Van Brunt v. Cincinnati, Jackson & Mackinaw Railroad

44 N.W. 321, 78 Mich. 530, 1889 Mich. LEXIS 870
CourtMichigan Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 28, 1889
StatusPublished
Cited by25 cases

This text of 44 N.W. 321 (Van Brunt v. Cincinnati, Jackson & Mackinaw Railroad) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Michigan Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Van Brunt v. Cincinnati, Jackson & Mackinaw Railroad, 44 N.W. 321, 78 Mich. 530, 1889 Mich. LEXIS 870 (Mich. 1889).

Opinion

Morse, J.

William H. Yan Brunt, the plaintiff’s intestate, while in the employ of the defendant as brakeman on a freight train, ivas crushed between defendant’s caboose car No. 86 and caboose car No. 88, on January 1, 1888, at Marshall, and died from his injuries on the [531]*531next day, about five hours after the injury. The administrator brought suit to recover damages on account of such injury and death. The court below directed a verdict for the defendant. The court based its direction, among other things, upon the ground that no damages were shown.

The declaration was in four counts, in each of which it was alleged that the claim for damages was expressly based upon sections 7 and 8 of article 5 of an act entitled — ■

“An act to revise the laws providing for the incorporation of railroad companies, and to regulate the running and management, and to fix the duties and liabilities, of all railroad and other corporations owning or operating any railroad in this State,”—

Approved May 1, 1873, as amended, and also pursuant to an act entitled—

‘An act requiring compensation for causing death by wrongful act, neglect, or default,”—

Approved February 12, 1848, as amended. Sections 7 and 8 of article 5 of the railroad act, above referred to, are sections 3391 and 3392, How. Stat., and the act of 1848, as amended, is found in How. Stat. §§ 8313 and 8314.

After the counsel for plaintiff had opened the case to the jury, and before any witnesses were sworn in the case, the court asked counsel for plaintiff, in substance, upon what section of the statute this suit was based; and also whether deceased was a married man, or had any person dependent upon him for support; whether he had any family; who were the relations of the deceased. Counsel replied, in substance, that the suit was based on sections 3391 and 3392, How. Stat.; 'that the deceased was an unmarried man, about 22 years of age, and had no one dependent upon him; and that whatever damages were [532]*532recovered would go to the administrator, to be distributed under the statute of distribution of this State; and that his father would be the proper distributee. The court then, in like manner, asked:

“ What do you, then, claim to be the measure of damages?”

Counsel replied:

Just what the. statute says, viz., whatever the jury may deem just, and fair.”

The court then called counsel's attention to the case of Chicago & N. W. Ry. Co. v. Bayfield, 37 Mich. 205, and stated:

“This case seems to make a limitation upon that statute; and I call your attention to it because the question has been up before, and it seems to me to be a question of what the distributees might reasonably have expected to recover or receive during the life-time of deceased. What I seek to bring out is the question which will undoubtedly arise in this case, as to what the rule will be upon which the jury will assess damages, and its limits. From the statement that they are to render such damages as they shall deem fair and just, I think there should be some limitation to that. If there were no persons who had any reasonable expectation of receiving any benefit during his life, I don't know why it wouldn't go to the whole cause of action.”

The counsel for plaintiff, Mr. Patterson, then stated that the case cited was under the general law (referring to sections 8313 and 8314, How. Stat.), and that the present action was under the railroad law, which was broader. The court stated that he brought the subject up at that time so that it need not be a surprise to any one.

The proof showed that the deceased was a young man, unmarried, and about twenty-two years of age at the time of his death. No evidence was given that he left any next of kin surviving him; but -it appears in the record that a [533]*533brother of his was sworn as a witness, and the statement was made by counsel, as above shown, in answer to the query of the court,—

“That he had no one dependent upon him, and that whatever damages were recovered would go to the administrator, to be distributed under the statute of distribution of this State; and that his father would be the proper distributee."

For the purposes of this case, therefore, we shall assume that it appeared that he had a father and a brother, but that no one was dependent upon him for support. It was also shown that the bill of the physician who attended him was $1, and his funeral expenses amounted to about $60; but it was not shown that any of his next of kin paid these charges, or were liable to pay them, or that decedent's estate was not ample to meet them. It was also shown that he was a healthy man, of good habits, and earning at the time $50 per month. After the proofs were closed, and the court had intimated his purpose to take the case from the jury on the ground that no damages were shown, the court asked counsel for plaintiff if he cared to make further proofs on that subject, and counsel replied that he did not think it was required under the statute; that it was a matter for the jury.

Sections 3391 and 3392, How. Stat. pp. 869, 870, are as follows:

“ Section 3891. (§ 7). Whenever the death of a person shall be caused by wrongful act, neglect, or default of any railroad company, or its agents, and the act, neglect, or default is such as would (if death had not ensued) entitle the party injured to maintain an action and recover damages in respect thereof, then, and in every such case, the railroad corporation which would have been liable if death had not ensued shall be liable to an action on the case for damages, notwithstanding the death of the person so injured, and although the death shall have been caused under such circumstances as amount in law to felony.
[534]*534'‘ Section 3392. (§ 8). Every such action shall be brought by and in the names of the personal representatives of such deceased person, and the amount recovered in any such' action shall be distributed to the persons and in the proportion provided by law in relation to the distribution of personal property left by persons dying intestate; and in every such action the jury may give such amount of damages as they shall deem fair and just to the persons who may be entitled to such damages when recovered: Provided, nothing herein contained shall affect any suit or proceedings heretofore commenced and now pending in any of the courts of this State.”

These sections are found in the general railroad law as revised in 1873. Previous to this revision the statute provided (Comp. Laws 1871, § 2351) that the damages should be assessed with reference—

" To the pecuniary injuries resulting from such death to the wife and next of kin of such deceased person.”

It was held in this Court, under the statute as it then existed, that the measure of such pecuniary injury would be the loss by 'the death of what the family was accustomed to receive, or had reasonable expectations of' receiving, in his life-time. Chicago & N. W. Ry. Co. v. Bayfield, 37 Mich. 214, 215.

In this case it was not shown that the deceased had ever contributed any of his earnings to any of his next of' kin, or that it was expected that he would do so in the future, had he lived.

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

Related

Breckon v. Franklin Fuel Co.
174 N.W.2d 836 (Michigan Supreme Court, 1970)
Currie v. Fiting
134 N.W.2d 611 (Michigan Supreme Court, 1965)
Armentrout v. Hughes
101 S.E.2d 793 (Supreme Court of North Carolina, 1958)
Courtney v. Apple
76 N.W.2d 80 (Michigan Supreme Court, 1956)
Baker v. Slack
30 N.W.2d 403 (Michigan Supreme Court, 1948)
Bricker v. Green
21 N.W.2d 105 (Michigan Supreme Court, 1946)
In Re Venneman's Estate
282 N.W. 180 (Michigan Supreme Court, 1938)
Pratt v. Detroit Taxicab & Transfer Co.
195 N.W. 691 (Michigan Supreme Court, 1923)
Ormsbee v. Grand Trunk Western Railway Co.
164 N.W. 408 (Michigan Supreme Court, 1917)
Richardson v. Detroit & Mackinac Railway Co.
142 N.W. 832 (Michigan Supreme Court, 1913)
M'Coullough v. Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway Co.
160 Iowa 524 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1913)
Jacksonville Electric Co. v. Bowden
54 Fla. 461 (Supreme Court of Florida, 1907)
Rouse v. Detroit Electric Railway
87 N.W. 68 (Michigan Supreme Court, 1901)
Sweetland v. Chicago & Grand Trunk Railway Co.
43 L.R.A. 568 (Michigan Supreme Court, 1898)
Walker v. Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railway Co.
69 N.W. 1114 (Michigan Supreme Court, 1897)
Nelson v. Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railway Co.
62 N.W. 993 (Michigan Supreme Court, 1895)
Smith v. Chicago, Mil. & St. P. Ry. Co.
28 L.R.A. 573 (South Dakota Supreme Court, 1895)
Klepsch v. Donald
30 P. 991 (Washington Supreme Court, 1892)
Richmond v. Chicago & West Michigan Railway Co.
49 N.W. 621 (Michigan Supreme Court, 1891)
Hurst v. Detroit City Railway
48 N.W. 44 (Michigan Supreme Court, 1891)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
44 N.W. 321, 78 Mich. 530, 1889 Mich. LEXIS 870, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/van-brunt-v-cincinnati-jackson-mackinaw-railroad-mich-1889.