City of Ada v. Smith

1917 OK 492, 175 P. 924, 73 Okla. 280, 1917 Okla. LEXIS 229
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedOctober 9, 1917
Docket7144
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 1917 OK 492 (City of Ada v. Smith) 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
City of Ada v. Smith, 1917 OK 492, 175 P. 924, 73 Okla. 280, 1917 Okla. LEXIS 229 (Okla. 1917).

Opinion

Opinion by

KUMMONS, C.

This action was commenced in the district court of Pon-totoc county by the defendant in error to recover from the plaintiff in error for damages alleged to have been sustained by the defendant in error by falling into- an open catch-basin or sinlc-hole of the sewer system of the plaintiff in error. The parties will hereinafter be designated as they appeared in the court below. The plaintiff alleged that on August 1, 1913, he was in the city of Ada, crossing Broadway street in said city; that he had lost the sight of one eye and the vision of the other eye was affected; that he was using a walking stick to assist him in walking; that the catch-basin was situated on the west side of the street, uncovered and unguarded; that, as plaintiff was crossing the street, he turned to look at a passing wagon, and his "lipped into the catch-basin, causing him to fall and be injured. The petition further alleges that the defendant had knowledge of the unguarded and dangerous condition of said catch-basin, or, in the exercise of due diligence, ought to have had such knowledge, and charges negligence against the defendant in permitting said catch-basin to remain open and unguarded. The defendant answered, denying generally all allegations of said petition, and pleading contributory negligence. The cause was tried to a jury, resulting in a verdict and judgment in favor of the plaintiff for the sum of $600, to reverse which the defendant prosecutes this proceeding in error.

The first assignment of error urged in the brief of defendant complains of the refusal of the trial court to sustain ifs demurrer to the evidence of the plaintiff. This assignment is argued by counsel for defendant under three heads: First, that the evidence fails to show that the defendant had notice,’ either actual or constructive, of the condition of the catch-basin, and that such notice must be proved before any liability would arise. In support of this contention the defendant relies upon the case of City of Woodward v. Bowder, 46 Okla. 505, 149 Pac. 138. Unfortunately for the defendant, the record renders the ease relied upon inapplicable. J. H. Jones, commissioned of accounting and finance of the defendant, testified that he knew of the condition of this catch-basin early in the year of 1912, and that he had spoken to Mr. Harry Evans, commissioner of public property and public works of the defendant, of its condition at that time. The record discloses that the catch-basin had remained uncovered, and unguarded practically from the time the sewer was constructed. The evidence, therefore, was amply sufficient to charge the defendant with notice of the unguarded condition of this catch-basin. Town of Fairfax v. Giraud, 35 Okla. 659, 131 Pac. 159.

It is next urged in support of this assignment of error that the evidence of the plaintiff shows that he was guilty of contributory negligence, and that the evidence of his contributory negligence was so great that it became a question of law, and not of fact, for the jury, and therefore the demurrer to the evidence should have been sustained. AVe are unable to agree with this contention of counsel for defendant. Section 6 of article 23 of the Constitution of Oklahoma provides:

“The defense of contributory negligence or of assumption of risk shall, in all cases whatsoever, be a question of fact, and shall at all times be left to the jury.”

Under this provision of our Constitution, there being, as we have just seen, sufficient evidence to show primary negligence on the part of the defendant, there was no course open to the trial court but to submit to the jury, under) proper instructions, the question of whether or not the plaintiff was guilty of contributory negligence which was a contributing proximate cause of the accident. Apart from the constitutional provision above quoted, the evidence did not disclose such negligence on the part of the plaintiff as would have justified the trial court in taking the case from the jury. The negligence of the plaintiff relied upon by the defendant consisted of his crossing the street in broad daylight at a. street intersection upon a side of the intersecting street where no street crossing had been built. In Town of Fairfax v. Giraud, supra, this court says:

“A person traveling on a public street of a city, which is in constant use by the public, while using the same with reasonable care *282 and caution, has a right to presume that sikli street is in reasonably safe condition, and is reasonably safe for ordinary tiavei by night as well as by day, throughout its euti.e width, and is rree from all dangerous holes and obstructions.” Cleveland Trinidad Paving Co. v. Mitchell, 42 Okla. 49, 140 Pac. 416; Town of Norman v. Teel, 12 Okla. 69, 69 Pac. 791.

The defendant next urges in support of this assignment of error that, if the plaintiff sustained injury by reason of falling into said catchffiasin, the permanency of such injury, if any, was due to the subsequent negligence of the plaintiff in failing to have his injuries promptly treated. There was evidence of the accident of plaintiff, and that ho sustained injuries 'because of such accident. The argument of defendant as-to his subsequent negligence might be applicable to the measure of his damages and to the amount of his recovery, but it certainly affords no ground to defeat any recovery whatsoever. 29 Cyc. 532.

The next assignment of error made by counsel for the defendant complains of the action of the trial court in refusing to give instructions requested by the defendant, and of error in the instructions given by the court. As the defendant does not set out in its brief the instructions requested by it, nor present any argument showing prejudice to it by the ruling of the court, this assignment p.e.'.eiits nothing for our consideration.

Defendant sets out instruction No. 6 given by the court, which is as follows:

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1964 OK 160 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1964)
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1958 OK 268 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1958)
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City of Tulsa v. Roberts
1940 OK 230 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1940)
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1940 OK 25 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1940)
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1921 OK 225 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1921)
Rock v. Craig & Osborne
1920 OK 216 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1920)
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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1917 OK 492, 175 P. 924, 73 Okla. 280, 1917 Okla. LEXIS 229, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/city-of-ada-v-smith-okla-1917.