Rober v. Northern Pacific Railway Company, a Corporation

• Decision Date: 23 May 1913
• Court: North Dakota Supreme Court

142 N.W. 22

25 N.D. 394

DAVID J. ROBER, as Administrator of the Estate of Alfred J. Rober, Deceased, v. NORTHERN PACIFIC RAILWAY COMPANY, a Corporation

Supreme Court of North Dakota

May 23, 1913

Appeal from the District Court for Morton County, NUCHOLS, J.

Action to recover damages for death by wrongful act. Verdict and judgment for plaintiff. Defendant appeals.

Judgment affirmed.

Affirmed.

Ball Watson, Young, & Lawrence and E. T. Commy, for appellant.

Physical facts, ordinarily the best evidence, should be sufficient to overcome the slight presumption raised by the instinct of self-preservation. Northern P. R. Co. v. Freeman, 174 U.S. 379-383, 43 L.Ed. 1014-1016, 19 S.Ct. 763; Baltimore & O. R. Co. v. Landrigan, 191 U.S. 461, 48 L.Ed. 262, 24 S.Ct. 137.

The presumption of the exercise of due care is at variance with the physical facts; these facts should overcome such presumption. Garlich v. Northern P. R. Co. 67 C. C A. 237, 131 F. 837; Chicago & N.W. R. Co. v Andrews, 64 C. C. A. 399, 130 F. 65; Chicago, St. P M. & O. R. Co. v. Rossow, 54 C. C. A. 313, 117 F. 491; Chicago, R. I. & P. R. Co. v. Pounds, 27 C. C. A. 112, 49 U.S. App. 476, 82 F. 217; Pyle v. Clark, 25 C. C. A. 190, 49 U.S. App. 260, 79 F. 744, 2 Am. Neg. Rep. 100; Tomlinson v. Chicago, M. & St. P. R. Co. 67 C. C. A. 218, 134 F. 234; Rich v. Chicago, M. & St. P. R. Co. 78 C. C. A. 663, 149 F. 80.

A person about to cross a railroad track must bear in mind the dangers, and use his senses of sight and hearing, to avoid injury. Hope v. Great Northern R. Co. 19 N.D. 438, 122 N.W. 997; Rollins v. Chicago, M. & St. P. R. Co. 71 C. C. A. 615, 139 F. 639; Payne v. Chicago & N.W. R. Co. 108 Iowa 188, 78 N.W. 813; Wabash R. Co. v. De Tar, 4 L.R.A. (N.S.) 352, 73 C. C. A. 166, 141 F. 932; Rich v. Chicago, M. & St. P. R. Co. 78 C. C. A. 663, 149 F. 84; Baker v. Chicago, R. I. & P. R. Co. 95 Iowa 163, 63 N.W. 667; Hanna v. Philadelphia & R. R. Co. 213 Pa. 157, 4 L.R.A. (N.S.) 346, 62 A. 643; Crawford v. Chicago, G. W. R. Co. 109 Iowa 433, 80 N.W. 519; Schmidt v. Missouri P. R. Co. 191 Mo. 215, 3 L.R.A. (N.S.) 196, 90 S.W. 136; Lynch v. Metropolitan Street R. Co. 112 Mo. 433, 20 S.W. 642; Mathews, Presumptive Ev. 203; Dalton v. Chicago, R. I. & P. R. Co. 114 Iowa 257, 86 N.W. 272; 33 Cyc. 922, 923, 1072-1074, 1117, 1118; Sims v. St. Louis & S. R. Co. 116 Mo.App. 572, 92 S.W. 909; Indiana, B. & W. R. Co. v. Hammock, 113 Ind. 1, 14 N.E. 737; Beach, Neg. P 64, p. 738; Woolf v. Washington R. & Nav. Co. 37 Wash. 491, 79 P. 997; Herbert v. Southern P. Co. 121 Cal. 227, 53 P. 651; Cleveland, C. C. & St. L. R. Co. v. Miller, 149 Ind. 490, 49 N.E. 445.

It is presumed that one actually saw and heard what he could have seen and heard, if he had looked and listened before attempting to cross the track. Malott v. Hawkins, 159 Ind. 127, 63 N.E. 308; Dalton v. Chicago, R. I. & P. R. Co. 114 Iowa 257, 86 N.W. 272; Kunkel v. Minneapolis, St. P. & S. Ste. M. R. Co. 18 N.D. 367, 121 N.W. 830.

The duty of the plaintiff in such a case is twofold. He must show due care, and that defendant's negligence was the direct and proximate cause of the injury.

The rule res ipsa loquitur does not apply where the injured person and the negligent person were both in the exercise of an equal right and were charged with the same degree of care. 29 Cyc. 590-592; 33 Cyc. 922, 923, 1066-1068; Holbrook v. Utica & S. R. Co. 12 N.Y. 236, 64 Am. Dec. 232; Cosulich v. Standard Oil Co. 122 N.Y. 118, 19 Am. St. Rep. 475, 25 N.E. 259; Dobbins v. Brown, 119 N.Y. 188, 23 N.E. 537; DeVau v. Pennsylvania & N.Y. Canal & R. Co. 130 N.Y. 632, 28 N.E. 532; Western v. Troy, 139 N.Y. 281, 34 N.E. 780; Le Barron v. East Boston Ferry Co. 11 Allen, 312, 87 Am. Dec. 717, 3 Am. Neg. Cas. 760; Kendall v. Boston, 118 Mass. 234, 19 Am. Rep. 446; Thomas, Neg. 574, 576, 582; Gahagan v. Boston & M. R. Co. 70 N.H. 441, 55 L.R.A. 426, 50 A. 146.

No recovery can be had where the circumstances of the accident are not sufficiently disclosed to warrant any inference upon the question of care or negligence. Crafts v. Boston, 109 Mass. 519.

The evidence must show how the accident occurred, and what the injured party was doing at the time. Corcoran v. Boston & A. R. Co. 133 Mass. 507; Riley v. Connecticut River R. Co. 135 Mass. 292; McGrath v. St. Louis Transit Co. 197 Mo. 97, 94 S.W. 872; Benedick v. Potts, 88 Md. 52, 41 L.R.A. 478, 40 A. 1067, 4 Am. Neg. Rep. 484; Cothron v. Cudahy Packing Co. 98 Mo.App. 349, 73 S.W. 279; Hamilton v. Metropolitan Street R. Co. 114 Mo.App. 509, 89 S.W. 893; Ely v. St. Louis, K. C. & N. R. Co. 77 Mo. 34; Leslie v. Wabash, St. L. & P. R. Co. 88 Mo. 50, 4 Am. Neg. Cas. 569; Yarnell v. Kansas City, Ft. S. & M. R. Co. 113 Mo. 570, 18 L.R.A. 599, 21 S.W. 1, 4 Am. Neg. Cas. 714; Bunyon v. Citizens' R. Co. 127 Mo. 19, 29 S.W. 842; Hite v. Metropolitan Street R. Co. 130 Mo. 136, 51 Am. St. Rep. 555, 31 S.W. 262, 32 S.W. 33; McManamee v. Missouri P. R. Co. 135 Mo. 447, 37 S.W. 119; Bartley v. Metropolitan Street R. Co. 148 Mo. 139, 49 S.W. 840, 5 Am. Neg. Rep. 635; Gayle v. Missouri Car & Foundry Co. 177 Mo. 450, 76 S.W. 987; Breeden v. Big Circle Min. Co. 103 Mo.App. 179, 76 S.W. 731.

There can be no recovery in damages for remote possibilities or conjectural losses. Watson, Damages for Personal Injuries, pp. 365-367; McLane v. Perkins, 92 Me. 39, 43 L.R.A. 487, 42 A. 255; Caven v. Troy, 32 A.D. 154, 52 N.Y.S. 804; 29 Cyc. 597-600, 623, 624, 629; Jenkins v. St. Paul City R. Co. 105 Minn. 504, 20 L.R.A. (N.S.) 401, 117 N.W. 928; Philadelphia & R. R. Co. v. Schertle, 97 Pa. 454; Douglass v. Mitchell, 35 Pa. 443; Philadelphia & R. R. Co. v. Heil, 5 W. N.C. 91; Omaha & R. Valley R. Co. v. Talbot, 48 Neb. 627, 67 N.W. 599; Welsh v. Erie & W. Valley R. Co. 181 Pa. 461, 37 A. 513, 2 Am. Neg. Rep. 777.

The lone fact that a person who was walking is found dead beneath a railroad engine at a grade crossing raises no presumption that those operating the engine were negligent, but negligence must be proved. St. Louis & S. F. R. Co. v. Chapman, 71 C. C. A. 523, 140 F. 129; Davis v. Quincy, O. & K. C. R. Co. 155 Mo.App. 312, 136 S.W. 718; Kilpatrick v. Richardson, 37 Neb. 731, 56 N.W. 481; Newhard v. Pennsylvania R. Co. 153 Pa. 417, 19 L.R.A. 563, 26 A. 105; Wright v. Boston & M. R. Co. 74 N.H. 128, 8 L.R.A. (N.S.) 832, 65 A. 687; 33 Cyc. 1061-1064, 1128, 1129; Thomas, Neg. 582; Strock v. Louisville & N. R. Co. 145 Ky. 150, 140 S.W. 40; Early v. Louisville, H. & St. L. R. Co. 115 Ky. 13, 72 S.W. 348; Louisville, St. L. & T. R. Co. v. Terry, 20 Ky. L. Rep. 803, 47 S.W. 588; Louisville & N. R. Co. v. Humphrey, 20 Ky. L. Rep. 642, 45 S.W. 503; Louisville & N. R. Co. v. Wathen, 22 Ky. L. Rep. 82, 49 S.W. 185; S. F. Dana & Co. v. Blackburn, 121 Ky. 707, 90 S.W. 237; Cameron v. Great Northern R. Co. 8 N.D. 125, 77 N.W. 1016, 5 Am. Neg. Rep. 454; Scherer v. Schlaberg, 18 N.D. 421, 24 L.R.A. (N.S.) 520, 122 N.W. 1000; Umsted v. Colgate Farmers Elevator Co. 18 N.D. 309, 122 N.W. 390.

Other independent acts of negligence on the part of the railroad company are clearly collateral and irrelevant matters. Northern P. R. Co. v. Heaton, 111 C. C. A. 548, 191 F. 24; Baker v. Irish, 172 Pa. 528, 33 A. 558; Gillrie v. Lockport, 122 N.Y. 403, 25 N.E. 357; Thomas, Neg. p. 587; Thompson v. Bowle, 4 Wall. 463, 18 L.Ed. 423; Carr v. West End Street R. Co. 163 Mass. 360, 40 N.E. 185; Eppendorf v. Brooklyn City & N. R. Co. 69 N.Y. 195, 25 Am. Rep. 171, 5 Am. Neg. Cas. 219; Langworthy v. Green Twp. 88 Mich. 207, 50 N.W. 130; Hudson v. Chicago & N.W. R. Co. 59 Iowa 581, 44 Am. Rep. 692, 13 N.W. 735; 1 Greenl. Ev. 52; Kennedy v. Spring, 160 Mass. 203, 35 N.E. 779; Greeno v. Roark, 8 Kan.App. 390, 56 P. 329; Dalton v. Chicago, R. I. & P. R. Co. 114 Iowa 257, 86 N.W. 273; Hutcherson v. Louisville & N. R. Co. 21 Ky. L. Rep. 733, 52 S.W. 956; Missouri, K. & T. R. Co. v. Texas, 35 Tex. Civ. App. 604, 81 S.W. 589; McGovern v. Smith, 73 Vt. 52, 50 A. 549; Clark v. Smith, 72 Vt. 138, 47 A. 391; Southern R. Co. v. Winchester, 127 Ky. 144, 105 S.W. 167.

Whether or not a signal was given by the approach of a train to a station or crossing on a certain occasion, cannot be shown or proven by the conduct of those in charge of some other train, or some other occasion. Eskridge v. Cincinnati, N. O. & T. P. R. Co. 89 Ky. 367, 12 S.W. 581; Findley Brewing Co. v. Bauer, 50 Ohio St. 560, 35 N.E. 55.

Verdict cannot be based upon speculation or conjecture. Satterberg v. Minneapolis, St. P. & S. Ste. M. R. Co. 19 N.D. 38, 121 N.W. 70; Rev. Codes 1905, §§ 7686-7691; Louisville, N. A. & C. R. Co. v. Goodykoontz, 119 Ind. 111, 12 Am. St. Rep. 371, 21 N.E. 472.

In computing damages for wrongful death, only pecuniary loss to beneficiaries can be considered. Brady v. Chicago, 4 Biss. 448, F. Cas. No. 1,796; Hollyday v. Reeves, 5 Hughes, 89, F. Cas. No. 6,625; Conant v Griffin, 48 Ill. 410; Illinois C. R. Co. v. Baches, 55 Ill. 379; Lake Shore & M. S. R. Co. v. Sunderland, 2 Ill.App. 307; Lake Shore & M. S. R. Co. v. Ouska, 51 Ill.App. 334; Armour v. Czischki, 59 Ill.App. 17; Gunderson v. Northwestern Elevator Co. 47 Minn. 161, 49 N.W. 694; Schaub v. Hannibal & St. J. R. Co. 106 Mo. 74, 16 S.W. 924; Wise v. Peerpenning, 2 Edm. Sel. Cas. 112; Oldfield v. New York & H. R. Co. 14 N.Y. 310; Lehman v. Brooklyn, 29 Barb. 234; Mitchell v. New York C. & H. R. R. Co. 2 Hun, 535; Hall v. Crain, 2 Ohio Dec. Reprint, 453, 3 Ohio L. J. 137; Pennsylvania R. Co. v. Vandever, 36 Pa. 298; Caldwell v. Brown, 53 Pa. 453; March v. Walker, 48 Tex. 372; McGown v. International & G. N. R. Co. 85 Tex. 289, 20 S.W. 80; Galveston, H. & S. A. R. Co. v. Worthy, 87 Tex. 459, 29 S.W. 376; Gulf, C. & S. F. R. Co. v. Southwick, Tex. Civ. App. , 30 S.W. 592; Potter v. Chicago & N.W. R. Co. 21 Wis. 377, 94 Am....