Bergeron v. City of Port Arthur

264 S.W.2d 769, 1954 Tex. App. LEXIS 1900
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJanuary 21, 1954
Docket3127
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 264 S.W.2d 769 (Bergeron v. City of Port Arthur) 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
Bergeron v. City of Port Arthur, 264 S.W.2d 769, 1954 Tex. App. LEXIS 1900 (Tex. Ct. App. 1954).

Opinion

TIREY, Justice.

This is a negligence case. Appellant brought this suit against the City of Port Arthur, a municipal corporation, Bert Davis and W. O. Minshew, each an employee of the Police Department, for damages sustained by appellant as the result of the death of his wife and personal injuries to himself produced by a collision between a car driven by appellant and a police car owned by the City of Port Arthur and operated by Bert Davis, accompanied by W. O. Minshew, a Night Captain, in the course of their duties as police officers of the City. The defense of governmental immunity was wavied and is not an issue here except so far as it concerns appellant’s Bill of Exception No. 1, which is the basis of objections to allowance of twelve challenges on behalf of appellees. The City of Port Arthur filed cross-action over and against Bert Davis and W. O. Mlinshew in the event of judgment against it. A cross-action was also filed by defendant W. O. Minshew against appellant Bergeron. At the conclusion of the evidence the court overruled appellees’ joint motion for instructed verdict.

The jury in its verdict found substantially (Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, S, 6, 7, 8 and 9) that the automobile driven by appellant was struck by a police car owned 'by the City and operated 'by defendant- Davis in the course of his employment at an excessive rate of speed under the circumstances and that same was negligence and that such negligence was the proximate cause of the death of appellant’s wife and at the time of the collision the driver of the police car was operating same at a rate of speed that endangered or was likely to endanger the lives and limbs of persons and the safety of property at such time and place, and that such conduct was negligence and that such negligence was a proximate cause of the death of appellant’s wife, as well as the injuries and damages sustained by appellant, but that the driver of the police car did not fail to keep a proper lookout; (11) that the driver of the police car failed to have said car under proper control; (12) that such failure was negligence; (13) and was a proximate cause of the death of appellant’s wife and the injuries sustained by appellant; and (14) that at the time of the entry of the police car into the intersection of Woodworth Boulevard with Thomas Boulevard that a red traffic light on the northeast corner of the intersection was facing the police car; (15) that the driver of the police car failed to slow down as necessary for safety and to proceed cautiously across the intersection of Thomas Boulevard and Wood-worth Boulevard in the face of the red signal light; (16) that such failure was negligence; (17) and a proximate cause of the death of appellant’s wife and the damages and injuries sustained by appellant; (21) that Bert Davis, driver of the police car, in the exercise of ordinary care, could have seen appellant’s car at a sufficient time and distance to have applied his brakes and reduced his speed until appellant’s car had crossed the intersection; (22) that such failure was negligence; and (23) a proximate cause of the collision; (27) that appellant’s wife died as the result of injuries sustained in the collision; (28) and fixed appellant’s damages for loss in the death of his wife in the sum of $7,000; (29,30). that appellant sustained personal injuries as the result of the collision in the amount of $7,500; and (31) fixed his damages for medicine and medical treatment at the date of trial at $250; and (32) fixed his damages to his *772 car at the sum of $200; (33-A) that Bert Davis, the driver of the police car, was on an emergency call at the time of the collision; (33) that the police vehicle was equipped with a red light on the front of said vehicle, which was visible under normal atmospheric conditions from a distance of 500 feet to the front of such vehicle; (34) that the red light on the front of the police vehicle was lighted as said .police vehicle approached the scene of the collision in question; (35) that upon the immediate approach of the police vehicle to the scene of the collision an audible signal by siren was given; (36) that the failure of the plaintiff to yield the right of way to the police vehicle was a proximate cause of the collision in question; (37) that upon the immediate approach of the police vehicle on the occasion in question the plaintiff failed to drive his automobile to a position parallel to and as close to the right hand curb as possible; (38) but that such failure was not a proximate cause of the collision; (39) that upon the immediate approach of the police vehicle the plaintiff failed to bring his automobile to a stop; (40) that such failure of plaintiff was not a proximate cause of the accident; (41) that appellant did not bring his automobile to a stop at the intersection of Woodworth and Thomas Boulevards on the occasion in question; (44) that appellant did hot make a left turn at the intersection when the police vehicle was so close as to constitute an immediate hazard; (46) that appellant, before changing the course of his vehicle on the occasion in question, failed to see first that there was sufficient space for such movement to be made in safety; and (47) that such failure was the proximate cause of the collision; (48) and that appellant’s failure to look in the direction from which the police car was approaching before driving into the east lane of Woodworth Boulevard was a proximate cause of the collision in question; (49) but found that the failure of appellant to look in the direction from which the police car was approaching before driving into the east lane of Woodworth Boulevard was not negligence; and (50) that appellant did not fail to reduce the speed of his car immediately before the accident; (51) and that the failure of appellant to reduce the speed of his automobile was not negligence; (53) that the failure of appellant to see the red light on the front of the police vehicle was not negligence; (55) that appellee Minshew did not sustain any damages by reason of the collision; (56) and the jury found that the collision in question was not the result of an unavoidable accident.

After the verdict was returned appellant filed motion for judgment non obstante veredicto and in such motion asked the court to disregard certain findings of the jury and to render judgment in favor of plaintiff against defendants jointly and severally, and in the alternative he moved for jüdgment on the verdict. In this motion appellant asked the court to disregard the answer of the jury to Issue 36" to the effect that the failure of the appellant to yield the right of way to the police vehicle was a proximate cause of the collision. In the alternative, appellant’s motion asserted that there was such conflict between said findings of the jury that judgment could not be entered on the verdict.

In this motion appellant asked the court to disregard the findings of the jury in response to Issue 46 to the effect that appellant, before changing the course of his vehicle on the occasion in question, failed to see first that there was sufficient space for such movement to be made in safety; to set aside the answer of the jury to Issue 47 to the effect that appellant’s failure to see that there was sufficient space for such movement to be made in safety was a proximate cause of the collision in question; to disregard the answer of the jury to Issue 48 to the effect that appellant’s failure to look in the direction from which the police car was approaching before driving into the east lane of Woodworth Boulevard was a proximate cause of the collision.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
264 S.W.2d 769, 1954 Tex. App. LEXIS 1900, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bergeron-v-city-of-port-arthur-texapp-1954.