Brown v. McNair

1927 OK 89, 256 P. 903, 125 Okla. 144, 1927 Okla. LEXIS 17
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedApril 5, 1927
Docket16252
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 1927 OK 89 (Brown v. McNair) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Brown v. McNair, 1927 OK 89, 256 P. 903, 125 Okla. 144, 1927 Okla. LEXIS 17 (Okla. 1927).

Opinion

BRANSON, G. J.

Herein isi ¡presented error from the district court of Osage county. Sara McNair sued Charles Brown o,nd another. On demurrer, th'e other parti was eliminated. On trial of the issues, she obtained a verdict and judgment against the defendant Brown in the sum of $10,557. The parties are referred to herein as they appeared in th'e court below.

Epitomized, the plaintiff based her cause of action for damage against th'e defendant on these allegations: That on the 13th day of June, 1923, the defendant was driving a Packard touring car on what is known as the “Pershing” highway, and going in the direction of the city of Pawhuska. That the plaintiff was driving a Ford coupe in the opposite direction on the same highway, and that the plaintiff was on the extreme right side of the said highway, and, traveling at the rate of from 12 to 15 miles per hour; that she was handling her car in a cautious and careful manner; that just previous to meeting the defendant, there was a curve in the highway, and the defendant negligently, wrongfully, and unlawfully, and while driving at a high, éxcesáive' and unlawful-rate of spe’ed at or near said curve, drove' his Packard car onto the west side of the road, on which - the plaintiff was properly driving her car,'colliding with th.; car driven by the plaintiff; that by this wrongful and tortious act, the defendant completely demolished plaintiff’s car, and severely injured her in these particular's, to wit: That-the roof of her mouth was broken or fractured in several places, that two of her teeth were loosened, ' causing a' permanent disalignment of her teeth; that' many of her teeth were broken; that it was necessary that others be extracted; that her left cheek bone was not' only fractured,.- but flattened,- and that sinusitis resulted 'from'said injuries; that the same will be permanent; that h'er left eye was -bruised and cut, by which the' sight thereof was impaired; that her left temple was bruised to the' extent that her n'erves and tissues were so affected-that her' sense of- feeling therein has been destroyed; that her face was so wounded that the same became diseolor'ed,- and the skin came off,, resulting in a permanent dis-figuration of her face; that her right knee was bruised, strained, and became stiff, the pain resulting therefrom being such that she could not sleep oh that side of her body; that she could, not use her arm for a fieriod of m;onthg'; tfhat h’e-r -back 'was! bruised, strained, and affected, and that as a result of said injuries, contusions, bruises, strains, and shock to her nervous system,, plaintiff’s appearance, health, and disposition were and are sex-iously and permanently injured. Plaintiff further pleaded certain expenses growing out of treatment at the time of filing the suit, amounting to $557.

The defendant Brown admitted that he was driving a Packard ear on the highway at the time alleged by the plaintiff, and further pleaded that plaintiff’s, alleged injuries were caused by her own negligence.

While the assignments of error, considered as numbered, are numerous, the brief filed by the defendant in support of his petition in error urges three propositions: The first is the alleged erroneous admission of "certain evidence; and second, 'evidence insufficient to sustain a verdict; and third, that the verdict of the jury is excessive.

The evid’ence which the defendant contends was erroneously admitted, under th'e pleadings, was given by the physician who attended the plaintiff. The particular Evidence given by the physician against which complaint is lodged, was elicited hy plaintiff’s counsel, and was to the effect that *146 plaintiff had sustained certain internal dis-arrangements, and that in his judgment the disarrangements referred to were caused by the accident. The disarrangement to which reference is made was the misplacement of the womb, the enlargement thereof, and its condition as referred to by the physician as being “a boggy tensity.” The physician also testified that this condition would necessitate a long period of treatment, and possibly an operation would become necessary to rectify the same. After the physician had testified as above indicated, oouns'el for defendant asked the trial court to strike the same from the record and to advise the jury not to consider it. for the reason that it amounted to a variance, in that this condition had not been pleaded, and that this evidence was incompetent. This motion was by the trial court overruled. Other evidence given by plaintiff’s physician, to which similar request was directed, was to the effect that plaintiff suffered excessive and irregular pain during her menstruation periods, and a misplaced uterus; the likelihood that these conditions would exist until rectified by an operation.

Defendant makes the contention in support of these alleged errors that plaintiff pleaded specifically the injuries sustained, and that she also pleaded specifically th’e consequences resulting therefrom, and that her petition made no reference to internal injuries or suffering excessive or irregular pain during her menstruation periods, neither did the petition specifically plead anything from which these internal injuries or results would reasonably be inferred; that therefore the variance was such that the admission of the evidence by the trial court constituted reversible error.

We are not unmindful of the rule cited in brief of defendant, as announced by this court in the case of Chambers v. Van Wagner, 32 Okla. 774, 123 Pac. 1117, to the effect that the party on whom lies the onus probandi must tender proof of the allegations pl’eaded, and that the evidence offered must not vary therefrom. El Reno Wholesa c Grocery Co. v. Kean, 93 Okla. 198, 220 Pac. 653; McCray v. Cunningham, 109 Okla. 93, 234 Pac. 633. In other words, in brief language, the defendant asserts that this cause should be r'eversed for a new trial, for that plaintiff pleaded specific injuries and specific consequences resulting thor'efrom, for which she sought general damages, and that the specific injuries and the specific consequences resulting ther'efrom, as pleaded, gave no notice to. the defendant that evidence would be offered as to internal injuries, .as testified to by plaintiff’s physician; that by reason of this character of allegations, the defendant was not required to anticipate and be prepared to meet this character of evidence.

The plaintiff answers this contention made by the defendant and says, in effect, that her petition contained both special and general allegations, and points out that part of the petition which recites: “As a result of the aforesaid concussions, bruises, strains, injuries, and shock to her nervous system, plaintiff’s appearance, health, and disposition have been seriously and permanently injured.” Particular attention is ca.led to the allegation “as to her health.” This is important, as plaintiff contends, for that all the testimony of which the defendant complains went to a condition of her health, or lack of health, and that the defendant could not ’ complain of the admission of this evidence in the absence of a motion to make the petition more definite and certain in this particular, 8 R. C. L. 620; Pugmire v. Oregon Short Line R. R. Co. (Utah) 92 Pac. 762; Mo. Okla. & Gulf R. Co. v. Collins, 47 Okla. 761, 150 Pac. 142.

In the instant action, the plaintiff herself had testified in substance and effect as to the same internal injuries as to which her physician testified.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1927 OK 89, 256 P. 903, 125 Okla. 144, 1927 Okla. LEXIS 17, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/brown-v-mcnair-okla-1927.