Petricek v. Elgin, J. & E. Ry. Co.

• Decision Date: 24 March 1959
• Docket Number: Gen. No. 47587
• Citation: 21 Ill.App.2d 60,157 N.E.2d 421
• Court: United States Appellate Court of Illinois
• Parties: Paul S. PETRICEK, Appellee, v. ELGIN, JOLIET & EASTERN RAILWAY COMPANY, a corporation, Appellant. . First District, Second Division

Page 421

157 N.E.2d 421

21 Ill.App.2d 60

Paul S. PETRICEK, Appellee, v. ELGIN, JOLIET & EASTERN RAILWAY COMPANY, a corporation, Appellant.

Gen. No. 47587.

Appellate Court of Illinois.

First District, Second Division.

March 24, 1959.

As Modified on Denial of Rehearing April 14, 1959.

Stevenson, Conaghan, Hackbert, Rooks & Pitts, Chicago, Harlan L. Hackbert, Dean A. Olds, Chicago, of counsel, for appellant.

Rudolph Albert, William Torok, George T. Murphy, Jr., Chicago, for appellee.

MURPHY, Justice.

Plaintiff sued for damages for personal injuries, received when he drove his automobile into the side of defendant's freight train, during a heavy, record-breaking snowstorm. Defendant has appealed from a $10,000 judgment and from the order denying its motions after verdict. No questions are raised as to the amount of the verdict, the conduct of the trial or to instructions given to the jury.

Defendant contends that plaintiff failed to prove, as a matter of law, actionable negligence on the part of the defendant--that under the law there was nothing which defendant should have done, and under the facts of the case there was nothing defendant could have done, to prevent the accident.

Plaintiff was driving north on State Street in Chicago Heights, on Christmas Day, 1951, and shortly before 2:00 A.M., drove into the side of defendant's train, standing in the intersection of State Street and a railroad crossing. The crossing consists of eight east and west tracks, four of which, belonging to defendant, and from south to north, are, respectively, the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh tracks, at the top of an incline from the south. There were six overhead crossing lights, two of them over defendant's four tracks.

The train, westbound, reached State Street, the eastern boundary of Chicago Heights, at about 1:45 A.M. It had been traveling on the northernmost of defendant's four tracks, the seventh track from the south to the north, and was stopped because the engine was derailed. There is no evidence in the record as to how or when the derailment occurred, or exactly how long the train was standing before plaintiff drove into it. There is no testimony of any warning by defendant's employees of the standing train. The 17 inches of snow on the ground on Christmas Day was the most ever recorded for that holiday in 67 years.

Plaintiff was familiar with the crossing, and as he approached it he stopped, rolled his windows down, looked to the right and left, and listened for whistles. It was snowing heavily, and he could see only 10 to 15 feet ahead. Hearing nothing and not seeing the standing train, he stepped on the accelerator, traveled 15 or 20 feet and "hit into something." Not knowing what he hit, he got out, shaken and bleeding, and found that his car was wedged between two coal cars. There was no one around, and he blew his horn for several minutes to attract attention. The train started to move, dragging his car with it. He released an air hose valve, and the train stopped. There was no traffic on the road, so he walked to a house about two blocks distant and received first aid. Leaving the house, he stopped a passing tow truck, which carried him back to the scene of the accident, where the train was still obstructing the crossing, and an eastbound train of defendant was stopped west of the crossing. He had been gone about a half hour.

Police officers testified for plaintiff that the lights were 25 to 30 feet above the highway; that the illumination was poor; that there was a hump at the point of collision; and that the reflection from lights of automobiles approaching on the incline "would not fall on the cars, it would fall underneath."

The rear brakeman of the train was the only member of the train crew who testified. About three minutes after the train stopped, he and the conductor (who died before trial) received a whistle signal to protect the rear of the train. About five minutes later, he left the caboose, which was 45 to 50 car lengths east of the crossing, and went east about 300 feet beyond the caboose. At the same time, the conductor, carrying a lighted white lantern, started west for the head end.

There was testimony of the engineer and fireman of defendant's eastbound engine. As they approached Wentworth Avenue, a block or two west of State Street, coming from the west going east, a block signal indicated trouble ahead. They proceeded at restricted speed and noticed a westbound train standing, with the engine at a switch east of Wentworth Avenue. They did not see any of the members of the crew. A man signaled them and told them that an automobile had run into the side of the westbound train. They stopped just west of State Street and could see the automobile by means of the State Street lights. They saw no one at the crossing and pushed the automobile off the tracks. A little later they saw the driver and took him into the engine cab to wait for the doctor. They observed the automobile was covered with ice. "Everything was covered with ice that night, locomotive, cars at the crossing. The whole car was covered with ice and the windows on the side of the driver were icy. About the time the tow truck pulled away I observed lights coming from the caboose. He finally got down to the crossing. It was the conductor. * * * I think the tow truck was just moving away."

A train, either moving or standing upon a railroad crossing, is generally held to be adequate notice and warning of its presence to any traveler who is in the exercise of ordinary care for his own safety, and the railroad is under no duty to give additional signs, signals, or warnings. Coleman v. Chicago, B. & Q.R. Co., 1936, 287 Ill.App. 483, 489, 5 N.E.2d 103. Defendant contends this rule is without exception, and this contention raises the vital point.

In each Illinois case cited, the court finds some fact, either in the complaint or in the evidence, showing that the presence of the train or obstruction was in some measure visible and perceptible. Perceptibility, therefore, is an important element in the general rule--that the presence of the train is adequate "notice" or "warning." In the Coleman case, the evidence showed that the view of the crossing was unobstructed for at least 150 feet, and the driver saw the train...