The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1874-02-07 00:00:00

RAILWAY ACCIDENT COMPENSATION

CAS.

On Ttur.day in last week the cam of " eymtegton e. the
Great E,81.11 Railway evillP&A).,.. won tried at tiiii S..', IS.'
Court, R. before Mr. Oneer-eherlti her hell
and a Speetal fury t—
lrbie was an action in the Qneetils Bench by William
Weldou Sy ioington, a cormmting ea, gtheer, to tic ia er
c ininensatiou for toy-re pommel injurleii. 'rite
dam ns. were laid at £lO,OOO and, thee itnimany having
allowed jai-lament to go by Man t, a enetial j iry,
unclr the p.eaidency ot the learned Under-Stier IT. were
several houru occupied in bract, g the CAM Mr. Delay
Sal mane, Q C., ai d Mr. Wel,er Cave wise for the
platnttfl ; Mr. Seijeant Perry (with whom was Mr.
Ma rrioi ) was for the company. The case on the part of
the i Iwo iff wee plaaed before the j try as one of a very
painful hatacter. In Octof er, 1872, he anal travelling
by the counieny's Hue from Halo red to London, when
at. accident ow ur ed. As he dace bed it, h« felt a
sodden shook, the carrime in which ha wits seated was
lifted up, and then all was darkness. Whim he recoveted
coosciiiininem he was in hi. house at Halstead. His
injuries were mo-t deplorable. His left leg was pair
zait ; he bed received a conctiction of the spine and
blahs, and than h the accid en t happeaed • 001015 mom kis
ago, he still suffered, and h,s appearance in court de.
noted th• pain he had mentally and bodily endured.
At the thee of the iiceurrencii he was consulting encl.
neer to the Native Guano Company and also to the
Arabian Horsehair Company. He was actively
engaged in sewage matters, and had been era-
'Blood before the House of Commons. His profes-
sional Income was about £l,OOO • year, besides a
bueiress with which he was connected. He had, on
acconnt of this accident, been oh iced to give up his
appoiutneuts, and Mr. Pearton, an acavantant,
showed the latices sustained by the plaintiff. He had
consulted Sir Wagon Tercueson and other well-known
surgeons, bad incurred considerable expense, was quite
incapable of following hi. profewian or business,
and woe permanently dliabled. Sir Wdliam Fergusson
was called to tilauw the injuries. He had seen the
plaintiff about a month alter the oecumenic He
dew rib-d the severe tajnxi-s. The plaintiffle left leg
bed shrunk and wad miceiy zed ; be would never bate'
man he was before; he head a good brain, and snick.,
at ter a tiune, get better, but suddendeath wig ot happen.
Mr. flandeock, conaultong enrgeou At Cearinu-croas
H epital spid EroPreiiiitent of the I 'oll-ge of Surgeorit,
and Mr. Bustard Holt, of Weetniumater Hoepital,
gave similar evidence. In the presence of Mr.
Coulson and other medical Dien, on the part of the
c impauy, several teats were a. pied to the plaintiff,
arid his leg wee found to be perteAlv useless. He had
a wife and ore child of eighteen months. Mr. Pearson,
an accountant, was examined as to the plaintiff's
boots, and his income from his profession and busi-
ness, both of which had been lost by the accident.
Mr. Digby Seymour asked tie jury for a liberal sum,
as the only means of compensating a man who in hto
young days, with every prospect of success in life, had
become a wreck by the dreadful accident that had
f taloa him; Ito Toireeion and barium,. had been
and, ith a wife and ohild, he was p.rmenently in.
jurad. The oompany had in court Mr. Coulson and
other well known medic.' men. and had it been pmsible
to prove that the injuries were not of the character
described they would have been called. The accident
WAS most Devon., and after what the jury had
been and heard it wee a case of smile compen-
eation. Mr. Serjoant Parry, who had called no evi-
dence, expre-sed the deep sympathy the cm any Felt
for the awl aod inclancholy accident. But it wee not
a Cage in wilds the company coli'd intsrf are, and't hey
thought it best for the mterwit of their sharetioleters
that t e Mge should come bofores a special jury, tnat
thi alight estimate the warupensati•in. The learned
Serjeeut winiitted that it wet a own for tub:daces.'
dame_ ef), atilt no incited the Puy to consider whether
tbe loss on the burinets through the %widen, -see of
the unwind nientiiiewil by the taccianotetit, Mr. I.TrAler.
Sheriff But chell told Me jury that toe plaintiff, who
was permanently injured, wad entitled to ample com-
pensation lor hb sufferings in the past, preeept, and

Mare, and also for the losses In big proterion—sad
o busiutits with welch he had been couneoted. Tte
hot point wee oite oi some difficulty. end the jury
wou'd t•ttnelder the cv,d.oco whice heti le • n given on
the to !trot 'lle it j•.rite to the plaintlf were moat
eerittus and he wee t.ntit led to poleetstitird dt.magee.
The jnry retirtd for shout hef-et. hoar, sud on their
return Aimee/led ti e d .IT.Age,ll7. 1.5,500.