Arenson v. Butterworth

54 N.W.2d 557, 243 Iowa 880, 1952 Iowa Sup. LEXIS 545
CourtSupreme Court of Iowa
DecidedJuly 28, 1952
Docket48072
StatusPublished
Cited by22 cases

This text of 54 N.W.2d 557 (Arenson v. Butterworth) 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
Arenson v. Butterworth, 54 N.W.2d 557, 243 Iowa 880, 1952 Iowa Sup. LEXIS 545 (iowa 1952).

Opinion

GtARitield, J.

Central Avenue in the city of Fort Dodge runs about east and west. Twelfth Street runs about north and south at the east end of Central Avenue. Nearly all eastbound traffic on Central turns either south or north on Twelfth Street. A narrow gravel driveway runs on east from Twelfth but it is used infrequently. For practical purposes it is a “T” intersection with Twelfth forming the top of the “T” and Central the base. There are traffic control signals — stop and go lights — at the intersection.

Plaintiff, age sixty-nine, walked north on the sidewalk on the east side of Twelfth to the northeast corner of the intersection. There she says she waited for a green light.so she could cross Twelfth and when the light turned green she started across. She testifies she looked both ways for traffic and saw none except a car coming east on Central between Eleventh- (a short block west of Twelfth) and Twelfth. Defendant was driving east on Central, turned north (left) on Twelfth, and his left front fender struck plaintiff when she was a little more than half way across Twelfth.

Defendant and another witness testify defendant reached Twelfth when the light ivas red, stopped and waited for it to turn green before starting his left turn. Plaintiff, howéver, says the light was green when defendant reached the intersection and he made no such stop. Defendant and two other witnesses testify he gave a hand signal to indicate a left turn. We will refer to other evidence later.

The trial resulted in verdict and judgment for plaintiff for $2000 from which defendant has appealed. It is claimed some *883 instructions to the jury are erroneous, there is insufficient, evidence to warrant submission of some grounds of negligence and the damages are excessive.

I. Instruction 8 states a pedestrian at an intersection controlled by traffic signals, while proceeding in accordance with the signals, in any marked or unmarked crosswalk, has the right of way over vehicular traffic. Defendant’s requested instruction II asserts plaintiff had no preferred right of way over a vehicle turning left as permitted by a traffic signal, that both pedestrian and motorist under such circumstances must exercise due care without either having any preference over the other in the matter of right of way.

Defendant objected to instruction 8 for the reasons suggested in requested instruction H, which was refused, and also because it should have stated that if plaintiff stopped with the apparent intention of permitting defendant to proceed, she relinquished her right of way. Requested instruction H was properly refused and the ground of exception to instruction 8 based thereon is not good.

Section 321.257(1), Code, 1950, provides that a green light shall indicate :

“Vehicular traffic facing the signal may proceed straight through or turn right or left unless a sign at such place prohibits either such turn. But vehicular traffic shall yield the right of way to other vehicles and to pedestrians lawfully within the intersection at the time such signal is exhibited.

“Pedestrians facing the signal may proceed across the roadway within any marked or unmarked crosswalk.” (Italics added.)

Defendant argues the first seven words we have italicized indicate that the only pedestrian entitled to the right of way at an intersection controlled by traffic signals is the one caught in the intersection Avhen the light changes to red against him, and a pedestrian who enters the intersection with the same light that lets in a motorist who expects to turn has no preference over such motorist. According to this argument plaintiff would have the right of way only over a motorist coming from the north or south "on Twelfth who entered the intersection when the light facing *884 plaintiff turned red and the light facing such motorist turned green.

The first italicized clause was doubtless intended to give the right of way to other vehicles and pedestrians lawfully in the intersection when the light changes against them so they may clear the intersection without being subjected to the dangers of cross traffic. However, the last sentence in section 321.257(1), quoted above, which defendant ignores, seems clearly to give a pedestrian who enters an intersection at a crosswalk, with a green light facing him, the right of way over 'a motorist who turns across the pedestrian’s path. The legislature could hardly have intended that such a pedestrian may proceed across the roadway if a motorist has an equal right to turn into the pedestrian’s path at the risk of possible injury to him.

Section 321.327 states: “Where traffic-control signals are not in place or in operation the driver of a vehicle shall yield the right of way, slowing down or stopping if need be to so yield, to a pedestrian crossing the roadway within any * * * crosswalk at an intersection, except as otherwise provided in this chapter.”

Clearly under 321.327 a pedestrian in a crosswalk at an intersection where traffic signals are not operating has the right of way over motorists. (None of the exceptions applies here.) See Andrew v. Clements, 242 Iowa 144, 150, 45 N.W.2d 861, 864. It is not probable the legislature intended a pedestrian who enters a crosswalk with a green light facing him has a lesser right of preference than one who enters where no signal is operating.

Our conclusion accords with what we say in State v. Paul, 242 Iowa 853, 858, 48 N.W.2d 309, 311, where the factual situation is the same. A pedestrian was crossing an intersection controlled by a signal, with a green light facing him, when a motorist entered on the same light from the opposite direction, made a left turn and collided with the pedestrian. After quoting section 321.257 (1) we say, “he had the right of way and it was the duty of defendant in driving his car to have yielded such right. His failure to do so was a violation of said statute.”

II. The second ground of defendant’s exception to instruction 8 is that it should have stated plaintiff relinquished her right of way if she stopped with the apparent intention of permitting defendant to proceed. It is doubtless true that a *885 pedestrian entitled to the right of way may relinquish it by some unequivocal act. See in this connection Miller v. Utah Light & Traction Co., 96 Utah 369, 86 P.2d 37, 38, 39; Guillory v. United Gas Public Service Co., La. App., 148 So. 274, 277, 278. How ever, we think the evidence here would not warrant a finding plaintiff relinquished in favor of defendant the right of way to which she was entitled and that the second ground of defendant’s exception to instruction 8 does not entitle defendant to a reversal.

Sole basis for this claim of error is testimony of defendant and his witness, Klinger, that plaintiff momentarily stopped after she had started across the intersection, defendant stopped about the same time, they both started again at the same time, practically, and the collision occurred.

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

Related

Wright v. Welter
288 N.W.2d 553 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1980)
Franken v. City of Sioux Center
272 N.W.2d 422 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1978)
Mercer Ex Rel. Needs v. Ridnour
218 N.W.2d 625 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1974)
Barrett v. Charlson
305 A.2d 166 (Court of Special Appeals of Maryland, 1973)
Townsend v. Mid-America Pipeline Company
168 N.W.2d 30 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1969)
Mabrier v. AM Servicing Corporation of Raytown
161 N.W.2d 180 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1968)
Mass v. Mesic
142 N.W.2d 389 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1966)
Coulthard v. Keenan
129 N.W.2d 597 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1964)
Larson v. Johnson
115 N.W.2d 849 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1962)
Paulsen v. Mitchell
105 N.W.2d 603 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1960)
Geisking v. Sheimo
105 N.W.2d 599 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1960)
Long v. Gilchrist
105 N.W.2d 82 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1960)
Wachter v. McCuen
96 N.W.2d 597 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1959)
Wiese v. Hoffman
86 N.W.2d 861 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1957)
Jasper v. Chicago Great Western Railway Company
84 N.W.2d 21 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1957)
Nichols v. Snyder
78 N.W.2d 836 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1956)
Draeger v. HECKMAN-REYNOLDS COMPANY
78 N.W.2d 851 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1956)
City of Toledo v. Burks
136 N.E.2d 150 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 1955)
Stiefel v. Wandro
68 N.W.2d 53 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1955)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
54 N.W.2d 557, 243 Iowa 880, 1952 Iowa Sup. LEXIS 545, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/arenson-v-butterworth-iowa-1952.