Schantz v. Northern Pacific Railway Co.

180 N.W. 517, 47 N.D. 1, 1920 N.D. LEXIS 79
CourtNorth Dakota Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 11, 1920
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 180 N.W. 517 (Schantz v. Northern Pacific Railway Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering North Dakota Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Schantz v. Northern Pacific Railway Co., 180 N.W. 517, 47 N.D. 1, 1920 N.D. LEXIS 79 (N.D. 1920).

Opinions

Grace, J.

This appeal is from a judgment in favor of defendant, dismissing the action, upon a general verdict in favor of the plaintiff, in connection with which verdict special interrogatories were returned.

The complaint states an action against the defendant for personal injuries, under the Federal Employers’ Liability Act, U. S. Comp, Stat. §§ 8657-8665. A general verdict was returned in favor of tho plaintiff for $7,500. The only question involved in this appeal is whether the special findings destroyed the general verdict.

The following are the special interrogatories and the answers, where answer was made:

Question 1: Did Raphael Schantz know, or should he, in the exercise of reasonable care, have known, that he might be injured if he attempted to catch the moving freight train?
Answer: He should have known.
Question 2: Did the father and mother of Raphael Schantz suffer any actual, pecuniary or money loss because of Raphael’s death ?
Answer: -
Question 3: If you answer the preceding question in the affirmative, what is the amount of that loss ?
Answer: -
Question 4: Was the proximate or real cause of Raphael Schantz’s death the injury received at Harmon?
Answer: No.
[4]*4Question 5: What is the damage suffered because o± pain and suffering endured by Eaphael Schantz ?
Answer: $7,500.
Question 6: Was the injury received by Eaphael Schantz, at Harmon, an accident for which no one in particular is to blame ?
Answer: No.

Subsequent to the return of the general verdict, the defendant made a motion for judgment on the special questions answered by the jury. The court granted the motion, and ordered judgment in favor of the defendant for a dismissal of the action on its merits, and for costs and disbursements, and judgment was entered accordingly.

The order for judgment and judgment is based upon the summons, complaint, answer, general verdict, special interrogatories, motion for judgment by the defendant, based upon the special interrogatories, and motion for judgment by the plaintiff, for judgment on the general verdict. ,

The complaint, after alleging the corporate character of defendant, and that it was engaged in interstate commerce at the times mentioned in the complaint, contains, in substance, the following allegations:

That by reason of the premises it became the duty of said defendant, its agents, servants, and section foremen, to give the plaintiff’s intestate, Eaphael Schantz, who was a minor of sixteen years of age, and who was inexperienced and did not appreciate the danger, due warning of the dangerous incident of said employment; that it became the duty of the defendant and its servants to furnish the plaintiff’s intestate a safe and suitable motor car to carry him to and from different points of work; that it became the defendant’s duty to slow down and stop its trains for the said deceased to get on when it sought to carry the deceased and the rest of the crew on its trains from and to points of work; that it became the duty of the defendant’s section foreman, to wit, Peter Barron, to give proper and safe orders to the said deceased, and to properly and safely supervise the carrying and the method of carrying the deceased to and from points of work; that it became the duty of the defendant, its agents, and servants, to commit no act or to omit to do any act which would, could, or might injure the deceased; that it was the duty of the defendant and its servants to [5]*5use due care towards the deceased, aud properly provide for his safety and welfare while engaged in said employment.

That on said 26th day of April, 1916, while the said defendant, with its said servants, including the deceased, was engaged in interstate commerce as aforementioned, and while the said deceased was acting as such servant and in the lawful performance of his duties as aforesaid, the said deceased, together Avith the rest of the crew, were returning from work to the town of Mandan, and were riding on said gasolene motor car provided and furnished by the defendant for carrying said section crew as aforesaid; that said gasolene motor car Avas Avholly unsuitable for the purpose for Avhich it was used, as it was old, worn out, and defective; that there was a large crew riding thereon; that it was overloaded with tools; that such overloading was done at the orders and command of the foreman of thfe defendant’s company; that by reason thereof said motor car failed to run and became stalled at a certain point on said road near the town of Harmon, North Dakota ; that at said time there was one of the defendant’s freight trains, Avhich had customarily been used for carrying the defendant’s crew to Mandan, running on said branch road toAvards Mandan; that the said defendant’s foreman informed the deceased, together Avith the rest of the crew, that he would go up the track towards the coming train and flag it, thereby causing it to slow down, and commanded, ordered, and directed the deceased, together Avith the rest of the crew, to catch the said coming freight train and ride upon it into Mandan; that the deceased and other members of the crew suggested to the said foreman that said train Avas running too fast for them to catch; that the said foreman thereupon assAired the deceased that it Avas not coming too fast, that he could catch it easily without any danger; that the said foreman thereupon walked up the track a short distance toward the coming train and pretended and attempted to flag same; that while said train Avas passing the deceased and the rest of the crew at a high rate of speed, the deceased, together with the rest of the crew, pursuant to said command and order of the said foreman, and being then and there lawfully performing his duties engaging in interstate commerce Avith the defendant, attempted to catch and get on said train; that AA'hile so attempting, and while the deceased was using due care and being free from fault, he was thrown under the wheels of said moving [6]*6train, thereby crushing and mangling his leg, fracturing and bruising other parts of his body, head and abdomen, and thereby injuring vital internal organs of his body, and thereby tearing loose the flesh and muscles of his legs, which would make and did make the deceased a permanent cripple and invalid.

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Related

Bailey v. Davis
193 N.W. 658 (North Dakota Supreme Court, 1922)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
180 N.W. 517, 47 N.D. 1, 1920 N.D. LEXIS 79, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/schantz-v-northern-pacific-railway-co-nd-1920.