Archer v. Ostemeier

105 N.E. 522, 56 Ind. App. 385, 1914 Ind. App. LEXIS 41
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedJune 2, 1914
DocketNo. 8,343
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 105 N.E. 522 (Archer v. Ostemeier) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Archer v. Ostemeier, 105 N.E. 522, 56 Ind. App. 385, 1914 Ind. App. LEXIS 41 (Ind. Ct. App. 1914).

Opinion

Felt, J.

Appellee recovered judgment against appellant for $122 damages for the loss of a horse occasioned by the alleged negligence of appellant’s servant, which caused a collision between appellee’s team and the wagon of appellant, on a public street in the city of Port Wayne, Indiana.

The only error assigned is the overruling of appellant’s motion for a new trial.

The following facts are undisputed: Columbia Street, [388]*388where the colisión occurred, extends east and west in said, city, is paved with brick and has a single street car track in the center. On August 30, 1911, appellee’s team was being driven eastward over said street and appellant’s team drawing a large truck wagon weighing about 4,000 pounds, was being driven westward on said, street. Near the place of collision another truck was standing near the north curb. Appellant’s team approached said standing truck in a trot and the driver turned it to the south far enough to bring the wheels on the left side of his wagon south of the south rail of the car track, and after passing said standing truck, he turned the team back to the north. As he turned to the north the rear wheels of appellant’s wagon skidded south and threw the rear end of the wagon against appellee’s horse and injured it substantially as alleged in the complaint. At the time of the injury appellee’s team was south of the south rail of the street car track.

The substance of the negligence charged is that the appellant, by his servant and employe in charge of said team, carelessly and negligently drove his horses, with the wagon attached, at a lively rate of speed, down the center of Columbia Street and along the street car track located therein; that when he met and was about to pass appellee’s team, without giving any warning or decreasing the speed of his team, he suddenly, negligently and carelessly turned to the north and negligently, without stopping or decreasing the speed, threw said wagon against appellee’s horse with such force as to break its leg; that said injury was not due to the fault or negligence of appellee; that the appellant knew, or should have known, that by turning his team in the manner aforesaid the rear end of the wagon would be suddenly thrown to the south side of the street and would be liable to injure passing teams or vehicles; that the wagon was of such weight and the street in such a condition that the wagon could not be turned suddenly to the north without causing the end of it to swerve to the south, which fact [389]*389appellant knew, or should have known; that it was negligence on the part of appellant to drive said team and wagon along the center of said street and ear tracks and, without decreasing the speed of the team, to suddenly turn it to the north as he did in this instance.

1. 2. Appellant objects to instruction No. 3 given on the ground that it invaded the province of the jury by telling it what the evidence shows. Also that it told the jury the appellee could recover if appellant’s driver was guilty of any negligence without any reference to the degree of care required of him as a driver, on a public thoroughfare. Also that the instruction is not pertinent to any evidence in the case. In the first part of the instruction the court does assume certain facts as proven, but all the facts so assumed were either agreed upon or established by undisputed evidence. Where facts are undisputed, or are of such a character that reasonable minds ean draw therefrom but one inference or conclusion, it is not error to assume such facts in an instruction. Baltimore, etc., R. Co. v. Keiser (1912), 51 Ind. App. 58, 72, 94 N. E. 330; Cleveland, etc., R. Co. v. Jones (1912), 51 Ind. App. 245, 255, 99 N. E. 503. The concluding part of the instruction is as follows: “I instruct you that if said WeaVer was guilty of carelessness or negligence in so turning his wagon to the north, or if he attempted to get to the north side of the street car tracks in a careless or negligent manner, and, as a result of such carelessness, plaintiff’s horse was struck in the manner stated, and injured, and such injuries were not caused by negligence on the part of plaintiff, then defendant would be liable to the plaintiff for any damages he suffered by reason of such injury to his horse.” The instruction does not assume to tell the jury the measure of care required by appellant’s driver. In other instructions the court clearly instructed the jury as to the care required of a driver under such circumstances. The gravamen of the action was the negligence of the driver of appel[390]*390lant’s team. There was evidence to warrant the giving of the instruction. As against the objections urged, it was a substantially correct statement of law.

3. Objection is urged to instruction No. 5, that there was no evidence before the jury to which the instruction was applicable. The substance of the instruction is that if appellant was guilty of the negligence charged in the complaint and such negligence was the proximate cause of the injury to appellee’s horse and appellee was not guilty of any negligence contributing to said injury, he could recover the damages he sustained by reason thereof. The evidence in substance shows, or tends to show, that appellant’s team was hitched to a truck wagon weighing about 4,000 pounds and was being driven west at about eight miles per hour; that it was turned to the left and south of the center of the street, over the street car tracks, to pass a wagon standing at the north curb, though there was room to drive between the wagon and the north street car track; that appellee’s team was going east on the south side of the street, between the curb and the south rail of the street car track, at a speed of about five miles per hour; that without slacking the speed of his team, appellant’s driver just before he met appellee’s team, turned suddenly to the north and as he did so, the rear end of the wagon swerved, or skidded, to the south and struck appellee’s horse with sufficient force to drag him seven or eight feet and throw him down upon the paved street; that there was a buggy next to the south curb, and opposite appellee’s team at the time of the collision; that appellee’s driver pulled his team to the south as much as he could in an effort to avoid a collision. The evidence was clearly sufficient to warrant the giving of the instruction.

[391]*3914. [390]*390Appellant also contends that the evidence is insufficient to sustain the verdict, but there is some evidence to support every material averment of the complaint. It was a ques[391]*391tion for the jury to determine whether appellant was guilty of negligence which. was the proximate cause of the injury alleged. The weight of the evidence on the disputed propositions was for the jury to determine. Where there is some evidence to support the verdict this court will not weigh the evidence.

5. Objection is made to the admission of certain evidence relating to the driver of truck wagons on the street in question. The only objection urged is that it was not a proper subject for expert testimony. The qualifications of the witness to testify are not questioned.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Abell v. City of Seymour
275 N.E.2d 547 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1971)
Snow v. CANNELTON SEWER PIPE CO.
210 N.E.2d 118 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1965)
Days Transfer, Inc. v. Silvers
104 N.E.2d 392 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1952)
Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad v. Edwards
129 N.E. 310 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1921)
Showers Bros. v. Davis
118 N.E. 697 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1918)
Union Traction Co. v. Elmore
116 N.E. 837 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1917)
Beard v. Payne
115 N.E. 782 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1917)
Maywood Stock Farm Importing Co. v. Pratt
110 N.E. 243 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1915)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
105 N.E. 522, 56 Ind. App. 385, 1914 Ind. App. LEXIS 41, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/archer-v-ostemeier-indctapp-1914.