Barbe v. Barbe

1962 OK 223, 378 P.2d 314, 1962 Okla. LEXIS 540
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedOctober 16, 1962
Docket39729
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 1962 OK 223 (Barbe v. Barbe) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Barbe v. Barbe, 1962 OK 223, 378 P.2d 314, 1962 Okla. LEXIS 540 (Okla. 1962).

Opinion

BERRY, Justice.

The parties, who appear here in the same relative position as in the trial court, will be referred to herein as they appeared in said court.

In so far as material, plaintiff alleged in his petition that he was assisting his brother Worley in constructing a concrete cellar at the latter’s home; that defendant, who also is plaintiff’s brother, furnished the tractor and concrete mixer used in the construction work; that the mixer was operated by a drive shaft connected with the power take-off on the tractor and the mixer; that while working near mixer, plaintiff’s clothing became engaged in shaft which caused him to be cast violently to the *316 ground and resulted in painful, serious and permanent bodily injuries.

Plaintiff alleged that defendant was under a duty to furnish safe machinery with which to perform the construction work; that defendant breached said duty in that the drive shaft and joint thereto was not covered with a shield, and the universal joint connecting the shaft to the mixer was worn and loose, which caused the joint “to expand and become rough and irregular in shape when in operation”; that defendant’s negligence in said particulars was the proximate cause of plaintiff’s injuries.

In his amended answer defendant denied generally the material allegations of plaintiff’s petition. As an affirmative defense defendant pleaded that the proximate cause of plaintiff’s injuries was negligence and want of care on plaintiff’s part; that if defendant were negligent, which was denied, plaintiff “was guilty of negligence which either caused or contributed to the happening of” the accident; that the accident was unavoidable.

The jury to whom the case was tried returned a verdict in defendant’s favor. From order of the trial court denying plaintiff’s motion for new trial which was directed to judgment on the verdict, plaintiff perfected this appeal.

Plaintiff here contends that the verdict is not supported by and is contrary to the evidence ; that the trial court erred in refusing to admit competent and material testimony; that said court also erred in giving certain Instructions and in refusing to give instructions requested by plaintiff. The contentions so made are countered by defendant.

The pertinent evidence bearing upon the issues presented by this appeal can be summarized as follows:

At the time of the accident, the tractor and mixer were being used in constructing a cellar at the home of Worley, who was present and assisting in the construction work as was defendant and plaintiff. Motive power 'for operation of the mixer was furnished by a tractor, which power was transmitted to the mixer by a shaft connected with the power take-off on the tractor. The tractor and mixer were owned by plaintiff’s father. However, for several years prior to the accident a measure of control of the mixer rested in defendant during which time defendant “was free to use it for anything he saw fit” but the mixer was also at Worley’s “disposal”. The tractor and mixer were kept at the father’s home which was also defendant’s home. In the early SO’s the father had constructed the shaft and joint which connected it to the mixer. The shaft was constructed from a Model T Ford Shaft which was welded to the joint. From date of construction to date of accident the mixer had been used many times. During such use the shaft and joint had operated satisfactorily. It appears that a protective shield for the shaft and joint was not provided until after the accident in controversy. Worley apparently obtained defendant’s consent to use the tractor and mixer and defendant assisted Worley in moving same to Worley’s home. Defendant also assisted Worley in placing the tractor, shaft and mixer in a position where the mixer would operate.

Plaintiff, defendant and Worley followed the practice of exchanging work. It was understood between Worley and plaintiff that if the latter would assist the former in constructing the cellar, Worley in turn would assist plaintiff in doing concrete work at plaintiff’s home.

It appears that the tractor, shaft and mixer were ready for operation at the time plaintiff arrived at Worley’s home to assist in constructing the cellar. One of the tasks assigned plaintiff was to pour mixed concrete from the bowl on the mixer. In performing this task, it was necessary for plaintiff to stand approximately one foot from the shaft. While so engaged, the shaft at point where welded to the joint either broke striking one of plaintiff’s legs or plaintiff assumed a position so near the shaft that one of his legs came in contact with the shaft. In either event, plaintiff’s clothing and members of his body became engaged in the shaft which resulted in the *317 plaintiff’s being seriously and permanently' injured.

Plaintiff’s contention that the -verdict is not supported by and is contrary to the evidence, is predicated largely upon the proposition that there is no evidence from which the jury could properly have concluded that plaintiff was guilty of contributory negligence.

As we read and understand the record, there was evidence to the effect that during the time that plaintiff’s clothing and body were engaged with the shaft, the mixer was operating. If this be true, the jury could have been justified in concluding that the shaft did not break prior to plaintiff’s coming in contact with it and that plaintiff, in pouring concrete from the mixing bowl assumed a position so near the shaft that his clothing was caught in the rapidly revolving shaft which caused the shaft to break; that probably this constituted contributory negligence on plaintiff’s part which was the proximate cause of the accident and served to defeat plaintiff’s asserted cause of action. In Public Service Company of Oklahoma et al. v. Sanders et al., Okl., 362 P.2d 90, it was said in the second paragraph of the syllabus that “The law will not weigh or apportion the concurring negligence of plaintiff and defendant. There can be no recovery by a plaintiff who has been found guilty of contributory negligence.”

Plaintiff’s contention that the trial court erred in refusing to admit competent and material testimony is based upon said court sustaining objections to questions propounded by plaintiff’s counsel as to whether the shaft should have been protected by a shield and could it have been so protected without detracting from the efficiency of the mixer.

Objections to the questions were apparently sustained upon the grounds that plaintiff had failed to show that the witnesses to whom the questions were propounded were qualified by education, training or experience to answer same. Plaintiff argues that such was not the case. This is a question that we need not decide. Plaintiff failed to make a tender of proof as to the evidence which would have been adduced had the court permitted the witnesses to answer the questions. In brief, plaintiff in effect urges us to assume that the answers would have been favorable to him. It is not our privilege to so assume. In Hudson et al. v. Blanchard, Okl., 294 P.2d 554, 561, this was said:

“* * * In Taylor v. Davis, 199 Okl. 260, 185 P.2d 444, paragraph 2 of the syllabus states:

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1976 OK 44 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1976)
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1964 OK 64 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1964)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1962 OK 223, 378 P.2d 314, 1962 Okla. LEXIS 540, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/barbe-v-barbe-okla-1962.