The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-04-04 00:00:00

NISI PRIUS COURT

'BEFORE MR JUSTICE CROMPTON.
His Lordship took his scat in this court precisely at
nino o'clock.

CLAIM AGAINIT A RAILWAY COMPANY FOR PERSONAL
INJURY —BLASE V. THE LANCASHIRE AND YORKSHIRE RAIL-
WAY. —ln this case the plaintiff.was Mr. Edw. Blanc, an oxen.
sive draper and wholesale bonnet maker, carrying on business at
Manchester and Blackpool, and the defendants were the
Directors of the above Company. The action was brought to
; recover compensation for injuries sustained through the negli•
gence of the railway company, which negligence had been
admitud, as they had paid £250 into court, thus admitting
their liability. The question the jury had to decide, was,
what compensation the plaintiff was entitled to. The cir-
cumstances attending this ease were as follows :—On the 4th of
Oc-oher last, the plaintiff took a first class ticket to go as
a passenger from Deansgto, Manchester, to his shop in
B acknool, which was then being condhcted by bis wife.
When'the train arrived at the bridge over the Ribble, near
Preston, the train in which he was a passenger, ran into a coal
train that had bee❑ left on the line. By the collision, the
plaintiff was thrown from his seat, and received some very
severe injuries, and was attended by Dr. Resk, of Blackpool,
and subSequeutly by Dr. Jordan. The plaintiff was
called and deposed to the above facts, and also
to the injuries he had received personally, and the loss he had
sustained in his trade, from the accident. He estimated his
additional costs for wine, extra dietary, cab hire, and baths, at
about £8.5. He had actually lost, from being absent from
business, £295. He had been eighteen years in business.
In cross examination, by Mr. Hill, the plaintiff admitted that
he had for years been insured in the Accident Socitey, and
had given notice that he should make a claim upon them for
the accident. Dr. Reek, of Blackpool, stated that when ha
was called in to attend the plaintiff, he was suffering from a
general concussion of the system. He minutely described all
the symptoms under which the plaintiff laboured. Mr. Jordan,
a surgeon, of Manchester, was next called, and spoke to the
state of the piaintiff's leg, and described it as being a gathering
between the flesh and the bone, which he advised should be
' removed by an operation, or the bone might have been much
injured. Sergeant Knowles (with whom was Mr. Aspland)
then addressed the jury, arguing that the paltry sum of £250
was uo compensation for inch injuries as the plaintiff had
received, and hoped that they would award him a proper'
amount. Mr. Hill (wkit whom was Mr. Tomlinson) then
addressed the jury for the railway company, designating the

claim—£l,ooo—as most preposterous, ant the statements as
most exaggerated ; and proceeded to ask the jury to give the
plaintiff what was fair and reasonable, and no more. His
lordship then summed up the case, and the jury soon after
returned a verdict for the plaintiff. Damages, £5OO, in-
cluding the £250 paid into court.
CHARLES V. THE NATIONAL GUARDIAN ASSURANCE
A SqOCIA.TIOX.—TiIis was an action brought i❑ the ❑ame of
Mr. Charles, the late agent of the company at Manchester, but
the real plaintiff being a Mr. Job Smith, to recover of the
defendants £5OO, the amount of a policy on the life cf one John
Warburton. After several witnesses were called to prove the
good health of Warburton, a legal discussion took place between
the gentlemen engaged, and ultimately it was agreed that a
verdict should be entered for the plaintiff, with liberty for the
defendants to move that the damages be reduced to the actual
sum lent by Charles to Warburton—namely, the £9l lent
before the policy was issued, or to £391, including £3OO lent.
after the policy was issued.
The Court soon after adjourned.