Court Opinion

ID: 9809902
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-31 21:31:32.167504+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T13:39:06.480137
License: Public Domain

*352Montgomery, J.,
dissenting. This action was brought by the plaintiff to recover damages for personal injuries sustained by the plaintiff through the alleged negligence of the conductor on one of defendant’s trains. The negligence complained of is, in substance, as follows: That the defendant owed the plaintiff, who was employed by defendant as a laborer engaged in the repairing of the railroad track, the duty of carrying the plaintiff to and from Morganton on his going to and returning from his work. That the habit and custom of the defendant was to slow down a rate of speed of the engine and train upon reaching a cross street in Morgan-ton, near to station, so that the plaintiff could alight and go to his home; that on one of these return trips the plaintiff, while standing on the platform of the caboose when the train had slackened its speed and he was ready to alight, was suddenly hurled to the ground through the negligent conduct of the conductor, who suddenly and without warning to the plaintiff gave a signal to the engineer which resulted in a violent jerk. The evidence did not make good the allegations of the complaint. The plaintiff’s evidence was to the effect that it was the habit and custom of the conductor to stop the train at the cross street in Morganton and that the plaintiff always got on and off after the train had been stopped. The plaintiff’s evidence was, further, that as the train approached Mor-ganton and had slowed to a low rate of speed, that is, as he said, from three to Jive miles an hour, he went out on the platform with a bundle and bucket in one hand and holding with the other to an iron rod attached to the platform, and just as he was about to alight was thrown off and to the ground through a sudden jerk and motion of the cars and badly hurt. His testimony further was that if he had been sitting down on the flat cars he would have been perfectly safe.
The much-discussed question in the oral arguments and in the briefs on the subject of contributory negligence is not *353necessary for ns to discuss from tbe view we have taken of tbe case. We cannot see in wbat particular tbe defendant bas been negligent. There cannot be culpable negligence in any case where tbe party charged with tbe negligence owes no duty to tbe other. In Carter v. Lumber Co., 129 N. C., 203, tbe Court approves of the definition of negligence given by Alderson, B., in Blythe v. Water-works, 25 L. J. Eq., 213, which is as follows: “The omission to do something which a reasonable man guided upon those considerations which ordinarily regulate the conduct of human affairs would do; or doing something which a provident and reasonable man would not do; and an action may be brought if thereby mischief is caused to a third party not intentionally.” Another good definition of negligence is found in 7 A. & E. Ency. of Law, 370, which is in these words: “Actionable negligence is the inadvertent failure of a legally responsible person to use ordinary care under the circumstances in observing or performing a non-contractual duty implied by law, which failure is the proximate cause of injury to a person to whom the duty is due.” Now, under the evidence in this case, I mean the plaintiff’s evidence, the duty of the defendant was to furnish the plaintiff safe transportation to Morganton, to stop the train at or near the station, at the usual place where the plaintiff got off, that he might alight in safety. The conductor did not stop the train as he ought to have done, but that was not the cause of the injury. The cause of the injury was the sudden jerk of the train by which the plaintiff was thrown off the car and injured. If the jerk had occurred at the stopping place, and after the train had stopped or was “nearly, almost to full stop,” that is, very slowly and slightly, and gently creeping along, that the plaintiff might alight, the defendant would have been negligent. Nance v. Railroad, 94 N. C., 619; Denny v. Railroad, 132 N. C., 340. *354But tbe train in our case was moving at from three to five miles an hour, and tbe defendant bad been standing some little time on tbe platform. Tbe defendant did not owe bim tbe duty to keep a lookout for tbe plaintiff on tbe platform. Tbe conductor bad a right to suppose that he was in a place of safety which bad been provided for tbe laborers on that train. A jerk of the cars, therefore, Avhile tbe train was in motion was not negligence in tbe conductor, so far as this plaintiff was concerned, who was standing on tbe platform. Tbe defendant owed tbe plaintiff no duty to look out for bim and to care for bim in that unusual place, that place of danger. Of course, if tbe conductor or engineer bad seen tbe plaintiff in tbe situation in which be placed himself, tbe sudden jerk of tbe cars, if it bad occurred then, would have been evidence of negligence. Or if tbe plaintiff bad been where be ought to have been, in a safe place, by bis own admission, and bad been injured by tbe sudden jerk, then that fact would have been evidence of negligence on tbe part of tbe defendant. Denny v. Railroad, supra. I think there was no error in. tbe dismissal of the action as by nonsuit.