Woodrow v. Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad

60 N.W.2d 49, 239 Minn. 530, 1953 Minn. LEXIS 658
CourtSupreme Court of Minnesota
DecidedJuly 3, 1953
Docket35,984
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 60 N.W.2d 49 (Woodrow v. Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Minnesota primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Woodrow v. Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad, 60 N.W.2d 49, 239 Minn. 530, 1953 Minn. LEXIS 658 (Mich. 1953).

Opinion

Frank T. Gallagher, Justice.

This action, based upon the federal employers’ liability act (45 USCA, §§ 51 to 60) and the boiler inspection act (45 USCA, §§22 to 34), was brought by plaintiff, a locomotive engineer employed by defendant, to recover for personal injuries alleged to have been suffered by plaintiff during a run on defendant’s railroad from Laredo, Missouri, to Ottumwa, Iowa. Plaintiff claimed that various defects in the engine or its appurtenances furnished by defendant proximately caused the injuries alleged. Defendant denied both liability and the extent of the injuries claimed. The action was *532 tried in district court before a jury, which returned a verdict of $86,560 for plaintiff. Thereafter, defendant moved for an order for judgment notwithstanding the verdict or for a new trial. The trial court, in its order of October 8, 1952, granted a new trial unless plaintiff, within 20 days from the date of the order, filed with the clerk of court his written consent that the verdict of the jury be reduced from $86,560 to $60,000. The order provided that in the event plaintiff consented to the reduction defendant’s motion “will stand denied.” On October 17, 1952, plaintiff and his attorneys consented in writing to a reduction of the verdict to $60,000, whereupon this appeal was taken.

Plaintiff claims that he was injured on November 12, 1919, while working for defendant as an engineer in operating engine No. 180 hauling about 70 cars from Laredo, Missouri, to Ottumwa, Iowa. The train left Laredo about 1:30 p. m. Having first stopped at Osgood, about 13 miles away, and Newton, about 26 miles away, it then stopped at Powersville, Missouri, some 39 miles from Laredo. The engine was not steaming as it should have been, and at Osgood the fireman cleaned the fire by opening the grates and knocking out the clinkers. It appears that, after this was done, he straightened the grates and shoved the coal on ahead, resulting in practically a new fire. This operation took about 15 minutes. The fireman took another 30 minutes to clean the fire at Newton, and the train arrived at Powersville about 7:15 that evening.

The train came into Powersville on the main line and then went over onto a passing track to permit a passenger extra to go by. The steam was down, and, since the fireman said that he was tired, plaintiff, who had been employed by defendant for 27 years, told the fireman to go down on the ground and clean the pans and that he would clean the fire for him. Plaintiff testified that he then started to clean the fire. In doing this he opened and closed the grates with a shaker bar by putting it down on the lugs. He said that he had finished cleaning three of the grates, had closed them, and was cleaning the last one on the fireman’s side when the alleged accident occurred.

*533 Plaintiff claims that the shaker bar was put on in the regular and usual manner and was down on the lugs as far as it could go; that there was some slack in the shaker bar where it normally fits tight; and that it was loose enough “so you could jiggle your shaker bar.” He cleaned the clinkers out, shoved the live coal ahead onto the front section, and saw that everything had been removed from that section of the grate. He said that his next job was to close the grate; that he tried to pull the shaker bar to close the grate; that he had his hands on the top part of the shaker bar; and that he was facing toward the tender, his feet spread to brace himself on the deck of the engine and his back toward the boiler. He then took hold of the top of the shaker bar, got all the slack he could by pushing it in the forward motion, and pulled back toward' the boiler with all his strength. As he was doing this the shaker bar came loose with a sudden, violent, unexpected motion, throwing him up against the boiler head. He said that it threw him a distance of about five feet; that the shaker bar came off the lug so that he had it in his hand; and that the lower part of his back hit against the boiler. He claimed that over a period of 32 or 33 years as a fireman and engineer he had operated thousands of shaker bars and had opened and closed grates on engines “tens of thousands of times.” He mentioned that he was supposed to carry 200 pounds of steam on the engine; that it had been considerably lower than that on the trip; and that that was the reason they had to have the fire cleaned on the various occasions above referred to.

According to plaintiff, the accident occurred between 8:30 and 9:30 in the evening. After the accident the dispatcher instructed the train crew to leave the train at Powersville and go into Ottumwa with just the engine and caboose and they arrived at Ottumwa about one o’clock in the morning and on the roundhouse track about 1:20 a. m. He testified that after placing his engine in the west yard he reported to the roundhouse foreman, told him about his injury, and got an order to go to the company doctor. He reported to the foreman that the engine was not steaming but was leaking and that the shaker bar did not fit the grates properly. *534 He claims that he was in great pain during the trip and after he got home that night; that his wife put hot packs on his hack and he had a restless night; and that he went to the company doctor, Dr. Nelson, in the forenoon of November 13. He said that the doctor gave him “some shots in the back”; taped his back; and told him to use some hot packs, to be careful, and that it would be all right for him “to go ahead and go to work.” He resumed work until December 23, 1949, during which time he claims that he saw the doctor “every several days.” He said that his back continued to be very sore and to give him trouble and that when he went to the doctor the latter would tape his back and give him some pills.

Plaintiff testified that on December 23 he went to work at Ottumwa and when he arrived at Laredo he was in such pain it was necessary for him to lay off and “deadhead” back to Ottumwa. On January 18, 1950, he was admitted to Wesley Memorial Hospital in Chicago, where he consulted with a Dr. Metz and other doctors and where he remained for approximately 30 days, during which time he received massage and pills and had a rectal operation. After returning from Chicago, he resumed work on February 28, 1950, got a body brace in April, and continued to work until August 28, 1950. He went to the Ottumwa Hospital about September 1, 1950, and was there for about a week, during which time he was in traction with a series of pulleys and weights attached to a rope. About the middle of September he again went to Wesley Memorial Hospital in Chicago and consulted with Dr. Metz. He remained until December 1950 receiving massage, medication, and sedatives. He returned to Ottumwa in December 1950 and claims that he remained under the care of Dr. Nelson until the time of trial.

Eobert Boyd, Jr., the fireman on engine No. 480 on the day of the claimed accident, testified that he used the shaker bar in question on all four of the grate lugs on the engine that day, both before and after the time plaintiff claims that he was injured, but that he did not recall having any trouble with it. He said also that as far as he knew the shaker bar was in good condition.

*535 Defendant assigns as error: (1) The denial of its motion for a directed verdict; (2) failure to give requested instructions Nos.

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Lee v. Smith
92 N.W.2d 117 (Supreme Court of Minnesota, 1958)
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91 N.W.2d 166 (Supreme Court of Minnesota, 1958)
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Woodrow v. Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad
61 N.W.2d 240 (Supreme Court of Minnesota, 1953)

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Bluebook (online)
60 N.W.2d 49, 239 Minn. 530, 1953 Minn. LEXIS 658, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/woodrow-v-chicago-milwaukee-st-paul-pacific-railroad-minn-1953.