Toledo, St. Louis & Kansas City Railroad v. Milligan

28 N.E. 1019, 2 Ind. App. 578, 1891 Ind. App. LEXIS 216
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedOctober 29, 1891
DocketNo. 279
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 28 N.E. 1019 (Toledo, St. Louis & Kansas City Railroad v. Milligan) 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
Toledo, St. Louis & Kansas City Railroad v. Milligan, 28 N.E. 1019, 2 Ind. App. 578, 1891 Ind. App. LEXIS 216 (Ind. Ct. App. 1891).

Opinion

Robinson, J.

This action was commenced by the appellee against the appellant.

The material averments contained in the complaint were that the appellant’s railroad track was constructed through Studabaker’s west addition to the town of Bluffton, in Wells county, Indiana; that said railroad, and track thereon, ran across and over a public highway, known as Wabash street, and upon which it was the duty of the appellant to construct and keep in repair a safe and proper crossing for the use of the travelling public; that appellant so negligently and carelessly constructed said crossing of said street over its said railroad track that the same was dangerous and unsafe for teams hauling wagons, horses, and other animals and vehicles to pass over it, and permitted the same negligently so to remain, and being in that condition on the 27th day of May, 1889, appellee on said day not knowing the dangerous and unsafe condition thereof, appellee’s horse was being ridden across said railroad track, on, over and upon said street crossing by his employee and servant in a proper and careful manner, when, without any fault of appellee or his said employee, and on account of said defective and dangerous crossing, one of the feet of said horse of the appellee was caught in a space improperly between the iron on one side of the railroad track and the boards of the said crossing and became fast therein, and in trying to extricate itself therefrom, without any fault of appellee or his said employee, was violently thrown down, by reason of which his foot was violently wrenched, torn and injured, and said [580]*580horse, which was of the value of one hundred and fifty dollars, was thereby rendered wholly worthless, to appellee’s damage of one hundred and fifty dollars, which wras caused by the negligence and carelessness of the appellant as aforesaid, and wholly without any fault or negligence of the appellee. Wherefore, demand for judgment, etc.

The appellant demurred to the complaint, which was overruled and an exception taken.

The answer was general denial.

The cause was tried by a jury, resulting in a verdict for the appellee, and judgment was rendered on the verdict, over a motion for a new trial.

Under the assignment of errors the appellant claims:

First. The court erred in overruling the demurrer to the complaint.

Second. The court erred in overruling the motion for a new trial.

The counsel for the appellant fail, in argument, to point out any reason why the complaint was insufficient or defective. The complaint was clearly sufficient, and the demurrer to it was correctly overruled.

Under the causes assigned in the motion for a new trial, counsel for appellant direct our attention to the alleged error of the trial court in admitting and refusing to admit certain evidence, and in the giving of certain instructions to the jury.

Appellant claims that the court erred in permitting counsel for the appellee to propound to Henry Thorpe, a witness on behalf of the appellee, on direct examination, the following question:

“ What, if any, accident happened to Montgomery’s team by getting their feet fast, and how long before May last was it ? ”

The court permitted the witness to answer the question, but guarded the inquiry by stating at the time that the evidence was admitted upon the question of notice and for no [581]*581other purpose. The answer of the witness to the question, taken in connection with the other testimony given by him, tended to show the defective condition of the crossing over the appellant’s road at the point where the appellee’s horse was injured some months previous to such injury, and the fact that one of the horses driven by the witness was caught in the same way and at the same place the foot of appellee’s horse was caught. As before stated, this evidence was admitted upon the question of notice and for no other purpose.

The court also, among the instructions given to the jury, charged them that the evidence was admitted only upon the question of notice, and for no other purpose, and could not be considered by them for any other purpose. The evidence was so carefully guarded by the court when admitted, and by instructions, that the jury could not have been misled, or left in doubt, as to its purpose. There was no error committed by the court in its rulings on this evidence. Pittsburgh, etc., R. W. Co. v. Ruby, 38 Ind. 294; City of Delphi v. Lowery, 74 Ind. 520.

The appellant claims that the court erred in refusing to permit certain questions to be asked of William Dooly, a witness in its behalf, and in allowing the appellee to ask said witness, on cross-examination, a question in the nature of an impeaching question. It is not necessary to set out the points of objection as to the ruling of the court upon the testimony of this witness, for the reason that after the court sustained the objection of the appellee to the two questions propounded by the appellant to this witness, the appellant was permitted to ask the witness, in effect, the same questions to which the court had sustained the appellee’s objection, and the witness was permitted to answer each of said questions without objection, and the same facts were as fully elicited from the witness under said questions as could have been elicited under the questions to which objection was sustained. The answer of the witness to the question on cross-[582]*582examination was taken as true. It did not harm the appellant, as there was no effort made by appellee to contradict the witness in his answer to the question on cross-examination, although the question was a competent one. There was nothing in the rulings on the evidence of this witness of which appellant can complain.

The last contention of the appellant is that the court erred in giving to the jury instructions numbered four, five, six, nine, ten, and eleven, as follows :

“4th. If you find from the evidence that the space necessary for flange-way in said crossing should be only three inches, and if you further find that plaintiff’s horse was injured, as alleged, by getting his foot fast in such flange-way in said crossing, and that said space thereon where he got his foot in and was injured, was at the time more than three inches wide, and wider than was necessary for proper flange-way of the cars of defendant passing over its road, you are authorized from these facts to find that said crossing was not in proper condition for the safe passage of horses ridden or driven across the same, ancl that the defendant was negligent in so permitting same to remain in that condition before and at the time the plaintiff’s horse was injured.”
5th. The court instructed the jury “ that if they found from the evidence that defendant did so leave said space between the plank and iron wider than was so necessary, and that in consequence thereof plaintiff’s horse got his foot fast therein, and was injured without any fault or negligence of plaintiff or his employee, Bender, your verdict should be for the plaintiff for the injury so sustained by him.
“ 6th.

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

Related

Kelsay v. Chicago, Cincinnati & Louisville Railroad
81 N.E. 522 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1907)
Graham v. Chicago, Indianapolis & Louisville Railway Co.
77 N.E. 57 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1906)
Indianapolis Street Railway Co. v. Dawson
68 N.E. 909 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1903)
Spencer v. McLean
50 N.E. 769 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1898)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
28 N.E. 1019, 2 Ind. App. 578, 1891 Ind. App. LEXIS 216, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/toledo-st-louis-kansas-city-railroad-v-milligan-indctapp-1891.