Dorr v. McCullough

Headnote

Contributory negligence—Evidence.

A nonsuit will not be disturbed on the ground that plaintiff did not show freedom from contributory negligence, though the circumstances point as much to absence of contributory negligence as to its presence.

Action by Susan Dorr, as administratrix of Peter Dorr, deceased, against John Gr. McCullough, John King, and Eben B. Thomas, as receivers of the New York, Lake Erie & Western Railroad Company, to recover damages for the alleged negligent killing of plaintiff’s intestate. Plaintiff was non-suited, and moved for a new trial, on exceptions ordered to be heard by the appellate division in the first instance.

The intestate was struck by the pilot beam of an engine attached to a train of cars operated by defendants upon their tracks at the intersection of such tracks with William street. The Erie tracks crossed William street in the easterly portion of the city of Buffalo. There is a sidewalk on the north side of William street, from Queen street eastward. The train causing the injury was passing eastward on the south track. There was some evidence given tending to show that it was going at a speed of 22 to 25 miles an hour. There was a flagman’s shanty stationed near the crossing, and it is nearly straight across from the point where Queen street opens in to Wiliam street. There is a line of telegraph poles along the tracks extending west from the point where the collision occurred, and there is another line of poles, telegraph or telephone, on the south side of William street, and wires strung on top of them extending west from the crossing; and on the same side of the street are short trolley poles from 12 to 15 feet high. There was evidence tending to show that the poles, to some extent, would obscure one’s vision looking to the west along the tracks. It seems that the intestate was passing eastward on the north side of William street, as he approached the crossing. The witness Rhor says the intestate, when he was struck, Avas on the southeast side of the east-bound track on the north side of William street. “The man was on the sidewalk just about a foot on the outside of the south rail of the eastbound track. That was the furtherest rail to the south. Witness was going towards the intestate first on Queen street; suav him cross the street toAArards the sideAvalk; and he saw the

intestate and Wagner join, and as they came from a point where they joined each other, they came towards the tracks on the north side of the sidewalk The witness saw them walking along towards the tracks, kind of slow. The witness adds that he saw the intestate turn his head towards the train, looking westward towards the train, and he adds; “When he got there, he started on a run across the tracks, and he (Dorr) kept on the sidewalk; and the boy jumped straight across that track, and that brought him nearer to the street, shortened the track, and Dorr kept on the sidewalk, and that made a longer turn than the boy had. Likely, it made ten or twelve feet further than Dorr had got to clear than the boy had. The boy jumped across the track and ran. He couldn’t tell exactly, but as' close as he could judge, they were along there between the two tracks. He might have been on the Avestbound but he could not tell exactly the spot. He didn’t measure it to the inch. As Dorr was struck, he was a foot or thereabouts south of the rail, outside of the track on which the engine Avas coming. The pilot beam where they put the flag in on top of the pilot, the beam projects out a foot or so further than the rail. He had cleared the rail, and this beam struck him.” There Avas evidence that the flagman Avas present, and was engaged in the discharge of his duty, and that he, seeing the danger the deceased was in hallooed to him. The Avitness further testified: “When Dorr and Wagner got down to the tracks or thereabouts, Dorr turned his head to the west, the way the train Avas coming. He kept on a couple of steps more at the usual gait they were going, but it seemed, Avhen the train came closer to him, he (Dorr) ran. The distance from the point where he was between the two rails of the tracks themselves when he turned his head was about three feet to the eastbound track.” In the course of the cross-examination, the witness said: “From the time witness saAV Dorr coming towards him, he didn’t turn his head at all until he got on the westbound track, or betAveen the Avest and eastbound tracks. When he turned and looked at the train, he did nothing, but kept on a slow walk toAArard the eastbound track. Dorr turned his head back, and took a step or íavo, and then he (Dorr) Avent on a run. He began to run before he reached the east-bound track. Mr. Dorr began to run betAveen the Avest and eastbound tracks along in there. He continued to run until he passed the eastbound track. Then he stopped and Avas hit, and that was all one could say; he stopped, or it seemed he did.” The witness Wagner testified, aúz. : “Joined Dorr about the middle of Queen street, on William street. From there he went with Mr. Dorr across the tracks. After he [Wagner]

started from the mddle of Queen street, he walked down to the tracks, and stopped to see if any trains were coming. It was west of the two tracks. That would be west of the westbound track that he stopped. He was on the sidewalk. He stopped to look if there were any trains coming. He didn’t see any. He next started for over the tracks. When he stopped, he was about ten or fifteen feet from the westbound track. From the point where he stopped to see if there was any train coming, he started off for over the tracks and got in the middle of the east-bound track; and the flagman hollered, and he looked up, and over his right shoulder, and saw the train coming, and he gave two or three steps, and he was over the tracks. * * * The flagman was around here- somewhere when he hollered. * * * The flagman was about twelve feet from him. Witness was between the rails of east-bound track. He had to jump about four feet to get clear of the rails.“ At the close of the evidence, the defendant moved for a nonsuit, on the grounds: (1) That the plaintiff has not made out a cause of action; (2) that the plaintiff’s intestate is not shown to be free from contributory negligence; (3) that it appears that the plaintiff’s-intestate lost his life in part at least through his own negligence; (4) that the plaintiff took the risk of crossing this track in front of the approaching train, which he could see- and hear himself, and the consequences of the risk furnish no cause of action to the plaintiff here. The court granted the motion for nonsuit. Plaintiff thereupon took an exception, and the exceptions were ordered heard in this court in the first instance.