Los Angeles herald., 1909-05-20
STREET RAILWAY ACCIDENTS
BY Frederic j. Haskin

unnecessarily harsh in their attitude
against damages, but If it could know
the number of takers that lay claims
for damages 1t might not think SO. 1t
is simply a case of the innocent suffer-
ing because of the sins of the guilty.
The number of fake claims and dam
age suits instituted is astonishing.
Only recently there was a case where
an accidenk occurred in which a num-
Der of people were badly injured. Two
men in a saloon heard of the col
lision a few minutes after it happened,
and telephoned to Il morning paper
that they were in it and described their
alleged injuries. on the strength of
their story they retained one of those
lawyers known as ambulance chas-
ers," and he secured damages to the ex-
tent of 500. He kept $50 for his fee.
They were afterward found to have
faxed the entire case and pleaded gull
ty to conspiracy.
In another instance a boy of about Is
years of age was in a street car col
lision. Some weeks later his parents
sued the company for $4,000 damages,
on the ground that their son had re-
oeived blow on the head which drove
him insane Physicians tried every
known expedient to determine whether
he was insane or not They ran pins
into his flesh, even under his finger
nails: but he bore it all without a sign
of pain. He had that vacant stare
which would do credit to professlonal
falxir. The result was verdict Tor
the full amount. Later it was discov-
cred that a woman who lived next door
was at the bottom of the whole suit,
and it was successfully claimed berore
Jury that she had hypnotized the
how She got sixty-day sentence for
her part in the fraud.
Tho camera has come to the support
of the street railroads IN Ierretlis ~
those who would beat" them by dam
aee claims. The detective force IN
ciI1des men who are good photograph
orc and they generally get photograph
ic evidence that freezes the take beIore
II gets out of the budding stage. ~
a recent case a furniture mover cldliiieu
~ have received an injury that inca
" 10 him for life. A detective
ppatientiI,y shadowed his man until ne
found him moving some heavy furm-
tire when the camera snapped at an
ausnicious moment. Conirontea VII WI
iris evidence of his physical strelisen
after the accident the furniture nloNei
dropped his suit.
Tn another case a New Jersey ialii ee.,
o, -, 70 have been incapacitated tor
lie nv an electric car accident. Oile
dav two young men appeared WIZ WIZ
wonted work for a few Weeks WIZ,
onnortnities to take some me luiai
scenes around his farm Inc luea 1.
pleased the farmer and ne poseu "a
tben1 while pitching hay in his telu'
The next time he saw that picture was
whom he was a defendant for perjury
IN persecution instituted by the rall-
| way company. 44or,r+
Perhaps the most reInarKapie dttoi,iP ~.
| at beating street car COMPANY
| through it's claims department was
that of a man in Baltimore; ne eatn
cred about him a gang OF men anu
| then secured a position as motorfnaI.
His main business in life was to nave
collisions. Each time he had a smash
nm two or three of his confederates
were ostensibly injured. SUITS Ior
damages followed, and they were usu
| allv won. Finally the evidences OF
nuTnoseful collision became so strong
bv accumulation that the motorman's
| life history was investigated. He had
| been doing the same thing IN otner
cities before he landed in Baltimore,
Although accidents are gradually
growing fewer, street and lnterurpah
electric car traffic is growing at sur
prising rate. There has been an IN
crease of SO per cent in the number of
miles of track in a single five years.
The number of passengers carried an
nually now, according to census figures
lust issued, is over 9,500,000,000 an in
crease of So per cent in five years. The
most remarkable thing about electric
transportation is the growing number
of transfer passengers. They increased
so per cent in the five years from 1902
to 1907 Twenty years ago the number
of transfer passengers in New York
was less than per cent of the total.
Now over So per cent of those who ride
get transfers. So serious has the
question become that the railway COM
panies have been trying to limit it by
resort to the courts. A recent decision
there says that 1t was never meant by
| the law to give anyone an "all day ex-
| cursion" on transfers.
Copyright 1909, by Frederic J. Haskin.)