Allen v. Baucum

218 So. 2d 662
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedFebruary 3, 1969
Docket3330
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 218 So. 2d 662 (Allen v. Baucum) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Allen v. Baucum, 218 So. 2d 662 (La. Ct. App. 1969).

Opinion

218 So.2d 662 (1969)

Helen ALLEN, wife of/and Leo S. Allen, Individually and as Trustees for Government Employees Insurance Company, and Government Employees Insurance Company
v.
Sybil L. BAUCUM.

No. 3330.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Fourth Circuit.

February 3, 1969.

*663 John I. Hulse IV, of Hammett, Leake & Hammett, New Orleans, for plaintiffs-appellants.

Jack A. Williams, of Kytle & Williams, Kenner, for defendant-appellee.

Before SAMUEL, CHASEZ and BARNETTE, JJ.

CHASEZ, Judge.

The plaintiffs in this action, Helen and Leo S. Allen, individually and as trustees for their insurer Government Employees Insurance Company, and Government Employees Insurance Company individually, bring this appeal from a judgment which rejected their demands against the defendant herein, Sybil L. Baucum.

The litigation arose out of an automobile collision which occurred at approximately 7:30 A.M. on December 6, 1966, at the intersection of Chef Menteur Highway and Bundy Road in the City of New Orleans. Plaintiff Leo S. Allen in the company of his wife Helen was driving his car on Bundy Road toward Chef Menteur Highway, and stopped in obedience to a stop sign at the intersection of the highway. He then proceeded into the highway which at that point is a four lane thoroughfare divided by a neutral ground. He brought his vehicle to a stop in the neutral ground after crossing the two inbound lanes of traffic, and waited there for the traffic to clear in the outbound lane before proceeding further. It is clear from the record that Allen's vehicle did not completely clear the inbound lane nearer the neutral ground, so that as he was stopped in the neutral ground the rear end of his vehicle protruded approximately four feet into this lane.

There is some dispute as to the length of time Allen was so positioned in the neutral ground before the accident occurred. Pretermitting a discussion of this point for a moment, the record establishes that the Allen vehicle was so stopped when struck by the defendant's vehicle which had been proceeding toward New Orleans in the left hand lane of the highway, that is, the lane closer to the neutral ground. The police were called to the scene of the accident and they ticketed Mr. Allen for a driving violation.

Mr. Allen's insurer is the plaintiff Government Employees Insurance Company, hereinafter referred to as GEICO. GEICO paid Mr. Allen the sum of $116.29 for damages allegedly done to his car by the collision, over and above the $100.00 deductible portion of the policy. In addition it paid Mrs. Allen $250.00 under the uninsured motorists' provision of the policy for bodily injury she allegedly suffered as a result of the accident. Miss Baucum carried no liability or collision insurance on her automobile. In return for the $250.00 payment Mrs. Allen executed a release and trust agreement in which she agreed to hold in trust for the benefit of GEICO all rights, claims and causes of action which she might have against the party responsible for her injuries, and to take any legal action in her name for GEICO to recover the damages paid by GEICO for these injuries. In addition GEICO became the subrogee of Mr. Allen's rights against Miss Baucum to the extent of the $116.29 it paid to him for car repairs. Thus Mr. Allen is here in his individual capacity to recover the $100.00 he paid for the damages to his vehicle. Mrs. Allen is here as trustee in behalf of GEICO to recover the $250.00 paid to her under the uninsured motorists' clause of the policy and GEICO is here in its individual capacity as the subrogee of Mr. Allen to recover the $116.29 it paid to him for car repairs. There are no other claims for damages by any of the parties.

*664 We are of the opinion that the trial judge was in error in dismissing the plaintiffs' suit. He gave no reasons for his judgment thus we are unable to determine his particular conclusions of fact.

The principal factual issue now in dispute as mentioned above, and one we find essential to the determination of liability, involves the length of time plaintiff Allen was situated in the neutral ground before being struck by the Baucum vehicle.

As to this Mr. Allen made the following statements at the trial below:

"A. The width of the neutral ground on the Chef Menteur Highway is nine paces. The opening is eighteen paces. I came to a stop, looked to the left, I seen no oncoming traffic, I proceeded to cross into the neutral ground at an angle.
Q. Now, were you getting ready to turn left on Chef Menteur Highway or what were you going to do?
A. Yes, I was getting ready to turn left to proceed to the Michoud Facility, that is going outbound of New Orleans. That is going in the direction of east. My wife was looking at the oncoming traffic and I was too.
Q. When you say this is, will you describe to the court what you are talking about now? Were you all already in the neutral ground area at that time?
A. Yes, I was already in the intersection of Chef Menteur way stopped.
Q. You had come to a complete stop?
A. A complete stop. My wife and I were talking and I says, traffic is quite heavy this morning going outbound. I reached in my pocket, unwrapped a cigar, put the cigar wrappings in my cigarette compartment, lit my cigar and at that time I heard some skidding and then I turned to the left and I seen the oncoming car that was going to strike me. At that time I turned to the right to see if I had a clear shot that I could make a right-hand turn because I knew she was going to hit me because she was up against the curb, riding the curb. All right. The traffic was so heavy that morning going outbound that I couldn't pull forward and when I made my stop, I do not believe at any time that the rear end of my car was on the other section of the Chef Menteur Highway.
Q. What position was your car in when you were stopped in the neutral ground? Was it straight ahead or was it at an angle?
A. It was at about fifteen to twenty degrees angle.
Q. And you were getting ready to turn left, is that right?
A. That's right.
Q. And you were just waiting for the outbound traffic?
A. This is correct.
Q. How long would you estimate you were at a complete stop in that neutral ground intersection of Chef Menteur Highway and Bundy Road?
A. Oh, I would say approximately, between a minute and a half to two minutes—a complete stop."

Mrs. Allen testified as follows on this subject:

"Q. When your husband stopped at the intersection of Bundy Road and Chef Menteur Highway and went on across into the neutral ground, how long do you think you were stopped there before the collision occurred?
A. Well, several minutes because he did unwrap a cigar and start lighting it when the impact occurred."

*665 Plaintiffs called as an additional witness Mr. Jose Rabel, the operator of a service station on the corner of Bundy Road and Chef Menteur Highway. Rabel testified that he saw the Allen vehicle stopped in the neutral ground in the intersection of Chef Menteur Highway and Bundy Road prior to the accident. He then made the following statements in reply to counsel's questions:

"Q. How long would you estimate that he was stopped in the neutral ground?
A.

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Bluebook (online)
218 So. 2d 662, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/allen-v-baucum-lactapp-1969.