Bancroft v. Kite

5 N.W.2d 196, 142 Neb. 178, 1942 Neb. LEXIS 11
CourtNebraska Supreme Court
DecidedAugust 14, 1942
DocketNo. 31421
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 5 N.W.2d 196 (Bancroft v. Kite) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Nebraska Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bancroft v. Kite, 5 N.W.2d 196, 142 Neb. 178, 1942 Neb. LEXIS 11 (Neb. 1942).

Opinion

Rose, J.

This is an action by Lydia Bancroft, plaintiff, to recover from William Kite, doing business as Keep-U-Neat Cleaners and Laundry, defendant, to recover $10,000 in damages for personal injuries. About 8:50 in the morning, December 14, 1940, a motor truck owned by defendant, and operated for him in his business by Vaughn McVey, struck plaintiff as she was attempting to cross Thirteenth street near O street in the city of Lincoln, knocked her down and caused the personal injuries for which she claims damages.

Plaintiff in her petition alleged in substance that she was in the exercise of due care and free from negligence when she was struck by the truck of defendant and that the proximate cause of her injuries was the negligence of the truck driver, for which defendant is liable. The time, place, circumstances, acts of negligence and pertinent traffic regulations are pleaded in detail.

Defendant denied the negligence imputed to him and to the driver of his motor truck and alleged in substance that the proximate cause of the injuries pleaded by plaintiff was her own negligence in attempting to cross Thirteenth street between intersections in violation of a city ordinance and in stepping suddenly in front of defendant’s moving truck when no degree of care on the part of the driver could prevent the accident. Different items of defense were pleaded in fulí.

The reply to the answer contained a general denial and a plea that the driver of the truck could have prevented the collision by the exercise of ordinary care after discovering plaintiff’s peril.

Upon a trial of the cause the jury rendered a verdict in favor of plaintiff for $2,000. From judgment therefor defendant appealed to the supreme court.

[180]*180Counsel for defendant introduces his argument for a reversal of the judgment below by criticizing an instruction herein as a violation of the rule announced in a former case. The instruction is as follows:

“You are instructed that it is the duty of one driving an automobile upon a public street to look ahead and see anything in the line of his vision which will affect the use of the street and, in case of accident in connection with his driving, he is presumed to have seen what he should and could have seen in the proper performance of that duty. You are further instructed that such driver has no right to assume that the street is clear, but under all circumstances and at all times he must be vigilant and anticipate the presence of others. The fact that the driver of a motor vehicle did not know that any one was on the street is no excuse for conduct which would have amounted to negligence or recklessness if he had known that another person was on the street. You should consider all of the surrounding facts and conditions in determining whether or not the defendant was negligent through the acts of his driver MeVey.”

The following is quoted to show error in the foregoing instruction :

“The driver of an automobile having the right of way between street intersections is not required to anticipate that pedestrians will violate an ordinance prohibiting them from crossing’ a street at a point other than a crosswalk.” Doan v. Hoppe, 133 Neb. 767, 277 N. W. 64.

This Doan-Hoppe case is not in point. Doan crossed the street between intersections and that fact was not in controversy. In the case at bar plaintiff alleged and testified she was in the sidewalk lane which crosses Thirteenth street when struck by defendant’s truck — an issue of fact. According- to testimony of both plaintiff and the truck driver, a portion of the truck was on the wrong side of the center line of Thirteenth street before the collision occurred and at the time of the impact. The driver, therefore, under the circumstances, was required to anticipate the presence of others in his path as stated in the instruction, which, though [181]*181erroneous in part, is not prejudicial to defendant. The instructions, considered together as they should be, fairly submitted the case to the jury. The rights of defendant were fully protected by the trial court, one of the instructions reading thus:

“On the other hand, if you find from the evidence that plaintiff was guilty of negligence herself which caused the accident or contributed thereto, and that such negligence on her part was more than slight, then and in such case your verdict should be for the defendant and you should find against the plaintiff upon her petition; and, of course, if defendant’s driver was guilty of no negligence in the premises, your verdict should be in defendant’s favor.”

The line on which plaintiff started to walk across Thirteenth street was an issue of fact for the jury. A material inquiry on appeal is the sufficiency of the evidence to sustain the verdict that she was on the crosswalk where she had a right to be and that she was in the exercise of ordinary care when knocked down by defendant’s truck. The following facts are shown by uncontradicted evidence: Thirteenth street runs north and south and crosses 0 street at right angles. The intersection, with an automatic signal light at each corner to direct the movement of all kinds of traffic, is a congested area in the city of Lincoln. Both streets are paved. On the south side of 0 street, which runs east and west, there is a pedestrian lane or walk 231/2 feet wide across Thirteenth street. The north and south boundaries of the crosswalk are indicated by white lines on the pavement. The southern boundary of the crosswalk is in line with the traffic signals on the south side of 0 street. There are four lanes for vehicular traffic on Thirteenth street, two east of the center line and two west of the center line, all marked by white lines on the pavement. The two lanes east of the center line of Thirteenth street are for north-bound traffic and the two lanes west of the center line of Thirteenth street are for south-bound traffic. The truck that struck plaintiff was owned by defendant and, at the time, was operated for him in his business by Vaughn Me[182]*182Vey. At the time of the impact the pavements were covered with slippery ice and there was some snow on the surface. Plaintiff was on her way to work in the department store of Miller & Paine at the southwest corner of Thirteenth and 0 streets. The foregoing facts are clearly established by the evidence and are uncontradicted.

Alex Hill, a witness for plaintiff, testified in substance and effect: He is owner and licensed operator of a Checker Cab. He is a brother of plaintiff. He picked her up at her home on the morning of December 14, 1940, and took her downtown in his cab. He drove north on Thirteenth street in the east vehicular lane. Approaching 0 street, he stopped his cab at the crosswalk on a red light signal. Plaintiff got out of the cab on the right side, walked north beside it to the crosswalk, turned west thereon and passed in front of his cab. The driver of a car headed north just west of the cab in the adjoining lane of traffic motioned to plaintiff to proceed west. The signal for the traffic on the east side, of Thirteenth street changed from red to green and Hill, the witness, proceeded north in his cab.

Plaintiff testified in her own behalf in substance and effect as follows: On the morning of December 14, 1940, her brother took her in his cab from her home to Thirteenth and 0 streets. Going north on Thirteenth street the automatic signal turned red at 0 street.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
5 N.W.2d 196, 142 Neb. 178, 1942 Neb. LEXIS 11, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bancroft-v-kite-neb-1942.