Texas Electric Ry. v. Shelton

286 S.W. 526, 1926 Tex. App. LEXIS 676
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJune 3, 1926
DocketNo. 368. [fn*]
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 286 S.W. 526 (Texas Electric Ry. v. Shelton) 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
Texas Electric Ry. v. Shelton, 286 S.W. 526, 1926 Tex. App. LEXIS 676 (Tex. Ct. App. 1926).

Opinion

STANFORD, J.

Suit by appellees to recover for personal injuries to Dillie Shelton, wife of Homer Shelton, resulting from the alleged negligence of appellant. On February 5, 1923, Lillie Shelton boarded one of appellant’s local cars at Italy to go to the station of Center .Point, which was a flag station only a few miles from Italy, and even local cars did not stop at Center Point except when flagged, or when the conductor knew there were passengers to get off at said station. On boarding the car. at Italy, Lillie Shelton did not buy a ticket for Center Point, but intended to pay her fare to the conductor ; but before the conductor collected fare from her said car reached Center Point and passed on without stopping to permit appellee to get off, and did not stop until said ear reached Dunlap, another flag station about 730 yards south of Center Point, where ap-pellee got off, and walked back to Center Point. The negligence relied upon was in failing to stop the car at Center Point to permit appellee to get off, and the failure of the conductor after'passing said station to back the car up to said station for her to alight. The case was submitted to the jury on special issues, all of which were answered favorably to appellees, and judgment rendered in their favor. Such issues as are pertinent to the questions discussed and the evidence bearing upon same will be stated in the course of this opinion.

Opinion.

Under appellant’s first assignment, it contends the thirteenth special issue submitted by the court was erroneous in several particulars. The thirteenth special issue was as follows:

“If, under your findings, the plaintiff is entitled to recover of the defendant herein 'damages in any sum, then what amount, if any, do you find the plaintiff is entitled to recover of the said defendant herein; and in answering this issue and in determining the amount of damages, if any, which you may assess, you will take into consideration all of the facts in evidence, and assess such amount of damages as you in your judgment may determine from the evidence that will fairly compensate the plaintiff Lillie Shelton for such physical pain and mental anguish, if any, she has sustained growing out of and being the direct and proximate cause of the injury, if any, so sustained by her in the journey from Dunlap to Center Point Stations on February 5, 1923.”

*527 In answer to other issues the jury had found that appellee, Lillie Shelton, had notified the conductor that she wanted to get off at Center Point,, in time for him to stop at said station, and that his failure to so stop was negligence, and that such negligence was the proximate cause of her injury, etc. So in view of these other issues that had been submitted, it was proper for the court to instruct :

“If, under your findings, the plaintiff is entitled to recover of the defendant herein damages in any sum, then what amount, if any, do you. find the plaintiff is entitled to recover,” etc.

It is not objectionable upon the ground that the court “did not restrict the jury to compensation if paid presently.” Such a restriction would have been improper, in that no recovery was authorized by said charge for pain or mental suffering in the future. Said charge is not objectionable, as contended by appellant, upon the ground that it “fails to state the proper measure of damages, or any legal rule by which such damages may be assessed.” The only grounds for recovery submitted was for “physical pain and mental anguish, if, any, she has sustained,” etc., and there is no measure of damages or legal rule by which such damages may be measured. We think said charge is a correct application of the law to the facts of this case, in the main. The court did use the word “find” where “finding” should have been used, and the word “cause” where “result” should have been used; but evidently the jury was not misled or confused by these verbal inaccuracies. No reversible error is shown. We overrule this assignment.

Under other assignments, appellant contends that as appellee left its car at Dunlap voluntarily, it was not liable, and the court erred in refusing to instruct in its favor. Appellee boarded appellant’s car at Italy for Center Point, prepared and intending to pay her fare to said point, and thereby became a passenger, entitled to that high degree of care due by the carrier to its passengers. According to the findings of the jury, by reason of the negligence of the motorman she was not permitted to alight at Center Point, where she was acquainted and where relatives were to meet her, but was carried on past said station, and was then presented with the alternative of getting off at the next flag station, about 730 yards from Center Point, and walking back to said station, or being carried on to Milford, where she was not acquainted and had no relatives, and waiting for another local car back to Center Point. She testified she had no money to pay her fare back to Center Point. It was her right to go back, and the question of whether or not, in getting off at Dunlap and walking back to Center Point, she acted as a person of ordinary prudence, was a question of fact for the determination of the jury. The court was correct in refusing appellant’s peremptory instruction on the grounds stated. These assignments are overruled. G., H. & H. Ry. Co. v. Crispi et ux., 73 Tex. 236, 11 S. W. 187; St. Louis S. W. Ry. Co. v. Ricketts, 96 Tex. 68, 79 S. W. 315; St. Louis S. W. Ry. Co. v. Pranks, 52 Tex. Civ. App. 614, 114 S. W. 874.

Under other assignments, appellant contends the court erred in refusing to instruct a verdict in its favor on the ground that the evidence failed to show that appellant was in any way connected with the operation of the- car in question. J. E. Haynie, a witness for appellant, testified as follows:

“I am a conductor on the Texas Electric Railway — interurban—and have been- about three years. I remember the time Mrs. Lillie Shelton claims she was on a car on February 5, 1923, getting on at Italy and wanting to get off at Center Point and was carried by the station. I was conductor on the car. I did not know Mrs. Shelton and do not remember seeing her on the car that night before I had a conversation with her. * * * She said she wanted to get off at Center Point.”

This ease proceeded in the trial court as though no issue was made and no contest had with respect to the matter of ownership or operation of said .car by appellant, and this being true, full proof of this apparently un-controverted or conceded fact is not required and slight evidence tending to support the inference that appellant owns or operates the road will be sufficient. Dallas Ry. Co. v. Warlick (Tex. Civ. App.) 268 S. W. 512, and cases there cited. The above evidence of the witness Hhynie is sufficient to show that appellant owned or operated the car at the time complained of by appellée.

Also, we think, this court judicially knows that the Texas Electric Railway, appellant, extends from Dallas to Waco, and passes through Italy and Milford, and that it is the only interurban that does pass through said towns. 23 C. J. p. 87, § 1877, and cases cited. This assignment is overruled.

Under appellant’s seventh proposition, it complains of the action of the trial court in admitting in evidence, over its objection, the evidence of Ed Shelton, as follows:

“I could hear Mrs.

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

Related

Houston Press Co. v. Bawden Bros., Inc.
51 S.W.2d 438 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1932)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
286 S.W. 526, 1926 Tex. App. LEXIS 676, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/texas-electric-ry-v-shelton-texapp-1926.