Boles v. Fireman's Fund American Insurance Co.

250 So. 2d 529, 1971 La. App. LEXIS 5888
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedJune 22, 1971
DocketNo. 11634
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 250 So. 2d 529 (Boles v. Fireman's Fund American Insurance Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Boles v. Fireman's Fund American Insurance Co., 250 So. 2d 529, 1971 La. App. LEXIS 5888 (La. Ct. App. 1971).

Opinion

BOLIN, Judge.

This tort action emanated from a collision between two automobiles in the intersection of Gilbert Street and Stoner Avenue in the City of Shreveport, Louisiana.

The accident occurred on September 28, 1969, at approximately 4:50 p. m. when the weather was dry and visibility was good. Gilbert Street is a 2-lane thoroughfare running generally north and south with additional width for the parking of automobiles. Stoner Avenue runs generally east and west and is of equal dignity with Gilbert as to width and amount of traffic. Traffic through the intersection is controlled by an overhead electric semaphore light with the usual colors of green, amber and red. Immediately preceding the accident Mrs. Ruth C. Van Hook was driving south on Gilbert in the family-owned automobile which was insured against public liability by Fireman’s Fund American Insurance Company.

Mrs. Van Hook had attended a funeral service at a nearby funeral home and was driving her car in a funeral procession which had not proceeded very far, and, as a consequence, the spaces between the automobiles were unequal. There was a police escort leading the procession, but no officer was dispatched to control traffic at the intersection of Stoner and Gilbert. As Mrs. Van Hook approached the intersection the traffic light was red to her and she stopped her vehicle momentarily. She then proceeded to drive her car into the intersection where it was struck from the right by an automobile being driven by Jack Moore, who was accompanied by plaintiff, Daisy Boles, a guest passenger.

Daisy Boles, who was injured in the wreck, instituted this suit for damages for personal injuries, medical expenses and loss of wages. Mr. and Mrs. Van Hook and their insurer answered denying any negligence on the part of Mrs. Van Hook, affirmatively alleging negligence against Jack Moore and, alternatively, contending Daisy Boles, as guest passenger, was guilty of contributory and independent negligence precluding her recovery. By third party demand defendants made Jack Moore third party defendant on the theory he was guilty of negligence, and should judgment be rendered against the Van Hooks and their insurer they were entitled to a judgment against Jack Moore for one-half of any sum for which they might be cast in judgment. Moore answered the third party demand, denied any negligence on his part, and reconvened seeking judgment against the Van Hooks and their insurer for damages for personal injuries allegedly suffered by him in the accident.

The trial judge found the accident was caused entirely by the negligence of Jack Moore in driving his vehicle into the intersection and striking the Van Hook vehicle while it was a part of a funeral procession. The demands of plaintiff were rejected and from formal judgment signed pursuant to these findings, Daisy Boles and Jack Moore appeal.

Although there is conflict in some of the testimony it is uncontradicted Ruth Van Hook entered the intersection while the signal light was red for traffic on Gilbert. The mere fact that she was in a [531]*531funeral procession did not relieve her of the obligation of obeying the traffic signal unless it be shown by the pleadings and the evidence that a local ordinance gave her this right. From our review of this record we are unable to find any allegation or evidence of the existence of such an ordinance. The trial judge did not base his findings on a local ordinance, but merely concluded Mrs. Van Hook had a right to disobey the traffic light because she was in a funeral procession, and that Jack Moore did not have a right to enter the intersection pursuant to a green light because of the procession. The only reference to a local ordinance in the record appears in brief of counsel for appellees wherein they quote a purported ordinance enacted by the City of Shreveport.

Louisiana Revised Statute 13:3712 B. provides:

“All courts of record in the state shall take judicial cognizance of the municipal ordinances and parochial ordinances which may be enacted by governing authority of any town, city, municipality, or parish within their respective jurisdictions whenever certified copies of such ordinances have been filed with the clerk of said court. The clerk shall keep a record of such ordinances filed with him. It shall not be necessary to file more than one copy of any ordinance with the clerk in order that judicial cognizance be taken thereof. Such certified copies may be filed with the various clerks of court either by the proper custodian of the ordinances of respective town, city, municipality or parish, or any lawful officer of the court.”

Since there is no allegation or proof that the above statute has been complied with, this court cannot take judicial notice of the existence and provisions of a municipal ordinance which is referred to only in statements made in a brief filed before this court. Brown v. Parish of East Baton Rouge (La.App. 1 Cir. 1960), 126 So.2d 173; Hardware Mutual Casualty Co. v. Abadie (La.App.Orleans 1951), 51 So.2d 664; Chandler v. Grain Dealers Mutual (La.App. 2 Cir. 1961), 131 So.2d 606.

We consider next the following issues: the primary negligence of Mrs. Van Hook; whether or not, if negligent, Mrs. Van Hook had preempted the intersection; and the contributory negligence of Jack Moore and Daisy Boles.

The Louisiana Highway Regulatory Act, Revised Statutes Title 32:232, provides:

“Whenever traffic is controlled by traffic-control signals exhibiting the words “Go”, “Caution”, or “Stop”, or exhibiting different colored lights successively at a time, or with arrows, the following colors only shall be used and said terms and lights shall indicate and apply to drivers of vehicles and pedestrians as follows:
******
“(3) Steady RED alone, or STOP:
(a) Vehicular traffic facing the signal shall stop before entering the cross walk on the near side of the intersection or, if none, then before entering the intersection, and shall remain standing until green or “Go” is shown alone * * * ”

In view of the plain language of the statute and admission by Mrs. Van Hook that the light was red as she entered the intersection, we find she was guilty of negligence which was a proximate cause of the accident. See State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co. v. Fountain (La.App. 2 Cir. 1970), 236 So.2d 625; Deshotel v. Southern Farm Bureau Casualty Insurance Co. (La.App. 3 Cir. 1969), 224 So.2d 191.

Although appellees have not argued in brief before this court that Mrs. Van Hook had preempted the intersection, nevertheless it is so alleged in their answer. On this point Mrs. Van Hook admitted running the red light but denied stopping her car, even momentarily, before proceeding into the intersection. She testified she was in a continuous flow of traf-[532]*532fice through the intersection. Lt. Robert L. Poston, a deputy employed by the Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Department, was driving his vehicle in the funeral procession and was the first car behind that driven by Mrs. Van Hook. He testified the procession had not been completely formed and was “buckling” in spots. He was definite in his testimony that Mrs. Van Hook momentarily stopped at the red light, and then proceeded into the intersection where her automobile was struck by the Moore car. We find from this testimony that Mrs. Van Hook cannot be held to have preempted the intersection. As said in Butler v. O’Neal (La.App. 2 Cir. 1946), 26 So.2d 753:

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Bluebook (online)
250 So. 2d 529, 1971 La. App. LEXIS 5888, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/boles-v-firemans-fund-american-insurance-co-lactapp-1971.