Terre Haute Electric Co. v. Roberts

91 N.E. 941, 174 Ind. 351, 1910 Ind. LEXIS 116
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedMay 24, 1910
DocketNo. 21,676
StatusPublished
Cited by19 cases

This text of 91 N.E. 941 (Terre Haute Electric Co. v. Roberts) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Terre Haute Electric Co. v. Roberts, 91 N.E. 941, 174 Ind. 351, 1910 Ind. LEXIS 116 (Ind. 1910).

Opinion

Hadley, J.

1. Appellant questions our jurisdiction to entertain a petition to transfer this cause from the Appellate Court to the Supreme Court, under subdivision two of §1394 Burns 1908, Acts 1901 p. 565, §10, on the ground that the determination was not by a division of the court, but by the entire Appellate Court. Section 1399 Burns 1908, Acts 1901 p. 565, §15, providing that “whenever, upon the determination of any appeal, it shall appear that the three judges of the division do not concur in the result, the case shall be submitted to and be decided by the entire Appellate Court, * * * and the judgment of the Appellate Court in such cases shall be governed in all respects by the law applicable to the judgment of a division,” must be read with §1394, supra, which makes the legislative intent clear that the right to petition for a transfer to the Supreme Court applies to all final determinations of the Appellate Court, whether sitting in division, or as one body. Any other construction would, in a measure, defeat the object the legislature had in view in providing for such transfers, which was, as we said in the case of United States Cement Co. v. Cooper (1909), 172 Ind. 599, “to keep the decisions of the two courts of appeal harmonious and consistent, and thus avoid the confusion that would arise from two incompatible lines of legal interpretation.”

Appellant operates a street-car system in the city of Terre [353]*353Haute. One of its tracks runs east and west on Wabash avenue; another runs north and. south on Ninth street. Beginning on Ninth street, a few feet north of the intersection, a connecting track curving southward and westward enters the main track on Wabash avenue at a point sixty-three feet from the' beginning. Appellant ran freight-trains over its tracks, composed of one motor-ear and one trailer. On October 8, 1901, such a freight-train had passed out bn Ninth street — the motor-car to the north and the trailer to the south. A parade of citizens was passing along Wabash avenue, and there were many spectators on the street, of which number appellee’s ward was one. Appellant’s employes in charge of said freight-train, desiring to pass from Ninth street onto Wabash avenue, backed said train over the curve with the trailer in front, without a guard or lookout at the forward end of the trailer, and while so doing, appellee ’s ward was struck by said trailer and injured. Appellee sues to recover damages for the injuries suffered by his ward, alleging that they were caused by the negligence of appellant in the backing of said freight-train over said curve to Wabash avenue.

The complaint is in one paragraph, the pertinent and substantial averments of which follow: “That the main line of appellant’s railroad runs east and west along Wabash avenue near the center of said city; that a branch of said railroad runs north from Wabash avenue along Ninth street, which is connected with the main line by a curve to the west about sixty feet in length; that it is dangerous and unsafe to people using the street for trains or street-cars to run over said street without a motor-car in front and a motorman to control said car at the front end of the car, in a position where he can see the track, the street and the people in front of said train; that just prior to inflicting the injury to appellee’s ward, a train of appellee’s cars was standing on the Ninth street branch of the railroad, at or near [354]*354the point where it curves westward into Wabash avenue, which consisted of two cars — a motor-car at the north end of the train and a trailer coupled to it on the south; that a parade of citizens ivas at the time passing, and a crowd of spectators filled the street, among whom was appellee’s ward, who was upon the street near the west end of the curve when defendant unlawfully and negligently started said train and backed it around said curve through said crowd into Wabash avenue, and in so doing knocked said ward down and ran said trailer over him, causing the injury complained of; that appellant failed to have any person on said trailer as a lookout while backing, as aforesaid, and negligently placed the motorman who backed said train where it was not possible for him to see-the track, the street or the people in front of said backing train, and negligently failed to place a lookout on said train in a place where he could see the track, the street or the people in front of said backing train. ’ ’

There was no demurrer to the complaint. The answer was a general denial. Trial by jury, and verdict and judgment for appellee. The error assigned is the overruling of appellant’s motion for a new trial. The questions discussed relate to the giving and refusing to give instructions, the chief and controlling contention involving the relevancy of instructions ten and twenty-one, given upon request of appellee.

2. 3. It is fundamental that in civil actions the plaintiff must recover upon the case he makes in his complaint, or not at all; that he cannot sue upon one state of facts and recover upon another. This means that he must set forth the facts, or grounds, upon which he seeks a recovery, with such particularity and certainty as to enable a person of common understanding to know what is intended (§343 Burns 1908, §338 R. S. 1881), and thus fully and surely to apprise defendant of the precise accusation he is called upon to meet at the trial. [355]*355Borders v. Williams (1900), 155 Ind. 36; Cincinnati, etc., R. Co. v. McLain (1897), 148 Ind. 188; Bixel v. Bixel (1886), 107 Ind. 534, 537; Paris v. Strong (1875), 51 Ind. 339.

In the complaint four acts of negligence are, in a manner,. charged against appellant, to wit: (1) A parade was passing on the street, and appellee’s ward, with a crowd of spectators, was standing on the street: near the west end of the curve “when the defendant unlawfully and negligently started said train and backed it around said curve through said crowd into Wabash avenue, and in so doing knocked said ward down and ran said trailer over him, causing the injury complained of. (2) Appellant negligently failed to have any person on said trailer as a lookout while backing as aforesaid. (3) Appellant negligently placed the motorman who backed said train -where it was not possible for him to see the track, the street or the people in front of said backing train. (4) Appellant negligently failed to place a lookout on said train in a place where he could see the track, the street and the people in front of said backing train. ’ ’

4. No fault is charged against defendant, other than those before specified, and under the issues formed by the general denial it cannot be called upon in this action to respond in damages for any other delinquency. Besides, no evidence was competent or proper for the consideration of the jury that did not relate to some particular issue formed on the complaint as before indicated.

5. It is furthermore fundamental that the instructions of the court to the jury must follow the evidence, and be limited to an exposition of the legal effect upon the issues on trial of the relevant facts before the jury for determination.

In the case of Indiana R. Co. v. Maurer (1903), 160 Ind. 25, we said, in speaking upon the same subject: “Instructions to the jury must be confined to the issues. It is fundamental that a plaintiff can recover only upon the com[356]

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Bluebook (online)
91 N.E. 941, 174 Ind. 351, 1910 Ind. LEXIS 116, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/terre-haute-electric-co-v-roberts-ind-1910.