Note 93 — Chapter II · NEGLIGENT INTERFERENCE (continued 2)
Reading edition
This decision and Bridges v. North London R. Co., L. R. 7 H. L. 213, put an end in England to a conflict of authority as to the power of the judge to withdraw the case from the jury where there was an “invitation to alight” or “slamming the door” of a compartment car. See the cases cited in 21 Halsbury, Laws of England, 445.
A like question, much discussed in the United States, is: A man, without looking or listening, attempts to cross the track of a steam railway, and is hit by a negligently managed engine. Should the judge rule that crossing without looking and listening (or crossing without stopping, looking, and listening) is, as matter of law, negligent conduct? Or should the judge tell the jury that such conduct is evidence from which negligence may be inferred, and that it is for them to say whether they do infer it? As to this, there is a conflict of authority. See discussion and collected cases in 3 Elliott on Railroads (1st ed.) § 1167; 2 Thompson, Commentaries on the Law of Negligence, Chap. 52, Article 2, §§ 1637–1661, especially §§ 1640, 1649, 1650, 1653; 33 Cyc. 1116 ff.; Beach on Contributory Negligence (3d ed.) §§ 181, 182.
Other like questions arise in case of alighting from a moving car: Puget Sound R. Co. v. Felt, 181 Fed. 938; Birmingham R. Co. v. Girod, 164 Ala. 10; St. Louis R. Co. v. Plott, 108 Ark. 292; Carr v. Eel River R. Co., 98 Cal. 366; Coursey v. Southern R. Co., 113 Ga. 297; Ardison v. Illinois R. Co., 249 Ill. 300; Louisville R. Co. v. Crunk, 119 Ind. 542; Walters v. Missouri R. Co., 82 Kan. 739; Hayden v. Chicago R. Co., 160 Ky. 836; Cumberland R. Co. v. Maugans, 61 Md. 53; Street v. Chicago R. Co., 124 Minn. 517; Johnson v. St. Joseph R. Co., 143 Mo. App. 376; Willis v. Metropolitan R. Co., 63 App. Div. 332; Pennsylvania R. Co. v. Lyons, 129 Pa. St. 113; Kearney v. Seaboard R. Co., 158 N. C. 521; San Antonio Traction Co. v. Badgett, (Tex. Civ. App.) 158 S. W. 803; Gaines v. Ogden R. Co., 44 Utah, 512; Breeden v. Seattle R. Co., 60 Wash. 522.
Boarding moving car: Central R. Co. v. Hingson, 186 Ala. 40; South Chicago R. Co. v. Dufresne, 200 Ill. 456; Chicago Traction Co. v. Lundahl, 215 Ill. 289; Pence v. Wabash R. Co., 116 Ia. 279; Jonas v. South Covington R. Co., 162 Ky. 171; Mabry v. Boston R. Co., 214 Mass. 463; Foley v. Detroit R. Co., 179 Mich. 586; Hull v. Minneapolis R. Co., 116 Minn. 349; Nolan v. Metropolitan R. Co., 250 Mo. 602.
Standing on platform or running board: Texas R. Co. v. Lacey, 185 Fed. 225; Central R. Co. v. Brown, 165 Ala. 493; Holloway v. Pasadena R. Co., 130 Cal. 177; Augusta R. Co. v. Snider, 118 Ga. 146; Chicago R. Co. v. Newell, 212 Ill. 332; Math v. Chicago R. Co., 243 Ill. 114; Louisville R. Co. v. Stillwell, 142 Ky. 330; Blair v. Lewiston R. Co., 110 Me. 235; Olund v. Worcester R. Co., 206 Mass. 544; Heshion v. Boston R. Co., 208 Mass. 117; Wheeler v. Boston R. Co., 220 Mass. 298; Lacey v. Minneapolis R. Co., 118 Minn. 301; Setzler v. Metropolitan R. Co., 227 Mo. 454; Trussell v. Traction Co., 79 N. J. Law, 533; Ward v. International R. Co., 206 N. Y. 83; Edwards v. New Jersey R. Co., 144 App. Div. 554; Germantown R. Co. v. Walling, 97 Pa. St. 55; Brice v. Southern R. Co., 85 S. C. 216.
Part of body protruding from car: Georgetown R. Co. v. Smith, 25 App. D. C. 259; Clerc v. Morgan’s R. Co., 107 La. 370; Lange v. Metropolitan R. Co., 151 Mo. App. 500; Kuttner v. Central R. Co., 80 N. J. Law, 11; Goller v. Fonda R. Co., 110 App. Div. 620.