Carnes v. Ditzenberger

1933 OK 249, 21 P.2d 756, 163 Okla. 146, 1933 Okla. LEXIS 656
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedApril 25, 1933
Docket21644
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 1933 OK 249 (Carnes v. Ditzenberger) 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
Carnes v. Ditzenberger, 1933 OK 249, 21 P.2d 756, 163 Okla. 146, 1933 Okla. LEXIS 656 (Okla. 1933).

Opinion

RILEY, O. J.

This is an appeal from a verdict and judgment in favor of defendant in error, herein referred to as plaintiff. against plaintiff in error, in an action for damages growing out of a collision between two automobiles at a street intersection in the city of Tulsa.

In substance, plaintiff’s petition alleges that while his automobile was being driven by his son and agent south on Elwood street, at a point where it intersects Third street, and after it had entered such intersección, defendant carelessly, negligently; and recklessly drove his automobile into said intersection from the west on Third street at a high and dangerous rate of speed, and without regard to the traffic, surface, and width of the streets, and struck plaintiff’s automobile and demolished it, and so damaged it that it was beyond repair, to the damage of plaintiff in the sum of $300. Plaintiff also included a claim in the nature of exemplary damages in the sum of $1,000, but this item seems to have faded from the issues.

Plaintiff pleaded two sections of the traffic ordinance of the city of Tulsa relative to the rate of speed of vehicles being driven on the streets, and alleged violation thereof by defendant. In addition thereto plaintiff pleaded subsection 1, of section 29, of the ordinance, and alleged the violation thereof. In substance that subsection reouires the driver of any vehicle involved in an accident, resulting in injury or death of any person or damage to any property, to immediately stop such vehicle at the scene, give his name and address, and the registration number of his vehicle to the person struck, or the driver or occupant of any vehicle collided with, and render any injured person reasonable assistance. Plaintiff also pleaded subsection 2, of said section, which requires the driver of any ve-hice involved in an accident resulting in injury to person or property, to report the accident to the chief of police within M hours, such report to be made on form provided by the chief of police, and further provides that such report shall be without prejudice, and:

“The fact that they have been made shall be admissible in evidence to prove a compliance with this section, but no such report or any part thereof or statement con- *147 mined therein shall be admissible in evidence for any purpose in any trial, civil or criminal, arising out of such accidents.”

Plaintiff pleaded the violation of the' latter subsection.

Defendant moved to strike out all the allegations with reference to the two subsections of section 29, above referred to, and all the allegations with reference to the violation thereof by defendant. The trial court at first sustained the motion to strike in part, but upon further consideration overruled the motion in its entirety. After an unsuccessful motion to strike certain other allegations, defendant demurred specially to the allegations above referred 1o as subsections 1 and 2, of said section 29, of the traffic ordinance. The demurrer being overruled, defendant answered by general denial and plea of contributory negligence. He also filed a cross-petition, in which he alleged, in substance, that the collision was due wholly to the negligence of the driver of plaintiff’s car, and alleged certain damage and injury to himself and his property, and prayed for judgment against plaintiff in the total sum of $1,476.85. The particular items of his damage being alleged to be: Repairs to his automobile, $229.85; loss of the use of the automobile, 25 days, at $10 per day, $250.00; and for personal injuries to himself, $1,000.

The cause was tried to a jury and the court, among others, gave the following instruction :

“No. 7. You arc instructed by the court, as a matter of law, that if you find from the evidence that the defendant while driving his Hudson ear in an easterly direction upon West Third street at or about the intersection of Third and Elwood, drove his said car in a careless and negligent manner and ,ran .into and collided with plaintiff’s automobiLe. causing the damage and injury to said plaintiff’s ear, and you further find that said damage or injury was without fault on the part of the plaintiff, your verdict will be for the plaintiff and against the defendant in whatever amount you find to be the reasonabe value of plaintiff’s car. not to exceed the sum of $292.40.”

The jury returned into court with a verdict for plaintiff in the sum of $75. Thereupon the court, without withdrawing instruction No. 7, above quoted, stated to the jury:

“Gentlemen of the jury, I am going to give you an additional instruction, in view of the verdict you have returned, and send you back to the jury room:
“You are instructed that if you find and believe from a fair preponderance of the evidence in this case that the collision which has been described to you by the evidence herein, which occurred at Third and Elwood in the city of; Tulsa, Okla., was the direct and proximate result of negligence upon the part of the defendant, and you further find from the testimony that the plaintiff was without negligence, it will be your duty to return a verdict for the plaintiff for the sum of $292.50.
“On the other hand, if you find from the evidence that it was not the direct and proximate result of negligence upon the part of the defendant, or that the plaintiff was not without negligence in the premises, it will be your duty to return a verdict for the defendant.
“You are further instructed, gentlemen of the jury, that you will take this instruction in consideration with all the other instructions given you herein, that you will not single out this instruction or any paragraph of any instruction given you herein, but you will take all the instructions of the court and from all the instructions and all the evidence in the case, arrive at a just and true verdict in the case.
“Now, you jurors will understand that this instruction I have given you here is to ■be taken into consideration with all the other instructions in the case. I am giving you this additional instruction, and it. is to be taken into consideration with all the others in this case, and upon all return what you find from a fair preponderance of the evidence in this case to be a just and true verdict under all the instructions and all the evidence in the case.
“I am going to send you back to the jury room with the bailiiff to consider your verdict”

This instruction was excepted to by defendant.

The jury after further consideration returned a verdict for plaintiff in the sum of $292.50.

The trial court stated as his reason for refusing to accept the first verdict that there was no evidence in the record upon which to base the same. If this be true, then the first instruction on the measure of damages should not have been given and clearly should have been withdrawn before giving the latter one.

The question of which of the two drivers was responsible for the collision was a very close one under the evidence. The evidence was in direct conflict on'the material question of negligence. Each driver insisted that he was within the law. and that the other was guilly of negligence and careless driving.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1933 OK 249, 21 P.2d 756, 163 Okla. 146, 1933 Okla. LEXIS 656, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/carnes-v-ditzenberger-okla-1933.