Bachelor Express V CA

Fortuitous Event/ Casa Fortuito (A. 1174 in rel. to A.
1165)
3. Effects of Fortuitous Event upon Obligation
Bachelor Express, Inc. v. CA

G.R. No. 85691
July 31, 1990
Gutierrez, Jr., J.
Facts:
On August 1, 1980, Bus No. 800 owned by Bachelor Express, Inc. and
driven by Cresencio Rivera was the situs of a stampede which resulted in the
death of passengers Ornominio Beter and Narcisa Rautraut. The bus came
from Davao City on its way to Cagayan de Oro City passing Butuan City.
While at Tabon-Tabon, Butuan City, the bus picked up a passenger and about
15 minutes later, a passenger at the rear portion suddenly stabbed a PC
soldier which caused commotion and panic among the passengers. When the
bus stopped, passengers Ornominio Beter and Narcisa Rautraut were found
lying down the road, the former already dead as a result of head injuries and
the latter also suffering from severe injuries which caused her death later.
The passenger assailant alighted from the bus and ran toward the bushes
but was killed by the police. Thereafter, the heirs of Ornominio Beter and
Narcisa Rautraut, Ricardo Beter and Sergia Beter (parents of Ornominio) and
Teofilo Rautraut and Zotera Rautraut (parents of Narcisa) filed a complaint for
"sum of money" against Bachelor Express, Inc. its alleged owner Samson
Yasay and the driver Rivera.
The petitioners denied liability alleging that the driver was able to
transport his passengers safely to their respective places of destination
except Ornominio Beter and Narcisa Rautraut who jumped off the bus
without the knowledge and consent, much less, the fault of the driver and
conductor and the defendants in this case. Defendant corporation had
exercised due diligence in the choice of its employees to avoid as much as
possible accidents and the incident on August 1, 1980 was not a traffic
accident or vehicular accident; it was an incident or event very much beyond
the control of the defendants; and, defendants were not parties to the
incident complained of as it was an act of a third party who is not in any way
connected with the defendants and of which the latter have no control and
supervision.
The trial court dismissed the complaint but the CA reversed it finding
petitioners jointly and solidarily liable to pay the heirs loss of earnings and
support, moral damages, straight death indemnity and attorney's fees.
The petitioners maintain that that the proximate cause of the death of
the 2 commuters was the act of the passenger who ran amuck and stabbed
another passenger of the bus. They contend that the stabbing incident
triggered off the commotion and panic among the passengers who pushed
one another and that presumably out of fear and moved by that human
instinct of self-preservation Beter and Rautraut jumped off the bus while the
bus was still running resulting in their untimely death. Under these
circumstances, the petitioners asseverate that they were not negligent in the
performance of their duties and that the incident was completely and
absolutely attributable to a third person--the passenger who ran amuck--for
without his criminal act, Beter and Rautraut could not have been subjected
to fear and shock which compelled them to jump off the running bus. They
argue that they should not be made liable for damages arising from acts of
third persons over whom they have no control or supervision.
Issue:
1. Are petitioners liable for the death of Ornominio Beter and Narcisa
Rautraut if the proximate cause of their death is the running amuck of
the passenger as it triggered off a commotion and panic among the
passengers such that the passengers started running to the sole exit
shoving each other resulting in the falling off the bus by passengers
Beter and Rautraut causing them fatal injuries?
2. Whether or not the petitioner's common carrier observed extraordinary
diligence to safeguard the lives of its passengers.
Held:
1. Yes. Under Article 1756 of the Civil Code, petitioner Bachelor Express,
Inc. is presumed to have acted negligently unless it can prove that it
had observed extraordinary diligence in accordance with Articles 1733
and 1755 of the New Civil Code. In order to overcome the presumption
of fault or negligence under the law, the petitioner states that the
vehicular incident resulting in the death of passengers Beter and
Rautraut was caused by force majeure or caso fortuito over which the
common carrier did not have any control. In the case of Lasam v.
Smith, a caso fortuito is shown to have 4 essential characteristics: (1)
The cause of the unforeseen and unexpected occurrence, or of the
failure of the debtor to comply with his obligation, must be
independent of the human will. (2) It must be impossible to foresee the
event which constitutes the caso fortuito, or if it can be foreseen, it
must be impossible to avoid. (3) The occurrence must be such as to
render it impossible for the debtor to fulfill his obligation in a normal
manner. And (4) the obligor (debtor) must be free from any
participation in the aggravation of the injury resulting to the creditor.
The sudden act of the passenger who stabbed another passenger
in the bus is within the context of force majeure. However, in order
that a common carrier may be absolved from liability in case of force
majeure, it is not enough that the accident was caused by force
majeure. The common carrier must still prove that it was not negligent
in causing the injuries resulting from such accident.
2. Regarding this issue, the trial court and the appellate court arrived at
conflicting factual findings. However, considering the factual findings of
the Court of Appeals, it was shown that the bus driver did not
immediately stop the bus at the height of the commotion; the bus was
speeding from a full stop; the victims fell from the bus door when it
was opened or gave way while the bus was still running; the conductor
panicked and blew his whistle after people had already fallen off the
bus; and the bus was not properly equipped with doors in accordance
with law. It is clear that the petitioners have failed to overcome the
presumption of fault and negligence found in the law governing
common carriers.

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Fortuitous Event/ Casa Fortuito (A. 1174 in rel. to A.

Bachelor Express, Inc. v. CA

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