Anderson v. Wilcox

189 N.W.2d 541, 1971 Iowa Sup. LEXIS 882
CourtSupreme Court of Iowa
DecidedSeptember 9, 1971
Docket54549
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 189 N.W.2d 541 (Anderson v. Wilcox) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Anderson v. Wilcox, 189 N.W.2d 541, 1971 Iowa Sup. LEXIS 882 (iowa 1971).

Opinions

BECKER, Justice.

Action at law for damages for personal injury sustained as a result of a collision between a motorcycle operated by plaintiff Carl Raymond Anderson and pickup truck driven by defendant. The issues of defendant’s negligence and plaintiff’s contributory negligence were submitted to a jury. Verdict was for defendant. Plaintiffs’ motion for a new trial was overruled. Plaintiffs appeal. Reversed and remanded.

Plaintiff Mary Ann Anderson sues for loss of consortium. The term plaintiff will hereafter be used to refer to Carl Raymond Anderson, the injured party. Plaintiff and defendant were employees of AMF Western Tool Company. The collision occurred in the company parking lot shortly after 3:30 P.M., May 30, 1969. Defendant was backing his pickup-camper out of an angle parking space into the exit lane which is 10 to 20 feet wide. Plaintiff was traveling west in the exit lane on a motorcycle. Defendant’s pickup was facing northwest as it was being backed out of the angle parking. Plaintiff’s motorcycle was traveling west as it approached the rear of the truck.

Plaintiff testified he was moving approximately five m.p.h. He first saw defendant’s truck when he was about five feet from it. The truck was then one-half to three-quarters into the lane. The plain[543]*543tiff also said he was traveling two to three feet from the cars parked to his right to avoid oil drippings in the middle of the lane. When plaintiff first saw defendant he hollered “whoa” in a loud voice, attempted to swerve to the left but was struck by the left portion of defendant’s rear bumper on his right side.

Berthel Shank was operating a motorcycle 10 to IS feet ahead of plaintiff. He had to swerve to avoid defendant’s backward motion. Shank stated that he heard the plaintiff “holler” before the collision.

The defendant testified he looked in the rear vision mirror before backing up. He neither saw the plaintiff nor heard him yell before the collision. In cross-examination he said:

“I had driven this camper quite a number of times before, and the only way you could see would be if you looked in my mirrors and I could see directly behind me, so I knew that I had a vision problem with this truck. There were blind spots on it. I knew that when I got the truck. In one smooth motion I backed out.”

The defendant stated he saw Shank through a mirror located on the right side of his truck, stopped, and then heard a “thud”.

At the close of all the evidence defendant sought and obtained permission to amend his answer to allege contributory negligence for failure “to sound his horn when sounding his horn was reasonably necessary to insure the safe operation of his vehicle and to warn the defendant of the plaintiff’s approach.” Defendant staR ed the specification was based on section 321.432, Code, 1966.

I. Plaintiff’s first assignment of error deals with the instruction concerning the “sounding of the horn” specification. In pertinent part the instruction reads :

“If you find from a preponderance of the evidence that at said time and place plaintiff Carl Raymond Anderson observed the backward movement of defendant’s motor vehicle in time to have sounded the horn on said plaintiff’s motorcycle to warn defendant of said plaintiff’s approach, and you further find that an ordinarily reasonable and prudent person under the same or similar circumstances would have sounded the horn on said motorcycle and you further find that at said time and place plaintiff Carl Raymond Anderson failed to use ordinary care to sound the horn on his motorcycle, such failure, if any, would constitute negligence on the part of said plaintiff.”

The objection, made after argument to the jury, when the instructions in their final form were submitted reads:

“Come now the plaintiffs and object to Instruction No. 12 wherein the Court instructs the jury with regard to failure by the plaintiff Carl • Anderson regarding sounding of a horn warning of the plaintiff’s approach. It would be the plaintiff’s position that under the common law this instruction is too narrow; that the instruction should have allowed for any type of warning, whether it be by horn or by voice or in any other manner; that if in fact a warning was given, the jury should determine the sufficiency of that warning and not be limited to the approach that the instruction has here only as to the horn; * *

In Instruction No. 6 the court told the jury the statutory rules of the road do not apply to this case because the incident occurred entirely on a private parking lot. Section 321, Code, 1971. Neither side challenges this instruction. Defendant contends there is a common-law duty to sound the horn. Plaintiff claims, and properly advised the court, that the common-law duty is to give an audible warning by sounding a horn or by otherwise giving a timely signal of his approach. This is the first fighting issue in the cáse. [544]*544Lawson v. Fordyce, 237 Iowa 28, 64, 65, 21 N.W.2d 69 (1945) states:

“ ‘Apart from specific legislative provision, a duty rests upon the operator of a motor vehicle to slow down and sound his horn or otherwise give timely signal of his approach when danger would otherwise be incurred. This obligation is included in the common law duty to use reasonable care.’ See, also, Shifman v. Whalen, 234 N.Y. 283, 137 N.E. 331; Fork Ridge Bus Line v. Matthews, 248 Ky. 419, 58 S.W.2d 615.
“ ‘Even in the absence of a statute or ordinance specifically requiring a warning, a motorist nevertheless should give warning to avoid possible danger to pedestrians if the exercise of reasonable care should so require.’ 2 Blashfield, Cyclopedia of Automobile Law and Practice, Perm Ed., § 1251.
“In 3 Berry, Law of Automobiles, 7th Ed., § 3.152, the author states:
“ ‘Reasonable care may require that a motorist give a pedestrian warning though no statute imposes the duty.’ ” (Emphasis added.)

Nichols v. Snyder, 247 Iowa 1302, 1307, 78 N.W.2d 836, 839 (1956), is to like effect. We there quoted 60 C.J.S. Motor Vehicles § 288, pp. 674, 675 :

“ ‘In the absence of statutory or other governmental regulation imposing a mandatory duty to do so, the duty to blow a horn or give other warning signal of the approach of a motor vehicle depends largely on the circumstances * * *. It is the duty of the driver to give warning of the approach of the vehicle when this is reasonably necessary to avoid danger or injury to others by according them an opportunity to take measures for their own protection * * *.’ (Emphasis supplied).” (First emphasis supplied).

Since the statutory law of the road does not apply here, section 321, Code, 1971, the above common-law principles adopted by this court apply. Under this factual situation we find the instruction defining plaintiff’s duty to warn defendant of his approach was, as plaintiff contends, too narrow.

Although the vehicles were traveling slowly the situation developed rapidly. An eyewitness, Gary Collins, testified:

“MR.

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Anderson v. Wilcox
189 N.W.2d 541 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1971)

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Bluebook (online)
189 N.W.2d 541, 1971 Iowa Sup. LEXIS 882, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/anderson-v-wilcox-iowa-1971.