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6 Thomp. & Cook 47

Schoonmaker v. McNally

New York Supreme Court

Decided January 15, 1875

New York Supreme Court · decided 1875-01-15

APPEAL by defendant from a judgment in favor of plaintiff, entered upon the verdict of a jury in the Ulster county court, and from an order denying a new trial. The action was brought in a justice’s court by Martin D. Schoonmaker against Francis McEally, to recover for the loss of two horses belonging to plaintiff which were fatally injured through the negligence of defendant. The defense was contributory negligence on the part of plaintiff.

Decided 1875-01-15

Learned, P. J.

¶1The only question is whether on the evidence the court can say, as a matter of law, that the plaintiff was guilty of contributory negligence.

¶2The negligence charged to him is the failure to have a driver with his team. But the want of a driver did not contribute to the accident, unless the plaintiff’s team was not in the proper place and did not stop at the proper time. On these points the evidence was contradictory and therefore the case was necessarily submitted to the jury.

¶3The defendant urges that if the plaintiff had had a driver for his team, the driver might have moved the team out of the way of the defendant’s team, and thus the accident might have been prevented. But, if the plaintiff’s team was actually in its proper place, that is, in the place where it ought to have been when the defendant’s team was to pass it, he ougíit not to be charged with contributory negligence on account of the possibility that if a driver had been at hand something might have been done to prevent the accident.

¶4The judgment and order appealed from should be affirmed, with costs..

¶5Judgment affirmed.

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