Texas & P. Ry. Co. v. Thompson

286 S.W. 536, 1926 Tex. App. LEXIS 681
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMay 1, 1926
DocketNo. 9630.
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 286 S.W. 536 (Texas & P. Ry. Co. v. Thompson) 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 & P. Ry. Co. v. Thompson, 286 S.W. 536, 1926 Tex. App. LEXIS 681 (Tex. Ct. App. 1926).

Opinion

JONES, C. J.

V. C. Thompson and his wife, BIrs. V. C. Thompson, in a suit as joint plaintiffs, recovered judgment in the district court of Van Zandt county against appellant, Texas & Pacific Railway Company, in the sum of '$8,000, as damages for personal injuries received by BIrs. Thompson while she was a passenger on one of appellant’s trains. An appeal has been duly perfected to this court. For convenience, BIrs. Thompson will be hereinafter referred to as appel-lee.

On the occasion in question, appellee had become a passenger on appellant’s train, and was’proceeding from her home in Van Zandt county to the city of Dallas. About 7 miles out from the Union Terminal Station in said city, while the train on which appellee was a passenger was passing T. & P. Junction, a head-end collision occurred between said train and one of appellant’s freight trains, and, as a result, appellee sustained serious and permanent injuries. At said T. & P. Junction appellant’s east-bound trains passed upon a terminal track owned by the Southern Pacific Railway Company, but on this portion of said track, unless in an exceptional case, only appellant’s trains were operated. All of appellant’s regular in-coming trains *537 were operated on tMs terminal track into saicl Union Terminal Station, and all of appellant’s east-bound out-going trains from said station were operated on tbis track to said T. & P. Junction, where they entered upon appellant’s track. While appellant’s trains were on this terminal track they were operated under train orders issued by dispatchers in the service of the Southern Pacific Bailway Company. At the time in question, appellant had a telegraph operator at Orphans’ Home, three miles east of T. & P. Junction. The telegraph operator at T. & P. Junction was in the joint service of appellant and said Southern Pacific Bailway Company. The latter company had a telegraph operator at Briggs and at Metzger’s, distant about one and four miles, respectively, west of said T. & P. Junction. The collision occurred at about 8:25 a. m. on February 23, 1925. Semaphores are maintained and operate at all of these stations except Orphans’ Home. The operator at T. & P. Junction was informed of the time of the arrival of the passenger train at Orphans’ Home and of the time of the arrival of the freight train at Metzger’s. Under the direction of said operator, the engineer and conductor of the passenger train were each issued a warning card at Orphans’ Home, directing the train to approach T. & P. Junction under control, expecting to find the freight train in block at said junction on main line, backing in. A similar warning card was handed by said operator to the engineer at T. & P. Junction, and the operator was waiting to hand a copy of this warning to the coductor from the rear of the train when it reached him, when the collision occurred. The said operator, when he left his desk on the arrival of said passenger train to deliver said warning cards, did not look to see whether the east-bound freight train had shown up or not, and the first attention he gave to see whether said train was approaching his station was after he heard the collision. This collision occurred bout 2y2 car lengths west of the station at T. & P^ Junction. The speed of the passenger train at the time of the collision was placed by the said operator at 7 miles an hour, and by a passenger on the train at 15 miles per hour.

The petition alleged that:

“Defendant, its said agents and servants, were guilty of the following negligent acts which, acting alone and concurrently, proximately caused said wreck and injuries to said plaintiff as hereinafter alleged:
“(1) Defendants, its agents and servants in charge of the operation and movement of said train, whereupon plaintiff was riding as its passenger, negligently caused, suffered,' and allowed .the said two trains to run on. the same track in opposite directions, and negligently allowed, caused, suffered, and permitted the same to collide together, thereby causing said wreck and the plaintiff’s injuries.
“(2) Defendant’s said agents and servants, in charge of and directing the signals .and signal contrivances along said track, negligently failed to so operate them as to stop said trains and avoid said head-on collision.
“(3) Defendant’s said agents and servants operating said train whereupon plaintiff was a passenger, negligently failed to keep and maintain a reasonable and proper lookout and ascertain the approach of said other t-rain in time to avoid said collision, which they could and would have, done but for said negligence.
“(4) Defendant negligently caused, suffered, and permitted the brakes and breaking apparatus on said train whereupon plaintiff was a passenger to be and become dismantled, defective, and inefficient, so that the same would not be properly applied to stop said train to avoid said collision.
’ “(5) Defendant’s said agents and servants negligently failed, by proper train orders or otherwise, to properly apprise the engine men and train crew of said train whereon plaintiff was its passenger of the fact that said other train was using said' track and moving toward said train whereon plaintiff was a passenger in close proximity théreto.
“(6) Defendant’s said agents and servants operating said engine negligently failed to apply the brakes on said engine and train whereon plaintiff was a passenger in time to cause the same to stop before said collision.
“(7) Defendant’s said agents and servants in charge of its switches, switch and signal towers, and interlocking contrivances negligently permitted and caused said two trains to run on the same track in opposite directions in close proximity to each other, resulting in said head-on collision, and negligently failed to so operate said switches and contrivances as to prevent the same.”

Appellant’s pleading consisted of a general demurrer and a general denial. The case was tried to a jury, and, after the evidence was concluded, appellant requested peremp■tory instruction in its favor, which was denied. The court submitted appellee’s claim of negligence on the part of appellant, as follows :

“Did the defendant company, its agents and servants, at the time and on the occasion in question, exercise that high degree of care and caution for the safety of plaintiff Mrs. Y. O. Thompson which a very cautious and prudent' person would have exercised for her safety under the same or similar circumstances?”

In connection with the submission of this issue, the court defined the degree of care owed by a carrier to its passenger, and submitted the following issue:

“Was the failure, if any, of the defendant company, its agents and servants, to exercise such high degree of care for the safety of plaintiff Mrs. Y. 0. Thompson the proximate cause of her injury, if any?”

In connection with the submission of this issue the court correctly defined “proximate cause.” The jury answered both of these questions in the affirmative. The only objection urged by appellant to the manner im which these issues were submitted was that they *538

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Bluebook (online)
286 S.W. 536, 1926 Tex. App. LEXIS 681, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/texas-p-ry-co-v-thompson-texapp-1926.