Court Opinion

ID: 9863726
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-25 05:53:24.203836+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T12:04:13.165789
License: Public Domain

MR. JUSTICE JOHN C. HARRISON
dissenting.
I dissent.
First, it is obvious from a study of the transcript in this case that the court in trying the case carefully considered, as a guideline throughout the trial of the case, this court’s holding in the last railroad crossing case, Monforton v. Northern Pac. R. R. Co., 138 Mont. 191, 355 P.2d 501, and tried the case within the boundaries set by that case. Having done so, through his instructions as well as through his rulings during the course of the trial of the case, it is my opinion that the case should be sustained.
Secondly, I disagree with the majority opinion on the last clear chance doctrine. A reading of all of the testimony of Stiefvater, the engineer, who had exchanged places with the fireman, and who observed the ear coming down the road for a considerable period of time, clearly shows that because of the glare of the sun on the windshield of the car of Hannigan, that he had some question in the back of his mind about the ability of the driver of the car to see the approach of the train. In spite of his watching this car for quite a period, in spite of the fact that he could not see into the car due to the fact that there was a glare off of the windshield which prevented his seeing into the car, which also should have warned him of the fact that the driver was approaching into the sun, he did nothing to warn the acting engineer at the time to either slow down or stop the train for the crossing. This evidence is such that it was a matter to be submitted to the jury and resolved by them.