Bailey v. Tishlias

348 S.W.2d 220, 1961 Tex. App. LEXIS 1801
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJune 2, 1961
Docket15828
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 348 S.W.2d 220 (Bailey v. Tishlias) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bailey v. Tishlias, 348 S.W.2d 220, 1961 Tex. App. LEXIS 1801 (Tex. Ct. App. 1961).

Opinion

DIXON, Chief Justice.

Appellee Charles Tishlias brought this suit against appellant Bill Bailey, temporary administrator of the estate of Pink Gable, deceased, for damages for personal injuries sustained in a collision between automobiles driven by appellee and Pink Gable. The latter died of injuries received in the collision.

Judgment for $4,000 was based on a jury verdict favorable to appellee. The jury found that Pink Gable failed to keep a proper lookout, failed to stop before entering the intersection, was driving in excess of 30 miles per hour, entered the intersection after the car driven by appellee had entered same, failed to apply his brakes, and was not under the influence of liquor.

The jury further found that appellee Tishlias did not fail to keep a proper lookout, was not driving his automobile at a rate of speed in excess of that at which a reasonable and prudent person would have driven it under the conditions then existing, failed to stop before entering the intersection, but such failure was not negligence, did not fail timely to apply his brakes, failed to steer his automobile to the right just before the collision, but such failure was not negligence, his car did not enter the intersection after the car driven by Pink Gable had entered same, the car driven by ap- *222 pellee, Tishlias and Pink Gable did not enter the intersection at approximately the same time, and appellee Tishlias was not under the influence of liquor.

The collision occurred sometime after 1:00 o’clock A.M. on a dark night at the intersection of Cedar Springs Road and Bowen Street in the City of Dallas, Texas. Pink Gable was driving north on Bowen Street, which is 42 feet wide at the intersection. Appellee Tishlias was driving east on Cedar Springs Road, which is 37 feet wide at the intersection.

A traffic light hangs suspended over the center of the intersection. At the time of the collision the light was blinking red facing Pink Gable on Bowen Street. It was blinking amber facing appellee Tishlias on Cedar Springs Road. The uncontradicted testimony is that the blinking red light meant that a motorist driving on Bowen Street must come to a stop before entering the intersection. The blinking amber light meant that a motorist driving on Cedar Springs Road must proceed cautiously but need not come to a stop before entering the intersection.

In his brief appellant predicates his appeal on seven points of alleged error. In his first point he charges that it was error for the court to overrule his motion for instructed verdict. In order properly to sustain this point it would be necessary for us to hold that there was no evidence of probative value to sustain the jury verdict and the court’s judgment. Examination of the record reveals that there was an abundance of evidence to support the verdict and judgment. Later in this opinion we shall give a narrative statement of some of this evidence. Appellant’s first point is overruled.

In his second point on appeal appellant charges that it was error for the court to refuse to submit his requested Special Issues Nos. 21 and 22. These issues would have required the jury to say (21) whether at the time and on the occasion in question as appellee Tishlias approached the intersection the automobile driven by Pink Gable was approaching in such a manner as to constitute an immediate hazard; and if the jury should answer “yes” to Special Issue No. 21, then, and only in that event, the jury should say (22) whether the failure of appellee Tishlias to stop before entering the intersection at a time when the automobile driven by Pink Gable was an immediate hazard, was a proximate cause of the collision. Appellant contends that he had a right to have these questions submitted under Art. 6701d, § 73(a), Vernon’s Ann.Civ.St.

We do not agree with appellant for two reasons. First Art. 6701d, § 73(a), V.A. C.S applies to through highways as defined in Art. 6701d, § 13(f), V.A.C.S. Bowen Street is not a through highway at the intersection in question, for motorists on Cedar Springs Road approaching and crossing Bowen Street, as was Tishlias, are not required to stop at the entrance to the intersection. Therefore, the provisions of Art. 6701d, § 73(a) cannot be invoked in behalf of Gable in this case, though its provisions might well have been invoked against him.

Second, the issues submitted by the court submitted all the controlling issues on right-of-way, including issues covering matters which could have been raised under Art. 6701d, § 73(a) if said statute had been applicable. To have submitted the issues requested by appellant would have been merely to have submitted shades of issues which were already submitted. It was not necessary to do so. Dollie Adams Oil Corporation v. Cree, Tex.Civ.App., 279 S.W.2d 619; Dallas Ry. & Terminal Co. v. Straughan, Tex.Civ.App., 254 S.W.2d 882; Triangle Cab Co. v. Taylor, 144 Tex. 568, 192 S.W.2d 143.

It is to be remembered that Pink Gable was approaching an intersection in the darkness of night with a red blinking traffic light facing him. It was his duty *223 under the law to come to a stop before entering the intersection. Appellee Tishlias was not required to anticipate that Pink Gable would enter the intersection in disregard of a stop signal, or that Gable would fail to yield the right-of-way at the intersection after running through a stop signal. Miller v. Tilton, Tex.Civ.App., 289 S.W.2d 426.

We are aware of the holding by our Supreme Court in Lynch v. Richetts, 158 Tex. 487, 314 S.W.2d 273 to the effect that one is not excused from, exercising ordinary care for his own safety merely because he has the right-of-way. But the circumstances disclosed by the evidence, and especially the favorable answers of the jury on the contributory negligence issues acquit appellee of a failure to use ordinary care to avoid the collision. Appellant’s second point on appeal is overruled.

In his brief appellant makes this statement : “ * * * points three to seven, inclusive, actually relate only to one basic point, to wit: Was the plaintiff Charles Tishlias guilty of contributory negligence as a matter of law which negligence proximately caused the collision? Therefore, * * * Appellant considers it proper to group his points three to seven, inclusive, for consideration by the Court * * *. Aside from the fact that there is no evidence in the record to support the findings of the jury to Special Issues Nos. 16 through 38, it will be shown the Court that all material questions herein are matters of law determinable by the Court and that the Defendant is entitled to a judgment as a matter of law for the reason set forth in Defendant’s Motion for Judgment Non Obstante Veredicto.”

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Bluebook (online)
348 S.W.2d 220, 1961 Tex. App. LEXIS 1801, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bailey-v-tishlias-texapp-1961.