Jasper County Democrat, Volume 20, Number 48, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 September 1917 — FILED FOUR DAMAGE SUITS [ARTICLE]

FILED FOUR DAMAGE SUITS

Demand a Total of $40,000 From New York Central Railroad. Attorneys John A. - Dunlap ol this city and M. E. Graves of Morocco filed four damage suits aggregating $40,000 against the New York Central railroad in the Newton circuit court yesterday. The four suits are for SIO,OOO each, and result from the accident north of Morocco on August 8 in which Philip Hoaks, his wife and Arnmeddie St. Pierre lost their lives. Three of the suits are filed on behalf of Joseph D. Law of Morocco.. administrator of the estates of the deceased, and the fourth on behalf of Selina St. Pierre, who was injured in the* same accideht, for personal injuries. In the complaint it is set out that the crossing where the accident happened, which is a public highway but little used, the railroad company failed to maintain a proper crossing, there being but one plank on each side of either rail, thereby creating a depression in the center of the track in -which the Hoaks automobile became stalled; also that the engineer of the train failed to sound a warning as he approached the crossing, which is said to be the habit with all engineers regarding crossings used but little. At the coroner’s inquest the engineer testified that his train was running sixty-five miles an hour and that he was only 100 feet from the crossing when the auto was driven upon it.