Verble v. Schaff

251 S.W. 1023
Texas Commission of Appeals·Decided May 30, 1923·No. No. 434-3804·Published·Cited by 12 cases

Opinion

RANDOLPH, J.

The plaintiff in error brought this suit in the district court against the defendant as receiver of the Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railway Company of Texas for damages for personal injuries. Plaintiff recovered judgment in the trial, court, and this judgment was by the Court of Civil Appeals reversed and remanded. 240 S. W. 597. Writ of error was granted by the Supreme Court, with the following notation:

“We are not certain that the Court of Civil Appeals is right in holding that the issue of discovered peril was not raised by 'the evidence.”

The Court of Civil Appeals did not render the judgment, only reversed it, but in sp doing they sustained the defendant’s contention that the question of discovered peril was not in the case. In his first proposition under the assignments of error, the defendant in error, as plaintiff in error in the Court of Civil Appeals, presented to that court as error the trial court’s action in refusing to instruct a verdict for the defendant upon the following grounds: That the uncontradicted facts show, as a matter of law, that plaintiff’s injuries resulted directly and entirely from his own negligence, and that defendant’s employees involved in the accident were guilty of no negligence whatever that caused or contributed to the accident, and that it was shown as a matter of law that:

“Neither the fireman nor the engineer ever discovered plaintiff’s danger in time to avoid the accident or lessen the injury.”

The plaintiff in his petition had pleaded “discovered peril,” and the jury, by their answer to a special issue, had found that the fireman and engineer had discovered the approach of plaintiff to the railway crossing, and his danger, in time to have avoided the collision. Preparatory to the discussion of the evidence, the Court of Civil Appeals in their .opinion say:

“The first, second, and third assignments complain of the refusal of the court at appellant’s request to instruct a verdict for it, and refusal to set aside the verdict and grant, a new trial. Relegating the -discussion of the assignments and propositions in detail, the important question here is whether the appellee has established a case of liability as a matter of law. This of course is looking at it from the standpoint of the facts introduced. The only direct testimony offered to the accident is by the. appellant himself. His statement is supported by no other witness as to the accident, but, on the contrary, is contradicted by the overwhelming preponderance of testimony of all the other witnesses who witnessed the collision.”

And after a lengthy discussion of the evidence, the Court of-Civil Appeals conclude their opinion with this disposition, of the case:

“We. have carefully read all the propositions qnd assignments presented, and do not think from the view we take of this case it is necessary to discuss them, as they may not again arise, and confine our opinion to the question presented, that the court erred in not . setting aside the verdict of the jury and granting a new trial. This ground is well taken. We are unwilling to let this judgment stand, and hereby reverse the judgment and remand this case for another trial.”

From this statement and disposition of the case quoted, it is apparent that the Court of Civil Appeals held that as a matter of law the defendant’s fireman and engineer did not discover the peril of plaintiff in time to have avoided injuring him'; hence that discovered peril was not made án issue in the case by the evidence. To our minds the uncontra-dicted evidence of the engineer presented this issue to the jury.

The plaintiff was riding a motorcycle at a rate of speed minimized by him in his testi[1024] mony at 15 miles an hour on his approach to the crossing. From his standpoint he was guilty of no negligence. From the standpoint of defendant’s evidence he was clearly guilty of negligence. According to the testimony of defendant’s witnesses, the plaintiff was rapidly advancing to the crossing at the rate of 30 to 35 miles an hour, nearly running over the watchman, who was holding up and waving his “stop” signal, and who had to run to get out of the plaintiff’s way, as plaintiff, having discovered his peril, attempted to circle in a last-minute effort to avoid the collision. The engineer testified that he was backing his engine to the crossing, drawing a caboose after him, at the time that the plaintiff ran into the tender and that his engine was running about 5 miles an hour. Upon the question as to when he discovered the plaintiff and as to whether he had time to stop and to avoid injuring plaintiff the engineer testified:

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Verble v. Schaff, 251 S.W. 1023 (Tex. Super. Ct. 1923).

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