Benton v. State

247 N.W. 21, 124 Neb. 485, 1933 Neb. LEXIS 52
CourtNebraska Supreme Court
DecidedMarch 2, 1933
DocketNo. 28349
StatusPublished
Cited by19 cases

This text of 247 N.W. 21 (Benton v. State) 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
Benton v. State, 247 N.W. 21, 124 Neb. 485, 1933 Neb. LEXIS 52 (Neb. 1933).

Opinion

Day, J.

The plaintiff in error was convicted of manslaughter in that he negligently drove an automobile, while intoxicated, into the rear of a car on the highway, killing Zeigler, a passenger therein. Our general statute applicable is:

“Whoever shall unlawfully kill another without malice * * * while the slayer is in the commission of some unlawful act, shall be deemed guilty of manslaughter.” Comp. St. 1929, sec. 28-403. The unlawful acts charged against plaintiff in error are: (a) At time of accident he was operating a motor vehicle upon the public highway, while intoxicated, in contravention of statute, Comp. St. 1929, sec. 39-1106; and (b) he was operating a motor vehicle upon the highway at a rate of speed greater than was reasonable and proper, having* due regard for the traffic and use of the road. Comp. St. 1929, sec. 39-1102.

The evidence is sufficient to support a finding by the jury that the defendant was driving his car, at the time of the accident, at a greater speed than was reasonable and proper, having regard for traffic and use of said highway. The defendant and his companion at the time testified that they had been following for some distance about 30 yards behind the car in which the deceased [487]*487was riding; that they met a car coming in the opposite direction with bright lights, which momentarily blinded them, immediately after which they observed the car so close in front that they were unable to stop and collided with it, resulting in the tragedy. They also testified that the front car had no tail light and stopped on the road without warning. Where a defendant is negligent, the contributory negligence of the driver of the car in which deceased was riding, even if it were imputable to the deceased, is no defense in a criminal prosecution. Thiede v. State, 106 Neb. 48; Schultz v. State, 89 Neb. 34; State v. Gray, 180 N. Car. 697; 29 C. J. 1154.

The defendant was driving his car negligently’ at the time of the accident. He drove his car into the car ahead of him with such force that it was knocked off the road into the ditch. In Roth v. Blomquist, 117 Neb. 444, we held that, as a general rule, it is negligence for a motorist to drive an automobile so fast on a highway at night that he cannot stop in time to avoid a collision with an object within an area lighted by his lamps. There are certain exceptions to this general rule, or situations to which it does not apply — an unbarricaded, unknown, open, unlighted ditch across a highway which cannot be seen and cannot be anticipated (Tutsch v. Omaha Structural Steel Works, 110 Neb. 585); a negligently maintained highway which has unknown ditches or ruts which cannot be seen until close (Cromwell v. Fillmore County, 122 Neb. 114) ; corner of a platform with a narrow edge extending from a drag line over a streetcar track and not easily observable {Day v. Metropolitan Utilities District, 115 Neb. 711); and an obstruction in the road similar in color to the highway (Frickel v. Lancaster County, 115 Neb. 506).

There is evidence in the case at bar that the defendant was temporarily blinded by the glaring lights of a car approaching him from the opposite direction. Hoes this create a situation within the recognized exception to the rule in this state which exonerates the defendant from [488]*488negligence? Let us repeat the facts pertinent to this issue. The defendant knew the car in which deceased was riding was about 30 yards in front of him, therefore the fact that the tail light was unlighted was immaterial. The glaring headlights from another car could not deprive him of this knowledge. To drive into a car which he knew was on the road under such conditions was grossly negligent. The car in front and the car approaching from the opposite direction with glaring headlights and his own car created a situation which justified a jury in finding that the defendant was operating his car upon the highway at the time of the accident at a rate of speed greater than is reasonable or proper, having regard for the traffic and use of the road, and was in the commission of an unlawful act. There was also evidence of physical facts after accident, viz., skid marks on the road, and the fact that the car hit by defendant was hurled off the road into the nearby ditch. Such a finding is sufficient to support a conviction for manslaughter. Schultz v. State, 89 Neb. 34; Crawford v. State, 116 Neb. 125.

The defendant is also charged with the commission of another unlawful act at the time of the fatal accident in that he was operating a motor vehicle upon the highway while intoxicated. If true, it constitutes an unlawful act sufficient to sustain the verdict of conviction for manslaughter.

When one drives an automobile in violation of law pertaining to the operation of such vehicles on the public highway and in so doing, as a result of the violation of law, causes death to another is guilty of manslaughter. This rule applies to one driving while intoxicated. State v. Kline, 168 Minn. 263; State v. Goldstone, 144 Minn. 405; Cannon v. State, 91 Fla. 214; McDaniel v. State, 105 Tex. Cr. Rep. 468; State v. Sandvig, 141 Wash. 542; State v. Budge, 126 Me. 223, 53 A. L. R. 241; People v. Collins, 195 Cal. 325; People v. Townsend, 214 Mich. 267.

The reading of the record in this case forces us to the [489]*489conclusion that defendant’s intoxication was one of the proximate causes of the accident and the resultant death of the unfortunate Mr. Zeigler. The evidence is amply sufficient to support a finding that the defendant was intoxicated. He and his companion testified that they had drunk some illicit beer shortly before the accident. Although they denied that it was sufficient to cause intoxication, other witnesses testified that defendant at the time and immediately after the accident was intoxicated.

The record of the county court was introduced in evidence for the purpose of proving that the defendant’s license to drive had been revoked. The court in its instructions told the jury -that such was the purpose of admitting the record. Thus limited, it does not amount to proof of another crime wholly independent of that for which the defendant was on trial. The licensure of drivers, under section 60-401, Comp. St. 1929, is in the interest of public safety, and when one drives in violation of this statute, it is evidence of negligence which may be considered by the jury. In Conroy v. Mather, 217 Mass. 91, it was held that it may be evidence of negligence in showing that the driver was incompetent to operate the vehicle, although the authorities generally permit a recovery by one who is injured whose motor vehicle is not licensed on the theory that the license does not contribute to the accident. However, since the purpose of this statute is to protect the public from negligent and incompetent drivers, the fact that the defendant was driving after having had his driver’s license revoked may properly be considered as tending to prove his negligence. While it is clear that the failure to have a driver’s license would not be such violation of law as would supply the place of criminal intent necessary to constitute manslaughter, yet in a case where the license has been revoked by judgment of a court and the driver is operating a motor vehicle notwithstanding, it is evidence of negligence proper to be considered by the jury with all the other evidence in the case.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
247 N.W. 21, 124 Neb. 485, 1933 Neb. LEXIS 52, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/benton-v-state-neb-1933.