McKinney's Adm'x v. Cincinnati, N. O. & T. P. R. Co.

• Decision Date: 26 January 1932
• Citation: 45 S.W.2d 1031,242 Ky. 167
• Parties: McKINNEY'S ADM'X v. CINCINNATI, N. O. & T. P. R. CO. et al.
• Court: Kentucky Court of Appeals

45 S.W.2d 1031

242 Ky. 167

McKINNEY'S ADM'X v. CINCINNATI, N. O. & T. P. R. CO. et al.

Court of Appeals of Kentucky

January 26, 1932

Appeal from Circuit Court, Lincoln County.

Action by Mitchell B. McKinney's Administratrix against the Cincinnati, New Orleans & Texas Pacific Railroad Company and others. From a judgment for defendants railroad company and another, plaintiff appeals.

Affirmed.

Fowler Wallace & Fowler, of Lexington, for appellant.

K. S Alcorn, of Stanford, and Galvin & Tracy, of Cincinnati, Ohio for appellees.

RICHARDSON J.

Mitchell B. McKinney's son was of unsound mind and of a violent disposition. He strayed from the home of his father, who resided in Waynesburg, a small village in Lincoln county, on the Cincinnati, New Orleans & Texas Pacific Railroad. While in pursuit of his son, and endeavoring to rescue and return him to his home, Mitchell B. McKinney was killed by a south-bound freight train of the Cincinnati, New Orleans &amp Texas Pacific Railroad Company, at about 8:30 a. m. on October 18, 1928. L. W. Camden was the engineer, and L. E. Chapman fireman, on the engine at the time. The accident happened in the presence of a number of persons. When he located his son, he (the son) was going north on the track of the railroad. The deceased, on overtaking him, took hold of him and began forcibly to lead him south, toward his residence. The young man was large, weighing about 190 or 200 pounds, and was a giant in strength. After the father took hold, and as he endeavored to force him toward his home, the son would catch his foot under the rail so as to resist his efforts, and in so doing would cling to the track. Carl McKinney, another son of the deceased, a Mr. Lanigan, and Camden, the engineer in charge of the train, were the only eyewitnesses to the killing. Carl McKinney states that his father and brother were about 150 yards, and Lanigan says 25 yards, in front of the train at the time the deceased and his son went on the track. The engineer claims they "jumped up in front of the engine."

On the trial before a jury, a verdict was returned for the railroad company and Camden, the court having given a peremptory in favor of the fireman, Chapman. The appellant appeals.

It is insisted that the instructions present a fatal error, entitling appellant to a reversal, and that the court erred in refusing the offered instructions.

It is argued that four distinct lines of cases are applicable in an action for the death of a trespasser on railroad track: (a) Where the trespasser is not observed and those in charge of the train are unaware of his danger. To this class appellant assigns Louisville & N. R. R. Co. v. Taylor's Adm'r, 169 Ky. 436, 184 S.W. 371; Louisville & N. R. R. Co. v. Weiser's Adm'r, 164 Ky. 28, 174 S.W. 734; Reynolds' Adm'r v. C., N. O. & T. P. Ry. Co., 148 Ky. 252, 146 S.W. 416. (b) Where the trespasser is discovered traveling by the side of the track in a position of safety, when he suddenly changes his course and comes immediately in front of the moving train. The appellant cites as this line of cases Louisville & N. R. R. Co. v. Trower's Adm'r, 131 Ky. 589, 115 S.W. 719, 20 L. R. A. (N. S.) 380; Louisville & N. R. R. Co. v. Fentress' Adm'r, 166 Ky. 477, 179 S.W. 419, and others. (c) Where the trespasser is traveling on the track of the railroad and unaware of the approach of the train, and is injured or killed. As an example of this line, she cites Murray v. Southern Ry. Co., 140 Ky. 453, 131 S.W. 183; Watson's Adm'r v. C. & O. R. R. Co., 170 Ky. 258, 185 S.W. 852. (d) Where those in charge of the train discover the presence of a trespasser on the track at such a distance as will enable him to avoid an injury by sounding an alarm, lessening the speed, and if necessary stopping the train before a collision, especially where the circumstances surrounding the party indicates his confusion or trouble or unconsciousness of the approaching danger. It is urged that this case is plainly within this last class. To sustain this insistence she cites Johnson's Adm'r v. L. & N. R. R. Co., 91 Ky. 651, 25 S.W. 754; Louisville & N. R. R. Co. v. Hunt's Adm'r, 142 Ky. 778, 135 S.W. 288, 290; Murray v. Southern Ry. Co., 140 Ky. 453, 131 S.W. 183; Reynolds' Adm'r v. C., N. O. & T. P. Ry. Co., 148 Ky. 255, 146 S.W. 416, and many others.

It is especially urged that the principles stated and the instructions outlined in Reynold's Adm'r v. C., N. O. & T. P. Ry. Co., 148 Ky. 255, 146 S.W. 416, and Louisville & N. R. R. Co. v. Hunt's Adm'r, supra, and Murray v. Sou. R. R. Co., supra, are particularly applicable to, and should control, the present case. In the Reynolds' Case the deceased sat down on the end of a tie on the west side of the track, resting against the west rail of the track. A short time later, a north-bound freight train struck him while in this position and killed him. A motion for a peremptory instruction was sustained, and this act of the trial court was affirmed by this court.

In Louisville & N. R. R. Co. v. Hunt, supra, the deceased was struck by the train which he had been sent out to flag. It was running on time. It was held by this court that the court should have instructed peremptorily the jury to find for defendant. The evidence showed "Hunt suddenly rushed on the track just in front of the train, and too close to it for the engineer to avoid striking him."

In Murray v. Southern Ry. Co., a trespasser who was deaf was seen walking on the railroad track ahead of a push car on which a railroad crew was conveying a load of rails, at a rate of from four to six miles per hour. The court held that the crew was not required to stop the car unless they had reason to believe that the man was unconscious of his danger, but there was no reason to anticipate danger to the deceased until his actions showed he had not heard the signals until it was too late for the crew to stop the car to avoid injuring him. The court peremptorily instructed the jury to find for the railroad company. This was approved by this court.

The prevailing rule applicable in such cases was aptly stated by this court in Louisville & N. R. R. Co. v. Horton, 187 Ky. 617, 219 S.W. 1084, 1087, in this language: "The doctrine is well settled in this state that although a person is a mere trespasser upon the track of a railroad, and is guilty of negligence in going or being thereon, and although the servants of the railroad are under no duty of keeping a lookout for him nor of giving him any warning of the approach of a train, nor of moderating its speed, nor of having it under control, nor is the failure to do any of these things negligence as to him, yet, if his negligence has resulted in putting himself in a place of peril of being killed or seriously injured by the train, and the engineer operating the train discovers the peril in time, by the exercise of ordinary care in the use of the means which he has at hand, consistent with the safety of the persons upon the train, to avoid injuring the trespasser, it is his duty to do so, and if he fails to exercise ordinary care to protect him from harm, and he is injured thereby, the railroad company will be liable for the damages. If ordinary prudence requires the train to be stopped in order to shield the trespasser from death or harm, it is the duty of the engineer to stop the train before coming in contact with the trespasser, if he can do so by the exercise of ordinary care with the means he has to do so. L. & N. Ry. Co. v. Benke's Adm'r, 176 Ky. 259, 263, 195 S.W. 417; L. & N. R. R. Co. v. Davis, 162 Ky. 578, 172 S.W. 966; W. & P. C. Ry. Co. v. Charle's Adm'r, 168 Ky. 42, 181 S.W. 614; Becker v. L. & N. R. R. Co., 110 Ky. 474, 61 S.W. 997, 22 Ky. Law Rep. 1893, 53 L. R. A. 267, 96 Am. St. Rep. 459; L. & N. R. R. Co. v. Bell, 108 S.W. 335, 32 Ky. Law Rep. 1312."

Under this rule the engineer in charge of the train owed the deceased no duty until his peril was actually discovered by him, though the engineer saw him and his son near or on the track at a point so far distant that he was not in immediate danger. The engineer was not required to take steps to stop the train or to slacken its speed, until the peril of the deceased was discovered in time by the exercise of ordinary care to have avoided injury to him by the use of the means at his command. Louisville & N. R. R. Co. v. Mann's Adm'r, 227 Ky. 399, 13 S.W.2d 257.

It is undisputed that the deceased was in a position and was close enough to see the approaching train at the time he turned his back and traveled south after its approach. The evidence is sufficient to establish that he in fact saw it. This conduct on the part of deceased was sufficient to authorize and to justify the conclusion on the part of the engineer that he and his son were conscious of the presence of the train and the resulting danger, and that they were capable of exercising ordinary care for their own safety to avoid injury to themselves.

The brakes were in good condition, and when it became reasonably apparent to the engineer that they were entering upon, or not going to leave, the track he immediately applied the brakes, whether the deceased and his son were 150 yards, 25 yards, or just a few feet in front of the engine at the time they went on the track, and if they went on the track either 25 yards, or immediately, in front of the train, it should be admitted that the engineer was not required to anticipate such action on their part in plain view of the approaching train, with actual knowledge of its oncoming. Louisville & N. R. R. Co. v. Redmon's Adm'x, 122 Ky. 385, 91 S.W. 722, 28 Ky. Law Rep. 1293.

The rate of speed of the train is not disputed, and whether deceased went onto the...