St. Louis Southwestern Ry. Co. of Texas v. McCrearry

35 S.W.2d 790
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJanuary 13, 1931
DocketNo. 3934
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 35 S.W.2d 790 (St. Louis Southwestern Ry. Co. of Texas v. McCrearry) 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
St. Louis Southwestern Ry. Co. of Texas v. McCrearry, 35 S.W.2d 790 (Tex. Ct. App. 1931).

Opinion

WILLSON, C. J.

(after stating the case as above).

It will be noted that the jury found, among other things, that the engineer operating the train discovered and realized that McCrearry was in a perilous position in time, by the use of means at hand, consistent with the safety of the train and those riding thereon, to have so operated the train-as to prevent its striking McCrearry, and found, further, (1) that said engineer failed to use such means, (2) that such failure ~was negligence, and (3) that such negligence was a proximate cause of McCrear-ry’s death. Unless error entered into the findings specified, they furnished a sufficient support for a judgment in appellee’s favor for some amount, and it is not contended here that the sum found by the jury was excessive.

At the trial appellant objected to the submission of the issues resulting in the findings just specified, on the ground that the evidence did not warrant the submission of such issues, and with reference to such issues requested the court to charge the jury as follows:

(1) “You are instructed that the defendant ' railway company has in law a right to use its tracks upon and over crossings, as well as elsewhere, in the operation of its trains superior to that of the deceased McCrearry. And it is not incumbent upon the railroad company to slow down or stop its trains because, another person is walking or running along a roadway or pathway, running along with its tracks theh in use.” (2) “Though you may believe from the evidence that the operatives of the train, in approaching the loading shed, saw deceased in the space between the main line and switch track, nevertheless they had a right to assume that the deceased Mc-Crearry would not undertake to go over the main line track in front of the approaching train at the risk of sustaining injury, and no duty would be imposed upon said operatives, unless and until they knew that McCrearry was undertaking to go over the track in front of the engine, and unless the train could have been stopped before the collision there would be no liability upon the railroad company for the death of said deceased.” (3) “You are instructed that though you may believe from the evidence that the engineer in charge of the locomotive ought to have discovered the peril of the deceased, if any, still you are instructed that the defendant would not be liable for the negligence of the engineer, if any, in so failing to discover the peril of the deceased, if any. The defendant would be liable only in the event the engineer actually discovered and realized the peril of the deceased, if any, and thereafter failed to use all of the means at his command to stop the locomotive corisistent with the safety of the train and those upon it.”

Appellant insists the court below erred when he overruled its said objection and when he refused to give the requested charges to the jury.

The refused charges plainly were general in their nature, and for that reason, the cause being submitted on special issues, were properly refused; and, of the three, those numbered 1 and 2 were clearly on the weight of the evidence and for that reason also should not have been given to the jury.

As we construe the evidence, it furnished sufficient support for the findings in question, and we therefore think the trial court did not err when he overruled the objection specified.

It appeared from testimony a jury had a right to believe that appellant’s passing track and main line track at Ash ran east and west parallel with and about 8 or 9 feet from each other; that when cars were on both the tracks the clearance space between them was about 4 feet; that at the time of the' accident several refrigerator cars were parked on the passing track; that there was a traveled crossing over said tracks 50 to 60 feet west of a peach-packing shed where the refrigerator cars were parked, and another such crossing 150 to 200 yards west thereof; that many people were then and for several weeks before the accident occurred had been working at the peach-packing shed; that the space between the tracks was then being, and for many years had been, used as a way by people working at the shed and by the public generally; that McCrearry was in the space between the tracks drinking water dripping from one of the refrigerator cars when he discovered the train on the main line track, only a short distance from him, and moving silently and rapidly toward him; thát, terrorized, he at once began running away from the train in the space between the refrigerator cars and the main line track; that while so running he turned north and attempted to cross said main line track ■in front of the train and was struck by some part of the far (north) side of the engine pulling the train; that appellant’s tracks were straight and the view of the operatives of the train as it approached the place where McCrearry was drinking the water was’ unobstructed for a distance greater than 200 yards; that the train was moving at a speed in excess of 25 miles per hour as it approached the place where the accident occurred; and that its speed was not in the least diminished until after it struck McCrearry. The fireman testified that “in looking ahead” he did not see any one in the space between the passing and main line tracks, and that the first knowledge he had of the accident was when [793]*793tile engineer asked kim “if we kit tkat man.” He looked tken, ke said, and.“saw kim (Me-Crearry) come around on my side.” Mc-Crearry, tke fireman said, “just come around tke end of tke pilot beam on. my side, looked like ke kind of staggered and fell. * * * He kad cleared the rails, but maybe not tke cross ties.” Tke engineer testified tkat tke train “was just coasting,” at a speed of between 10 and 12 miles an hour, as it approached Ask. He said ke saw four or five men cross the track 150 to 200 yards ahead of tke train as it moved east, but saw no one between tke tracks at tke point where tke refrigerator cars were parked, and tkat ke never saw McCrearry until ke kad passed two of said cars; tkat ke saw kim tken “come out from under tke car or come out from between tkem.” He (McCrearry), tke engineer said, “was not (quoting) on tke railroad track wken I first saw kim. He was running along witk tke engine in tke space between my train and these refrigerator cars.

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Related

South Texas Coaches, Inc. v. Woodard
123 S.W.2d 395 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1937)
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47 S.W.2d 443 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1931)

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Bluebook (online)
35 S.W.2d 790, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/st-louis-southwestern-ry-co-of-texas-v-mccrearry-texapp-1931.