59 Ind. App. 125 | Ind. Ct. App. | 1915
Appellee brought this action to recover damages for personal injuries received at a railroad crossing through the alleged negligence of appellant. The first paragraph of complaint on which .the cause was tried, in substance shows, that on August 4, 1930, appellant owned and operated a line of railroad in and through the town of Ridgeville, Randolph County, Indiana; that the railroad passed through the town in a general direction from south of east to north of west across the streets of the town, including Portland Street; that Portland Street runs north and south through a populous part of the town and people were constantly using said street at' the point where appellant’s road crossed it; that the town had a population of about 2,000, and was incorporated under the laws of the State; that on and prior to August 4,1910, there was in said town an ordinance, duly and legally enacted, in full force and effect, regulating the speed of railroad trains within the corporate limits of the town. A copy of the ordinance is set out in the complaint. That by the provisions of said ordinance it was unlawful for appellant to run its trains within the corporate limits of the town at a greater speed than six miles
A demurrer to the complaint for insufficiency of the facts alleged, was overruled and appellant filed a verified general denial. Upon the issues thus formed a trial by jury was had which resulted in a verdict and judgment in favor of appellee for $2,500. Appellant’s motion for a new trial was overruled.
The mstructions given fairly and fully state the law of the case and no error harmful to- appellant is pointed out either in the giving, or in the refusal of instructions tendered.
The act of 1879 relating to incorporated towns was in force in 1885, when the ordinance in question was passed. It authorized town boards to enact ordinances and put them in force without publication by declaring an emergency. The ordinance offered in evidence declared an emergency and states that it shall be in full force and effect from and after its passage. Acts 1879 p. 201; subd. 6, §3333 R. S. 1881; subd. 6, §4357 Burns 1894. The ordinance record of the town of Ridgeville was identified by the town clerk, the page where the ordinance was recorded and the.number of the ordinance were designated, and appellee’s exhibit “A” was identified as a true and duly authenticated copy of the ordinance. The minutes of the meeting of the town board of August 13, 1885, when the ordinance was passed, were duly identified by the town clerk together with the signature of the president of the board and that of the
The passage of an ordinance is in the nature of a legislative enactment. The ordinance has no existence until legally enacted and put in force. Where it is alleged that an ordinance had been enacted and was in force .at a particular time, the general denial puts those facts in issue and the party alleging them must prove them as alleged or fail upon the issue to which the3r are material. We therefore conclude that the issue is not different in this case, than it would have been under the ordinary general denial and that the plea of non est factum is not an appropriate pleading in cases like the one at bar. §370 Burns 1914, §364 R. S. 1881. The history of the plea and its use in this State, so far as our research has revealed, warrants no such use, and the nature of the issue it is intended to present seems to limit it to eases involving written instruments, such as notes, bonds, deeds, mortgages, contracts and the like. 9 Ency. Evidence 2 et seq.; 29 Cyc. 1057; Patterson v. Churchman (1890), 122 Ind. 379, 385, 22. N. E. 662, 23 N. E. 1082; Lamb v. Holmes (1871), 60 Ill. 497; Neely v. Chinn (1846), 8 Blackf. 84; Godman v. Henby (1905), 37 Ind. App. 1, 76 N. E. 423; Harris v. Randolph County Bank (1901), 157 Ind. 120, 129, 60 N. E. 1025; Palmer v. Poor (1889), 121 Ind. 135, 22 N. E. 984, 6 L. R. A. 469; Fudge v. Marquell (1905), 164 Ind. 447, 453, 72 N. E. 565, 73 N. E. 895.
There was evidence to the effect that appellee stopped about twenty-five feet south of the switch track and waited until the east bound train cleared the crossing; that he looked to the west and saw the train there had stopped; that he looked to the east, listened and neither saw nor heard an approaching train; that the train going west on the main track approached the crossing at about thirty miles an hour without ringing the bell or sounding a whistle; that as soon as the east bound train cleared the highway appellee saw a lady pedestrian on the highway starting to cross the track from the south to the north, coming toward him; that he then struck his horse and started across the tracks going at the speed of about four or five miles per hour; that he continued to look to the east and just as he crossed the south track and his horse was entering upon the main track, for the first time he saw the approaching train; that he instantly endeavored to stop his horse and back it off the track, but was unable to do so; that the engine struck the horse and vehicle and threw appellee about forty feet' and severely injured him.
On such a state of facts the court can not declare as a matter of law, that appellee was guilty of negligence in attempting to cross. There was unquestionably evidence from which the jury might have so found. But considering
No prejudicial.error has been shown. The death of appellee during the pendency of this appeal having been suggested, the judgment is affirmed as of date of submission.
Note. — Reported in 107 N. E. 486. As to the care a railroad company must exercise in running its trains over crossings, see 26 Am. Rep. 207. As to the violation of the rule as to giving of signals as evidence of negligence towards member of the public, see. 8 L. R. A. (N. S.) 1063. As to the duty of a railroad to give signals at other than grade crossings, see 3 Ann. Cas. 361; 16 Ann. Cas. 1234. As to the duty of a railroad to give signals at private crossings, see 21 Ann. Cas. 568. As to the admissibility of parol evidence to prove municipal ordinance, see Ann. Cas. 1915 A 709. See, also, under (1, 2) 33 Cyc. 1058, 1057; (3) 31 Cyc. 83; (4) 33 Cyc. 1057, 1060; (5) 33 Cyc. 967; (6) 33 Cyc. 962; (7) 33 Cyc. 958; (8) 33 Cyc. 1129; 38 Cyc. 1778; (9) 38 Cyc. 1693; (10) 38 Cyc. 1635; (11) 29 Cyc. 644; (12) 33 Cyc. 1121, 1111; (13) 33 Cyc. 1027, 1132; 28 Cyc. 394; (14) 38 Cyc. 1637, 1635; (15) 33 Cyc. 1129; (16) 38 Cyc. 1814; (17) 29 Cyc. 745; (18, 19) 28 Cyc. 397; (20 ) 28 Cyc. 398; (21) 16 Cyc. 1052; (22) 31 Cyc. 195; (23) 33 Cyc. 1111, 1093.