Bennett v. Central California Traction Co.

1 P.2d 47, 115 Cal. App. 1, 1931 Cal. App. LEXIS 674
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedJune 13, 1931
DocketDocket No. 4151.
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 1 P.2d 47 (Bennett v. Central California Traction Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bennett v. Central California Traction Co., 1 P.2d 47, 115 Cal. App. 1, 1931 Cal. App. LEXIS 674 (Cal. Ct. App. 1931).

Opinion

PLUMMER, J.

The jury in this action awarded the plaintiff the sum of $47,000 as damages for injuries sustained by her when a street-car belonging to the defendant collided with an automobile in which the plaintiff was riding as a guest. The verdict was reduced to the sum of $25,000 by the trial court and judgment entered for that sum. From this judgment the defendant appeals.

The record shows that the collision between a street-ear belonging to the defendant and the automobile in which the plaintiff was riding occurred at the intersection of Fifteenth and X Streets in the city of Sacramento, at approximately 9 o’clock P. M. The evening was clear and the intersection was well lighted. Fifteenth Street runs northerly and southerly, and X Street easterly and westerly. The automobile in which the plaintiff was riding was traveling, in a southerly direction, and the street-car with which it came into collision was traveling eastward. On the evening in question the plaintiff and four other young people left the T. W. C. A. building in Sacramento, where the plaintiff resided, in a five-passenger “Pontiac” sedan auto *3 mobile, to attend a dance at the William Land Park clubhouse—a club-house situated a short distance south of the city of Sacramento. The plaintiff seated herself on the right-hand side and in the rear seat of the automobile. To the left of the plaintiff was a Miss Elizabeth Bivens. The automobile was driven by a young man by the name of Walter Thorr. At his right was a Miss Schilling and at her right a Mr. Aungst. The automobile proceeded west on M Street to Fifteenth Street, turned south on Fifteenth Street and traveled southerly on that street until it reached the intersection of Fifteenth and X Streets. The defendant maintains a double track on X Street, on which it propels street-cars carrying passengers, and also during certain hours, cars carrying freight. The car belonging to the defendant which came in collision with the automobile in which the plaintiff was riding was being propelled easterly on the southerly line of tracks maintained by the defendant. The collision occurred at or near the center of the intersection. The momentum of the street-car carried the automobile a distance of 97.5 feet and practically demolished it. Both Fifteenth and X Streets are 48 feet in width. The exhibits and the testimony show that a street-car traveling easterly on X Street can be seen from a point on Fifteenth Street approximately 150 feet north of the intersection of Fifteenth Street with X Street, and likewise, that a motorman propelling a street-car easterly on X Street can see an automobile approaching from the north on Fifteenth Street from a point approximately the same distance west of the Intersection of X and Fifteenth Streets. There is no building on the lot at the northwest corner of the intersection of the two streets.

Upon this appeal it is contended by the appellant, first, that the court erred in permitting the plaintiff to introduce certain testimony as to the speed of the street-car; second, that the evidence is insufficient to support the verdict; third, that the evidence shows that the negligence of the driver of the automobile was the sole and proximate cause of the collision, and fourth, that the amount of damages ■awarded is excessive. The answer of the respondent to these contentions is that the street-car was being propelled at a negligent rate of speed, and in excess of 20 miles per hour, the speed limit fixed by ordinance of the city of Sacramento; *4 that the motorman failed to keep a lookout for approaching automobiles; that the testimony to which we shall hereafter refer was properly admitted; and that the injuries sustained by the plaintiff show that the award was and is not excessive. The testimony introduced on the part of the plaintiff is to the effect that preceding the collision the automobile was being driven southerly on the right-hand side or westerly side of Fifteenth Street; that it was proceeding through the intersection at a speed of from 10 to 15 miles per hour. Mr. Thorr testified that when he first “saw the street-car just outside the intersection it was traveling at a speed of from 30 to 35 miles per hour. The testimony of the plaintiff was to the same effect. The testimony of Thorr also was to the effect that upon perceiving the approach of the street-car he swerved the automobile to the left. In the collision which followed Miss Schilling and Mr. Aungst lost their lives. The motorman of the street-car testified that he at no time saw the automobile until he had stopped the street-car and opened one of the car windows. This, after the street-car had carried the automobile a distance of a trifle over 97 feet from the point of collision. The occupants of the automobile also testified that no gong was sounded nor warning given of the approach of the street-car.

On the part of the appellant there was testimony introduced that the automobile in which the plaintiff was riding was being propelled southerly at a very high rate of speed, and much attention is given by appellant to the testimony, from which it might be concluded that the automobile driver was extremely careless and negligent in the operation of the machine, but with this phase of the question, although it is argued at length in the briefs of counsel, we are not concerned upon this appeal for the simple reason that if there is sufficient testimony in the record supporting the judgment, and accepted by the jurors, it is not for the court to say that the jury should have accepted and acted upon the testimony conflicting therewith. As we have stated, the night was clear; the intersection where the collision occurred was well lighted; both the driver of the automobile and the motorman on the street-ear could have seen each other at a distance approximately 150 feet from the intersection; what one could see the other *5 could see. The testimony of the driver of the automobile is to the effect that he did not see the street-car until just preceding its entry into the intersection. The motorman testified that he did not see the automobile until after he had stopped his car a trifle over 97 feet from the point of collision. The motorman did testify that the force of the collision jarred him from the stool on which he was sitting. This, however, did not affect his failure to see the automobile during the intervening distance which we have mentioned from the point of possible vision to the point of collision.

Appellant stresses the point that while the witnesses for the plaintiff testified that preceding the collision the car was traveling southerly on the right-hand side of Fifteenth Street, the marks made by the automobile upon the intersection, after the collision, indicated that it was on the easterly side of the “button” located at the center of the intersection. Respondent’s contention is that the force of the collision by the rapidly approaching street-car lifted the automobile some distance and prevented it making any marks upon the pavement for a few feet. The testimony of the driver of the automobile also is called to our attention, that he swerved the car to the left in the hope of avoiding the impact.

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Bluebook (online)
1 P.2d 47, 115 Cal. App. 1, 1931 Cal. App. LEXIS 674, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bennett-v-central-california-traction-co-calctapp-1931.