St. Louis S.W. Ry. Co. of Texas v. Tarver

150 S.W. 958, 1912 Tex. App. LEXIS 1287
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedOctober 30, 1912
StatusPublished

This text of 150 S.W. 958 (St. Louis S.W. Ry. Co. of Texas v. Tarver) 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 S.W. Ry. Co. of Texas v. Tarver, 150 S.W. 958, 1912 Tex. App. LEXIS 1287 (Tex. Ct. App. 1912).

Opinion

MOURSUND, J.

Appellee was plaintiff below, and sued appellant for damages for alleged negligence in killing two mules at the intersection of Belleview and Austin streets, in the city of Dallas. The mules, hitched to a wagon, were being driven across the track of appellee, when struck by an engine belonging to appellant. It was alleged that the engine “came down defendant’s track at a great rate of speed and violently, negligently, and carelessly, without blowing of whistle, ringing of bell, or other warning, violently and suddenly struck the mules of the plaintiff as they were driving moderately across the track, killing one instantly, and so injuring the other that it died in 24 hours thereafter.” Defendant answered by general denial and plea of contributory negligence on the part of plaintiff’s driver, alleging that he did not stop nor look nor listen for the approach of engines and ears; that he could have seen the engine and cars approaching the place of the accident before the employés of the defendant in charge of the engine could have seen the driver of the team; that said driver with his team was further from the track at the time the engine and cars came in view than was the engine and cars from the crossing; that the driver approached the track in a fast trot, and traveled as far or farther than the engine between the time same came in view and the time the accident occurred. Upon the verdict of the jury judgment was rendered for plaintiff for $250, from which defendant has appealed.

By its first assignment appellant attacks the paragraphs of the court’s charge reading as follows:

• “You are instructed that if you find and believe from the evidence, if any, that on September 20, 1909, the plaintiff or his employ®, while driving a team of mules and wagon across the track of the defendant railway company, at the intersection of Belle-view and Austin streets, in the city of Dallas, Tex., as alleged in plaintiff’s petition, and that while so doing the defendant or its agents and servants negligently caused the death, or injuries to said mules as to cause their death, then you will find for plaintiff the reasonable cash market value of said mules against the defendant, unless you should find as hereinafter charged.
“Now, if you find and believe from the evidence that the defendant’s engineer did not stop the engine in the shortest time and space possible after he discovered that plaintiff’s team was in danger, or by the use of reasonable diligence he could have discovered the danger in time to stop the engine and avoided the accident, or, if you find and believe from the evidence, if any, that the defendant’s engineer was negligent in the management of said engine, and did not keep proper lookout for persons and vehicles moving toward or crossing the track, and further find plaintiff’s employ® exercised ordinary care, or such care as an ordinarily prudent person would have done under the same or similar circumstances in attempting to cross the track of the defendant, then you will find for the plaintiff, otherwise you will find for the defendant.”

[1] The first criticism is that the charge requires the engineer to stop his engine in the shortest space possible after he discovered that plaintiff’s team was in danger. The rule is well established that the duty which arises upon discovery of peril is to use every means then within the power of those in charge of the engine to avoid injury consistent with the safety of the engine. The charge as given in this case was therefore erroneous. T. & P. Ry. Co. v. Breadow, 90 Tex. 31, 36 8. W. 410; T. & P. Ry. Co. v. Staggs, 90 Tex. 458, 39 S. W. 295.

[2] The second criticism is that the charge submitted the right of the plaintiff to recover on facts not alleged in plaintiff’s petition, and not supported by the evidence. The portion of the petition setting out the negligent *960 acts charged against defendant is copied in full in our. statement of the ease, and by comparing same with the charge it is readily seen that the court submitted several issues not pleaded toy plaintiff. This has been held to constitute reversible error, unless it clearly appears that it was not calculated in any manner to influence the jury. Austin & N. W. Ry. Co. v. Flannagan, 40 S. W. 1046. In this case we think the charge was clearly calculated to influence the jury.

The seventh assignment is overruled because we think the court was correct in refusing to give the special charge. The facts might have been found by the jury as stated in said charge and yet defendant have been guilty of negligence on the ground of excessive speed, which was alleged in the petition.

[3, 4] The second, eleventh, and twelfth assignments of error all relate to the sufficiency of the evidence to sustain a verdict for plaintiff. The second assignment is based upon the court’s refusal of a special charge directing a verdict for defendant. . The eleventh and twelfth assignments complain of the failure to grant the motion for new trial on account of insufficiency of evidence. While the witnesses for defendant testified to the giving of the statutory signals, the witnesses for plaintiff testified they did not hear same. Worley, the driver of the team, testified he could have heard the whistle had it blown, but did not know whether he could have heard the bill ringing. Pierson testified he did not think the bell could have been ringing at the time, as he had driven down the street at other times, and had heard the bell ringing when trains were approaching the crossing. We think the evidence made an issue for the jury. The failure to look and listen has been held not to constitute negligence per se. Jones v. Transit Co., 146 S. W. 618. The issue of contributory negligence was also for the jury.

The third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and eighth assignments, all complaining of refusal of special charges, are grouped in appellant’s brief.

[5] Defendant, in its answer, pleaded certain specific acts as constituting negligence on the part of plaintiff’s driver contributing to cause the collision, but it is not specifically alleged that he could have stopped his team in time to avoid the collision after seeing the engine, and special charge No. 2, which precludes a recovery by plaintiff if the driver could have stopped his team after the engine came in sight, by the use of care and caution, was, therefore, properly refused. C., R. I. & P. Ry. Co. v. Stillwell, 46 Tex. Civ. App. 648, 104 S. W. 1071; Edwards v. Bonner, 12 Tex. Civ. App. 236, 33 S. W. 761; G., H. & H. R. R. Co. v. Alberti, 47 Tex. Civ. App. 32, 103 S. W. 699; I. & G. N. R. R. Co. v. Locke, 67 S. W. 1082.

[6] Special charge No. 3 refers to other charges for definition of contributory negligence. No charge specifically defining contributory negligence was given. Otherwise, there is no objection to the charge, but we think it was sufficiently made to appear from the charge of the court that, even though they found negligence on the part of the defendant, plaintiff could not recover if guilty of negligence contributing to the collision.

[7, 8] Special charge No. 5 is erroneous because it assumes that the failure to look or listen constituted negligence; that being a question for the jury. N. & T. C. Ry. Co. v. Gaither, 35 S. W. 179; Jones v.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Texas & Pacific Railway Co. v. Breadow
36 S.W. 410 (Texas Supreme Court, 1896)
Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railway Co. v. Rogers
40 S.W. 956 (Texas Supreme Court, 1897)
Johnson v. Galveston, Houston & Northern Railway Co.
66 S.W. 906 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1902)
Texas & Pacific Railway Co. v. Staggs
39 S.W. 295 (Texas Supreme Court, 1897)
Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railway Co. v. McGlamory
35 S.W. 1053 (Texas Supreme Court, 1896)
H. L. Edwards & Co. v. Bonner & Campbell Receivers
33 S.W. 761 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1896)
Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway Co. v. Stillwell
104 S.W. 1071 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1907)
Lantry-Sharpe Contracting Co. v. McCracken
117 S.W. 453 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1909)
Jones v. Rapid Transit Ry. Co.
146 S.W. 618 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1912)
Galveston, Harrisburg & San Antonio Railway Co. v. Wafer
106 S.W. 897 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1907)
Galveston, Houston & Henderson Railroad v. Alberti
103 S.W. 699 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1907)
La Prelle v. Receivers
23 S.W. 453 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1893)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
150 S.W. 958, 1912 Tex. App. LEXIS 1287, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/st-louis-sw-ry-co-of-texas-v-tarver-texapp-1912.