Childers v. Ford, Bacon & Davis, Inc.

7 La. App. 138, 1927 La. App. LEXIS 550
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedMay 13, 1927
DocketNos. 2988 and 2989
StatusPublished

This text of 7 La. App. 138 (Childers v. Ford, Bacon & Davis, Inc.) 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
Childers v. Ford, Bacon & Davis, Inc., 7 La. App. 138, 1927 La. App. LEXIS 550 (La. Ct. App. 1927).

Opinion

ODOM, J.

Plaintiffs are husband and wife and brought separate suits against defendant for' damages resulting from personal injuries caused by a collision between an automobile occupied by plaintiffs and driven by John C. Childers and an automobile owned by defendant and driven by one of its employees. The twq [139]*139•suits were consolidated for the purpose of trial.

Plaintiffs allege that the collision between the two cars was caused by the fault, gross carelessness and negligence of the driver of defendant’s car, and specify that he was driving at an excessive rate of speed of fifty miles per hour in violation of the municipal ordinance regulating the speed of automobiles in the city Monroe, and that when defendant’s car reached a point a short distance ahead of plaintiff’s, the two cars going in opposite directions, defendant’s driver, without warning or signal, turned from his side 'of the street and ran across to the opposite side, running into plaintiff’s car.

Defendant, in answer, denied negligence ,on the part of its employee, and alleged that plaintiffs—

“turned suddenly to the left without warning or notice and deliberately ran said automobile directly in front of the Dodge touring car belonging to defendant and made it impossible for the said Gus Brunson, driver of respondents, to get out of the way or avoid said collision; that said collision was due entirely to the gross and negligent manner in which the driver of the Ford car, plaintiff being the driver thereof, was driving.”

Each of the parties, therefore, charge the other with identically the same fault and negligence, to-wit: suddenly and without warning turning to the left and leaving his side of the street when they met. Plaintiffs, however, in addition to this negligence, allege that defendant’s driver was running at an excessive rate of speed.

On these issues the case was tried and there was judgment in favor of the plaintiff, John H. Childers, and against the defendant for $5552.73 with legal interest thereon from judicial demand, and judgment in favor of plaintiff, Mrs. Mary L. Childers, and against the defendant for $3000.00 with legal interest thereon from judicial demand.

The defendant appealed.

OPINION.

The testimony shows conclusively that plaintiff, Childers, was guilty of no negligence in the operation of his car but, on the contrary, that Brunson, the driver of defendant’s car, was not only driving his car at an excessive rate of speed but left his side of the street at the scene of the accident and the cars collided over on plaintiff’s side of the street.

The two cars collided on South Grand street near the point where it merges into what is known as “Lovers’ Lane” (“Lover’s Lane” is a continuation of Grand street). The cars were going in opposite directions, Childers going0 south and the other car going north toward Monroe.

Mrs. S. R. Humble was an eye-witness to the collision. Her testimony, in substance, is that she was sitting in an automobile parked at a filling station about twenty-five feet from the scene of the collision and was looking directly at the two cars when they collided; that plaintiff was driving very slowly, near the curb on his right-hand side of the street, his car going south; that defendant’s car, going north, whipped around another car going in the same direction, and, failing to get back to its right-hand side of the street, ran into the; Childers car on the opposite side of the street.

Jimmie Villanti, who operates a filling station on the said street, testified that the collision occurred about twenty-five feet north of his place; that he was waiting on a customer at the time, heard the crash, looked around, saw Mr. and Mrs. [140]*140Childers lying on the curb on the west side of the street, and that the collision took place on the west side, Childers going south.

J. W. Wallace testified that he lived about a block from where the collision took place, was out working his flowers at the time, and says:

“I was looking mighty near right at when it happened.”

And when asked what side of the street Childers was on when the collision took place, he said:

“Right-hand side, about as far as it could be.”

W. R. Simms, Jr., testified that he talked with Brunson, the driver of defendant’s car, immediately after the ' accident, and that Brunson, in explaining how the accident occurred, said to him, in substance, that some one turned into Jimmie Villanti’s filling station and he cut around and could never get his car straight, and his brakes did not work well.

Myatt McClendon testified that he was going south, passed the Childers car a few moments before the collision, met defendant’s car going north speeding, heard the crash, looked back and saw Mr. Childers falling out of his car, and that the Childers car was on the righthand side of the street, near the curb, when he passed it, and testified positively that the collision took place on that side.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Childers swear that they were driving slowly, on the right hand side of the street, and that they did not turn to the left, and that the collision took place on their side.

Fred C. Childers, son of plaintiffs, testified that he went to the scene immediately and found his father’s car sitting on the levee west of the road; that his car was knocked out of the road, over on the west side, and that the dirt which fell from the cars when they collided was on the west side.

The eye-witnesses to the collision testify that Childers did not leave his side of the street but that defendant’s car swerved or turned to the left and that the two cars collided over on the west side.

Against this we have the testimony of two witnesses, Brunson, the driver of defendant’s car, and Cupples, a disinterested witness.

Brunson says that his recollection of “the whole matter is, I was going north on Grand street, and before the accident occurred a car or machine passed me going south, and then I saw this Ford coupe turning or attempting to turn, or did turn, as if to go into this blind street. That’s the facts as I recall them, and the cars hit. I suppose the impact made me lose control of the machine and I sorter pushed this car up on the bank.
$ * ‡ $
“Well, my foot must have been jarred aloose from the brakes, and the car continued at a low rate of speed down the street.”

He denied that he told plaintiff’s witness, Simms, that he turned to the left and lost control of his car.

While Mr. Cupples’ testimony is relied ' upon by defendant, it is of about as much value to one side as to the other. He was driving south behind the Childers car and was about three-fourths of a block back.. He says that Childers made a long swing to the left and that the collision took place on the east side of the street.

On the other hand, he was asked:

“Did the Dodge car, which was traveling in a northerly direction, or not, turn from the east side of the street?”

[141]*141And he answered:

“Well, I think it did a little bit. Just right about, just before the time that it hit the Ford.”
“Q.

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7 La. App. 138, 1927 La. App. LEXIS 550, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/childers-v-ford-bacon-davis-inc-lactapp-1927.