Bilbo v. Lewis

45 S.W.2d 653
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedDecember 21, 1931
DocketNo. 4118
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 45 S.W.2d 653 (Bilbo v. Lewis) 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
Bilbo v. Lewis, 45 S.W.2d 653 (Tex. Ct. App. 1931).

Opinions

LEVY, J.

C. T. Lewis and his wife brought the suit to recover damages for the wrongful death of their son against V. C. Bilbo, a public carrier operating a truck line in the state, and to recover against the American Indemnity Company, a corporation, upon guaranty insurance to pay the judgments against V. G. Bilbo as motor carrier. The .plaintiffs’ son, Wesley Lewis, sixteen years of age, while riding his bicycle on Calhoun street in the city of Fort Worth, was run over by a truck [654]*654being operated by an employee of the defendant V. C. Bilbo, and quickly died as result of the injuries received. The negligence alleged was in the particulars of failure to keep a proper lookout, and to give warning and to give a signal of intention to change the direction of the truck, and in turning to the right before the way was clear. The American Indemnity Company was impleaded upon the allegation that it had issued policies of insurance as an undertaking of guaranty to pay all judgments recovered against V. C. Bilbo as a motor carrier based on damages for personal injuries, as provided by section 13 of the Acts of 1929, p. 698, c. 314.

The American Indemnity Company and V. C. Bilbo each filed timely pleas of misjoinder of parties, which the court sustained, and dismissed the American Indemnity Company from the suit as a party defendant to the cause.

The defendant, V. C. Bilbo, answered by general denial, and pleaded that the deceased was guilty of contributory negligence in failing to keep a proper lookout for his own safety, and in driving too close to the truck.It was specially alleged that the deceased fell under the wheels of the truck and suffered injury solely through his own act of riding up to the side of the truck and catching hold on it with one hand, leaving only one hand to manage, and thereby losing control of, the bicycle, and causing the wheels of the bicycle to strike against the truck and the bicycle to fall over and the deceased to fall under the wheels of the moving truck.

On November 19, 1929, in the daytime, Wesley Lewis, a boy sixteen years of age, and employed by a drug company as a delivery boy, was riding his bicycle on Calhoun street in the city of Fort Worth, and was run over by a truck being operated by an employee of the defendant V. C. Bilbo. The boy died quickly as a result of the injuries received by him. Both the boy and the truck were going north on Calhoun street between Twelfth and Thirteenth streets at the time of the injury. The evidence is conflicting as to the details respecting the injury. The evidence in behalf of the plaintiff goes to show that the boy was riding on his bicycle at a distance of about fifteen feet ahead of the truck, and the truck was making an effort to get ahead of the boy. The truck was a large one, and loaded with boxes, and was going at a speed between fifteen and twenty miles an hour. A Chevrolet- car was .ahead of them, and was parked by the curb of the street on the right side of the street, and the boy and the truck both proceeded around the Chevrolet car. The truck in turning around the Chevrolet car swerved to the right, and the body of the truck hit the bicycle, and “the bicycle went under the Chevrolet car,” and the boy fell by the car, the rear wheel of the truck passing over the boy’s body. The truck did not run over the bicycle, but ovei the body of the boy. On the other hand, the evidence in behalf of the defendant goes to show substantially that the truck had passed the boy about the intersection of Thirteenth and Calhoun streets, and that the boy caught up with the truck and was trying to ride his bicycle by the side of it, holding by one hand to the truck, and in attempting to pass the Chevrolet car the bicycle was caught between the truck and the car, and the boy was caused to fall from his bicycle and under the rear wheels of the truck. There is some evidence in behalf of the defendant going to show there was no car parked at the curb. The following special issues were submitted to the jury and answers made, viz.:

“Immediately prior to the accident in question, was the driver. Bickford using ordinary care to keep a reasonable lookout to keep the truck from colliding with the bicycle of Wesley Lewis? Answer: No.”
“Was such failure, if any you have found, a proximate cause of Wesley Lewis being run over by the truck? Answer: Yes.”
“At the time of passing Wesley Lewis, or thereafter, and prior to the injury to Wesley Lewis, did Bickford change the course of his truck to the right? Answer: Yes.”
“Did Bickford use ordinary care to see that the road was reasonably clear of Wesley Lewis before making such change of his course to the right, if he did? Answer: No.”
“Was such failure, if any you have found, a proximate cause of the injury to Wesley Lewis? Answer: Yes.”
“Was the failure of Bickford to give a visible or audible signal of his intention to change the course of his truck, if he did change it, a proximate cause of the injury to Wesley Lewis? Answer: Yes.”
“Was the failure of Bickford to sound audible and suitable signals before passing Wesley Lewis a proximate cause of the injury to Wesley Lewis? Answer: Yes.”
“At the time of and just immediately prior to the accident was Wesley Lewis using ordinary care to keep a reasonable lookout for vehicles traveling, as the defendant’s truck was, at the said times? Answer: Yes.”
“Was Wesley Lewis negligent in riding his bicycle where he did with reference to the' position of the automobile at the street curb on the occasion in question? Answer: No.”
“Just prior to the time that Wesley Lewis realized he was in danger, if he did, was he holding onto the truck or attempting to catch hold of same? Answer: No.”
“Did the accident to Wesley Lewis happen' without any negligence on the part of either Bickford or Wesley Lewis? Answer: No.”
“Just prior to the accident in question did the said Wesley Lewis attempt to drive his bicycle between the defendant’s truck and au [655]*655automobile parked along the curb? Answer: No.”
“Was the negligence, if any you have found, on the part of the'said Wesley Lewis, as inquired about in the preceding question, a proximate eause of or did it contribute approximately to cause his injuries and death? Answer: No.”
“Just prior to the accident involved in this suit did Wesley Lewis attempt to drive around an automobile parked by the side of the curb in front of him? Answer: No.”
.“Just prior to the accident did Wesley Lewis change the course of his bicycle with the intention of driving his bicycle around an automobile in front of him? Answer: No.”

In keeping with the verdict, the court entered judgment for the plaintiff in the sum of $12,000. By remittitur of the amount of $4,-500, the judgment was modified and reduced to §7,500.

V. C. Bilbo has appealed from the judgment against him, and the plaintiffs have filed a cross-appeal from the jtidgment dismissing the American Indemnity Company as a party to the cause of action. The points on appeal by V. O.

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Bluebook (online)
45 S.W.2d 653, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bilbo-v-lewis-texapp-1931.