Zumault v. Kansas City Suburban Belt Railroad

74 S.W. 1015, 175 Mo. 288, 1903 Mo. LEXIS 62
CourtSupreme Court of Missouri
DecidedJune 9, 1903
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 74 S.W. 1015 (Zumault v. Kansas City Suburban Belt Railroad) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Missouri primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Zumault v. Kansas City Suburban Belt Railroad, 74 S.W. 1015, 175 Mo. 288, 1903 Mo. LEXIS 62 (Mo. 1903).

Opinion

BURGESS, J. J.

— This is an action for, twenty thousand dollars damages alleged to have been sustained by plaintiff on the night of the second day of August, 1895, by reason of the negligence of defendants.

The petition alleges: •

“That on the dates hereinafter mentioned the said Kansas City, Missouri, was and for many years prior thereto had been a municipal corporation duly created, organized and existing under and by virtue of the laws of the State of Missouri. That from the eastern limits of Kansas City, Missouri, to the Grand Central depot in said city, both defendants herein at all the times herein mentioned, ever since have and now use and occupy the same tracks, depots and platforms and the depot and platform hereinafter mentioned. That the defendants constructed a depot and platform on said railway at a point called Elmdale within the corporate [294]*294limits of said city for the use and convenience of their .passengers traveling on said roads, and the same were used for said pnrposés on the dates hereinafter mentioned. That on the second day of August, 1895, at about fifteen minutes after eleven o’clock p. m. plaintiff went to said station and depot for the purpose óf taking passage on one of defendant’s trains east to a station on said railroad called Milwaukee; that upon his arrival at said station plaintiff sat down upon said platform and while he was in that position, and in the exercise of ordinary care and diligence, a train from the west, composed of a locomotive and cars propelled by steam, managed, operated and propelled by defendants, their agents and servants, carelessly and negligently .struck plaintiff on the left side of the head, mashing and splintering the skull, and otherwise seri-. ously and permanently injuring plaintiff as hereinafter stated. That the injuries received by plaintiff as aforesaid were caused by the wrongful act, negligence, carelessness, unskillfulness and default of the defendants, in this: that the servants and agents and employees of defendants at the time and place when and where plaintiff was injured as aforesaid, and whilst so running, conducting and managing* said locomotive and cars thereto attached, negligently and carelessly and unskillfully failed to give warning by the ringing of' the bell or the.blowing of the whistle to plaintiff of the approach of said locomotive and cars thereto attached, as it was their duty to do, after they knew, or by the' use of ordinary care might have known, of the danger to which plaintiff was- exposed; that at the time and place aforesaid, the agents and servants and employees of defendants whilst running, managing and conducting said locomotive and cars thereto attached, negligently, carelessly and unskillfully struck and injured plaintiff when they knew, or by the exercise of. ordinary care might have known of the danger to which plaintiff was exposed; that at the time plaintiff was [295]*295injured as aforesaid, the servants, agents and employees of the defendants whilst running, conducting and managing said locomotive and cars thereto attached, negligently, carelessly and unskillfully failed to stop said locomotive and cars in time to avoid collision with plaintiff after they knew, or by the use of ordinary care might have known of the danger in which plaintiff was placed; that the defendants had carelessly and negligently permitted the weeds on their right of way, on the south side of their south track, and west of said depot and platform, to grow so high that they obstructed the view of an approaching train from the west to a passenger on said platform, and obstructed the view of defendants ’ agents and servants in charge and control of the train which struck plain-, tiff, and said agents and servants were thereby prevented from seeing the plaintiff in time to have' avoided the accident; that defendants carelessly and negligently used and maintained said depot and platform on the night aforesaid without having any light in or about the same; that defendants carelessly and negligently constructed the same so near the track of said railway that parts of the engine and cars of defendants, would pass over said platform made for the use and occupancy of the passengers, and carelessly and negligently maintained, caused to be maintained and suffered and permitted said platform to.be used and remain in such dangerous condition at the times aforesaid, when they knew of its dangerous condition or by the exercise of ordinary care might have known of its dangerous condition. That by reason of the injuries aforesaid it became necessary to remove a large amount of plaintiff’s skull and brains, on the left side of his head, and the same was .removed, and plaintiff’s mind was permanently injured and affected, so that he can never recover proper use of the same, and by reason and means whereof plaintiff’s nervous system was. [296]*296greatly and permanently injured and impaired, causing plaintiff to become sick, weak, and permanently disabled and debilitated, and to suffer from constant and serious nervous diseases and disorders, and permanently and seriously impaired the bearing of Ms left ear; and by means and'by reason whereof plaintiff was greatly, seriously and permanently disabled for life. That by reason and in consequence of the injuries inflicted upon, and sustained by, plaintiff as aforesaid, through the negligence, recklessness and unskillfulness and carelessness of defendants as aforesaid, and without any negligence on Ms part, plaintiff has suffered, and still suffers, and will ever continue to suffer great pain and discomfort, and has been, and will ever be hindered, disabled, disqualified and prevented from transacting and attending to his business and affairs, to the damage of plaintiff in the sum of nineteen thousand five hundred dollars. That by reason of the injuries to plaintiff as aforesaid, he has been compelled to expend, and has expended, and will continue to expend large sums of money for medical attendance, hospital bills, medicines, nursing and care, to-wit, the sum of five hundred dollars.”

The defendants answered separately, denying generally all allegations in the petition, accompanied with a plea of contributory negligence and the misjoinder of defendants.

The trial resulted in a verdict and judgment for plaintiff in the sum of five thousand dollars, from which defendants appeal.

Briefly stated the facts are that:

“The Kansas City Suburban Belt Railroad Company owns a line of railroad extending from the Second and Wyandotte street depot in Kansas City to a point several miles east, known as the Air Line Junction, located near the point where the Blue river flows into the Missouri. The Kansas City and Inde[297]*297pendence Air Line owns a line of road from this junction to Independence, Missouri. The Belt Line does a switching business. It owns no equipment except engines, and its revenue is derived from hauling and switching the cars of other companies. The Air Line operates passenger and freight trains between the Second and Wyandotte station in Kansas City and Independence, Missouri. It- has a trackage contract whereby it is permitted to use the tracks of the Suburban Belt between the Air Line Junction and the Second and Wyandotte street station. Elmdale is a flag station on the line of the Suburban Belt road in the extreme eastern part of the city, in.a sparsely settled locality, about three miles east of the Second and Wyandotte street dppot. The station itself consists of a platform partially cbvered by a hood-shaped protection for passengers. Still east of Elmdale station is the roundhouse used jointly by the Air Line and the Belt company.

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Bluebook (online)
74 S.W. 1015, 175 Mo. 288, 1903 Mo. LEXIS 62, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/zumault-v-kansas-city-suburban-belt-railroad-mo-1903.