1902--Railroad Injury

 

From the Friday, May 2, 1902 edition of the St. Lawrence Herald:

 

From the published county court cases: "The plaintiff (Walter W. Phelps vs the N.Y.C. & H.R. Railroad Co., is a young man from Gouverneur. The accident occurred at Norwood, May 19, 1900, when the plaintiff was in the employ of the defendant as a brakeman. On the afternoon of that day, the plaintiff was sent with the engineer and fireman and a portion of the freight train on which he was braking, consisting of an engine and two freight cars, to couple to a car standing upon a switch at the Norwood yards. The engineer and fireman remained on the engine and backed the engine and two cars upon the switch, while the plaintiff stood beside the track to do the coupling. One of the cars was equipped with a Trojan coupler and the other with a Gould coupler; both were supposed to be self acting. When the cars came together for the first time for some reason they failed to couple, and the engine moved forward and stopped while the plaintiff stepped between the cars as it became necessary to open the knuckle of one of the couplers. While he was thus engaged, and, as claimed by the plaintiff against the rules of the company, without signal the engine and two cars were backed up again and his right arm was caught and badly lacerated and crushed. No physician could be found at Norwood, and the plaintiff was brought to Potsdam, where he remained a week under treatment of the company's physician, and then went to his home at Gouverneur, where he was treated by Dr. Flint. The plaintiff's arm was exhibited to the jury, and still shows the effects of the accident, rendering it weak. He testified that he had no use of the thumb since the accident." (A nonsuit was granted on the grounds that the negligence was that of an employee).

Previous Next