58 S.E. 913 | N.C. | 1907
These issues were submitted:
1. Was plaintiff injured by the negligence of the defendant, as alleged in the complaint? Ans. "Yes."
2. Did plaintiff, by his own negligence, contribute to the injury complained of? Ans. "No."
3. What damage, if any, is plaintiff entitled to recover? Ans. "$7,500." From the judgment rendered defendant appealed. The evidence tends to prove that the plaintiff, on the night of 4 July, 1903, was a passenger on defendant's train, en (153) route from Raleigh to Danville, Va. He passed through the gates of the defendant's station at Raleigh, and as he was walking along the platform used by passengers to reach the cars he was run into and seriously injured by a truck loaded with newspapers. It was in evidence that the man in charge of the truck was not employed by the railroad, but was employed by a newspaper, and it was his business to handle the newspaper mail. When the newspaper mail reaches the station in time it is the custom for the railroad truck hands to take the mail from the gate down to the train. When the newspapers arrive too late to be taken at the gate by the truck hands, the man who brings the newspapers down from the office takes them down to the cars and delivers them to the mail agents at the mail car. Witness R. E. Lumsden testified that the news-paper mail was handled by the railroad porters when it got to the gate before the transfer clerk and the porters went down with the regular mail. If it arrived in time, the railroad porters took the mail down to *111 the mail car; but if the newspaper mail got to the gate after the porters had gone down with the mail, the person who brought the newspaper mail took it down to the mail car and unloaded it. "When we went down with the mail on the night of 4 July, 1903, the newspaper mail had not come. A colored boy, named Lunsford Davis, handled the newspaper mail to the depot for the newspaper at that time." The witness heard of the accident either that night or the next day.
The only question presented for our consideration is the liability of defendant to plaintiff for the negligence of the newspaper porter, upon the above facts. It seems now to be almost elementary that one of the recognized duties of a railway company that undertakes to carry passengers is to keep its station premises in a reasonably safe condition, so that those who patronize it may pass safely to and from the cars. Pineus v.R. R.,
The fact that the injury to plaintiff was inflicted by the negligence of the newspaper porter, who, with defendant's consent, was on his way from the gates to the mail car with the truck loaded with papers, does not relieve the defendant from its contractual obligation to plaintiff, and we find no authority which sustains the contention that it does. The liability does not arise because defendant might reasonably have anticipated just what happened, but grows out of its duty to plaintiff to furnish him reasonably safe passage to the train. The defendant is not bound to accept newspapers and deliver them to the mail car unless the newspaper company delivers its papers at the gates in reasonable time for the defendant, through its own agents and employees, to take them at the gates and transport them to the mail car. If the defendant customarily permitted the newspaper porter, when late in his delivery, to push the truck along the platform inside the gates when passengers are hurrying to and fro, the defendant must be liable for the porter's negligent conduct while using the station platform, upon the principle that it has temporarily accepted him as its servant. R. R. v. Gustafson, 21 Col., 393; Kimball v. Cushman,
It is true, as contended by counsel, that there is no proof whatever that defendant is under any contractual obligations, or duty, to receive the mail intended for the mail car at the station gates when the newspaper is late in reaching the train. But if, nevertheless, they do receive the papers on such occasions, and customarily permit the newspaper porter to discharge the duty their hired employees otherwise discharge, (156) they must be held liable to passengers if they are injured by such porter's negligence while on the platform.
The only exception to the evidence was abandoned by appellant upon the argument. We have examined the charge carefully, and find it fair, free from error, and in line with the views expressed in this opinion.
No error.
Cited: Roberts v. R. R.,