Rhoads v. Cornwall & Lebanon Railroad

Citations

• 48 Pa. Super. 310
• 1911 Pa. Super. LEXIS 378

Syllabus

<p>Negligence — Railroad—Passenger—Accident on platform of station.</p> <p>1. As a general rule the relation of carrier and passenger begins as soon as one intending in good faith to become a passenger enters in a lawful manner upon the carrier’s premises to engage passage, and that relation continues to exist until the passenger has been made aware of his arrival at the place of destination and has had a reasonable time to alight from the car and to leave the premises of the carrier, and.what is a reasonable length of time is a question of fact to be determined by the jury.</p> <p>2. In an action against a railroad company to recover damages for personal injuries the case is for the jury and a verdict and judgment for plaintiff will be sustained where the evidence shows that the plaintiff was an elderly woman, crippled and compelled to walk with a cane; that just before the accident she was assisted to alight from the car in which she was a passenger by the conductor and brakeman; that immediately after she reached'the platform the brakeman gave a signal for the train to start, and either in doing so, or in running to get on the train he knocked the defendant down, breaking her leg; and that the whole time of the stoppage of the train at the station was about one minute.</p>