Smith v. West Suburban Transit Lines, Inc.

This appeal arises out of a personal injury action wherein plaintiff, a passenger on a chartered bus of defendant, alleged he was assaulted by a stranger who became angry when the bus obstructed traffic in such a fashion that the stranger’s car could not proceed.

At the close of plaintiff’s case, defendant’s motion for a directed verdict was granted and the only issue presented on appeal is the propriety of this ruling. The facts are essentially as follows:

On April 27, 1969, plaintiff, a deacon of the St. Paul Baptist Church, was on the bus returning from a church-sponsored outing. When the…