Terre Haute, Indianapolis & Eastern Traction Co. v. Sanders

136 N.E. 54, 80 Ind. App. 16, 1922 Ind. App. LEXIS 263
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedJune 23, 1922
DocketNo. 11,200
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 136 N.E. 54 (Terre Haute, Indianapolis & Eastern Traction Co. v. Sanders) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Terre Haute, Indianapolis & Eastern Traction Co. v. Sanders, 136 N.E. 54, 80 Ind. App. 16, 1922 Ind. App. LEXIS 263 (Ind. Ct. App. 1922).

Opinion

McMahan, J.

Complaint by appellee for the alleged wrongful death of his infant son, in which it is alleged that appellant was engaged in the transmission and sale of electric current in and around the city of Terre [18]*18Haute; that for said purpose it owned and operated high voltage wires, to which wires leading into residences and other buildings were attached; that on March 10, 1918, and prior thereto one of said high voltage wires was suspended on poles on the south and west side adjacent to the Evansville and Indianapolis Railroad and extended from the southwest part of said city from a point near Third and Voorhees streets in a southeasterly direction to the neighborhood of the intersection of South Seventh street and the north line of Honey Creek township ; “that defendant company carelessly and negligently constructed said high voltage wire, as above described, near to and parallel to a large number of other wires not then and there being used to convey and carry electricity,” both the high voltage and other wires being on said day and for months prior thereto insecurely attached and fastened to the poles and for months had been old, weak, rotten, and unsafe, and hung suspended from their'fastenings on the poles to or near the ground; “that some of the wires which were not being used to carry electricity were carelessly and negligently fastened and attached to the same line of poles to which said high voltage wires were so carelessly and negligently attached,” and had been so attached for a long time, which conditions were well known to appellant and could have been known by it in the exercise of reasonable care in time to have made them safe prior to the injury complained of; that said railroad track and the line along and adjacent to said line of high voltage wires were on said day and for many months prior thereto had been used by the public as a way for traveling in going from the southeastern part of the city to the neighborhood of Davis Gardens, on Seventh street, which route had been so used continuously by a large number of persons living in that vicinity in going to and fro along said lines, with the knowledge of appellant; [19]*19“that by reason of said high voltage wires being so negligently and carelessly constructed and maintained in close proximity to said large number of other wires in their loose, weak, broken, and unsafe condition, as aforesaid, caused and made such traveling way to be and become exceedingly dangerous for the traveling public,” which condition had existed for many months prior to said day with the knowledge of appellant; that appellant “had carelessly and negligently allowed and permitted its said wires as aforesaid, to become loose, old, rotten and unsafe, and had alloioed and permitted the insulation thereof to become old, worn, loose, and off of said wires,” which condition had existed for a long time; that about 4 p. m. on March 9, 1918, one of said wires, by reason of its old, decayed, loose, and unsafe condition, caused by the negligence of the defendant company as aforesaid, broke and became loose from its fastenings on the poles to which it was attached, “which said breaking was at a point in a southeasterly direction from said intersection of said Third street with Voorhees street and at about the point of intersection of the continuation south of South Fifth street in said city, continued south to the said railroad right-of-way, and at a point near a small shack or building on the southwest and adjacent to said railroad tracks, the same being at or near the north end of a certain gravel pit located on the south and west and near to said railroad right of way, one end of which said wire so loose and broken fell to the ground,” and which wire was at that time highly charged with electricity and was kept so charged by appellant; that appellant on the evening of March 9, 1918, had notice and knowledge that said high voltage wire so charged was broken and hanging to the ground, and had knowledge of the danger of injury to any person passing along said way and who might come in contact therewith, and that appellant could by the exer[20]*20cise of reasonable care have known about the condition of said wire in time to have prevented the death of appellee’s son; that, notwithstanding said negligence of appellant in knowing and permitting said high voltage-wire to be and become old, weak, decayed, and unsafe, and with knowledge of such condition, appellant carelessly and negligently permitted said wire to be and continue to be, after it had fallen, in said dangerous condition until about 4 p. m. of March 10, 1918, at which time appellee’s son, George Sanders, aged thirteen, together with two other companions under the age of thirteen, were going along said way and saw said wire with one end hanging to the ground, and not knowing and appreciating the danger, said George Sanders took hold of said wire and received an electric shock which killed him; that said death was caused by the “carelessness and negligence of the defendant company aforesaid, in so negligently and carelessly constructing said wires, and allowing and permitting its said high voltage wire, so highly charged as aforesaid, to become old, weak, rotten, and the insulation to become old, decayed, and tom loose therefrom as aforesaid, and said injury and death was caused by the carelessness and negligence of the defendant company in allowing and permitting the said wire to be and remain down and hanging near the ground for a long period of time so heavily charged, ivith full knowledge thereof as aforesaid, and where said defendant company, by the exercise of reasonable care could have known of said dangerous condition long enough prior to the injury to have repaired said wire and prevented the same,” and that appellee was by reason of said death, “so caused by the wrongful and negligent acts of the defendant company, as aforesaid, deprived of the services of said child,” for which judgment was demanded.

Appellant filed a motion asking that the complaint be [21]*21made more specific: (1) by setting out specifically the location of the wire which was alleged to be hanging down; (2) by stating specifically the nature and character of the ground on the railroad right of way at the place where the wire was down; (3) by describing the condition of the ground around the wires at the place where the wire was down; and (4) by making the several parts of the complaint heretofore quoted and italicized more specific, by setting out the facts upon which the conclusions of negligence and duty are based.

This motion was overruled, after which appellant filed a demurrer for want of facts, which was also overruled. The cause being put at issue by an answer of general denial, there was a trial by jury which resulted in a verdict and judgment for appellee.

In so far as the first specification in the motion to make the complaint more specific is concerned, we are of the opinion that the location of the place where the wire was down is stated with sufficient certainty. The nature, character, and conditions of the ground on the railroad right of way and around the place where the wire was down, as called for in the second and third specifications, are not, in our judgment, of sufficient importance to call for any discussion, and appellant has failed to state any good reason why the complaint should have been made more specific in that regard.

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

Related

Swanson v. Shroat
345 N.E.2d 872 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1976)
Keane v. Schroeder
264 N.E.2d 95 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1970)
Wozniczka v. McKEAN
247 N.E.2d 215 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1969)
Lomberg v. Renner
157 A.2d 222 (Supreme Court of Vermont, 1959)
Radio Cab, Inc. v. Houser
128 F.2d 604 (D.C. Circuit, 1942)
Brush v. Public Service Co. of Indiana
21 N.E.2d 83 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1939)
Texas-Louisiana Power Co. v. Webster
59 S.W.2d 902 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1933)
Munson v. Rupker
148 N.E. 169 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1925)
Terre Haute, Etc., Traction Co. v. McDermott
144 N.E. 620 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1923)
Terre Haute, Indianapolis & Eastern Traction Co. v. McDermott
82 Ind. App. 134 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1923)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
136 N.E. 54, 80 Ind. App. 16, 1922 Ind. App. LEXIS 263, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/terre-haute-indianapolis-eastern-traction-co-v-sanders-indctapp-1922.