alleged errors are not the subject of review for the reason that the bill of exceptions does not purport to contain all of the evidence, and that in such cases the presumption will be that the rulings, even though apparently erroneous, may have been rendered nonprejudieial by other evidence introduced, citing Brown v. Casey, 80 Cal. 504, [22 Pac. 257]. From the very short opinion rendered in that case it might seem that some color of authority is given to support respondent’s point, but reference to an earlier decision of the supreme court, as well as to later ones, and also to decisions of the district courts of appeal, will clear the question of any doubt and settle it against respondent’s contention. The correct rule, as established by those cases, is that the party-proposing a bill of exceptions is only required to set forth therein a record of so much of the proceedings as will illustrate the error claimed, and that it is the duty of the opposite party to propose, if he is able to, such amendments as will show that the alleged errors were cured or rendered nonprejudieial. It will not be presumed that if omitted evidence had been supplied a different ease would be shown, but the presumption will be that the record does exhibit all matters material to a consideration of the points presented. (Abbey Homestead Assoc, v. Willard, 48 Cal. 614; Judson v. Lyford, 84 Cal. 505, [24 Pac. 286] ; Bedan v. Turney, 99 Cal. 649, [34 Pac. 442] ; Couson v. Wilson, 2 Cal. App. 181, [83 Pac. 262]; Lunnun v. Morris, 7 Cal. App. 710, [95 Pac. 907] .)

‘ ‘ Error is assigned because the court refused to allow a witness for the plaintiff to answer the following question: ‘Do you know of a steel car being run in there on that track at or near the time of the accident, which was so wide that it hit the sides of the timbers Í ’ The announced purpose in the asking of this question was to show knowledge on the part of respondent of the dangerous condition at the place where the accident occurred. The court suggested that the question would be allowed if it was shown that a car of similar dimen - sions and kind to that used at the time of the accident was *619 being used at any time when a collision happened between a car and the timbers. Appellant failed to qualify the question as suggested and did not promise to follow up the answer with proof of similar conditions as those which were present at the time of the accident. It may also be noted that in the question asked the time to which the attention of the witness was directed was not fixed as being at or before, but ‘at or near’ the time of the accident. This might have meant either at, before, or after the accident. But assuming that the time indicated by the question was that pertinent to the case, it does not appear that error was committed. Counsel for appellant in their brief say: ‘We contend that it is immaterial whether the ear which hit the sides of the bins was of the exact size of the car which killed Nick Shannas or not, if it was a car ordinarily used on standard tracks, for in that case defendant would have knowledge of the proximity of the bins to the track and that there was not enough room between the bins and the sides of certain ears ordinarily used on railroads for a man to stand in safety.’ The conditions as to the location of the bins and timbers were fixed and respondent would be presumed to have had knowledge of those conditions as they then existed. There was no contention made that appellant did not have such knowledge, and on this subject the court, at the request of appellant, instructed the jury as follows: ‘You are further instructed that in this case the plaintiff is not required to prove that the defendant had actual notice or knowledge of the dangerous condition of the premises, if any, of its tracks or any structures near the same, provided it appears from the evidence that said company in the exercise of ordinary care of inspection and supervision thereof would have discovered such condition. ’ Under this instruction the jury must have understood that the fixed conditions as to the size and width of cars used, as well as the proximity of the bins and timbers, were matters of which respondent must have had knowledge, for casual observation would have fully disclosed it.

“It was not improper as suggesting a conclusion to allow a witness to say that certain planks were placed ‘so the men could go from this half of the bin across there. ’ The purpose for which the plante were so placed was a matter of fact; as to whether they were sufficient for that purpose, or whether in *620 the exercise of ordinary care for his safety Shannas might have used them, was a question for the jury.

‘1 One witness testified, in describing conditions which might have affected the ability of the deceased to observe his danger: ‘I never noticed dust thick enough there that you could not see a distance of 150 feet.’ The objection to this answer rests upon very slight foundation.

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Bluebook (online)
142 P. 140, 24 Cal. App. 615, 1914 Cal. App. LEXIS 48, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/polkinghorn-v-riverside-portland-cement-co-calctapp-1914.