Claiborne v. Solomon

216 S.W.2d 339, 187 Tenn. 634, 23 Beeler 634, 1948 Tenn. LEXIS 478
CourtTennessee Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 11, 1948
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 216 S.W.2d 339 (Claiborne v. Solomon) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Tennessee Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Claiborne v. Solomon, 216 S.W.2d 339, 187 Tenn. 634, 23 Beeler 634, 1948 Tenn. LEXIS 478 (Tenn. 1948).

Opinion

Mb. Justice Bubnett

delivered the opinion of the Court.

This is a suit by a pedestrian, Ruth Claiborne, against the driver of an automobile for injuries received when she was struck while crossing a city street on a marked crosswalk. The jury found in favor of the defendant. On appeal in error the Court of Appeals reversed and remanded the case. We granted certiorari because the two courts differed on a law question, only, which is of importance.

Prom the opinion of the Court of Appeals we quote certain excerpts, which fairly set forth the determinative facts and legal conclusion for the reversal and remand, as follows:

“Plaintiff was struck by the Solomon car about 3:45 P. M., October 6, 1946, while walking across Gray Street in Knoxville from the east to the west side on a cross walk established and marked out by the municipal authorities. The Solomon car was going south along the [637]*637westerly side of Gay Street in front of Miller’s Store approaching the intersection of Gay Street and Union Avenue. Union Avenue intersects from the west between Miller’s Store and the Park National Bank, on the east side Of 'Gay approximately 60 feet further north forming what is referred to by witnesses as a ‘jog’ or ‘dog leg.’-' For convenience, Union Avenue west of Gay will he referred to as W. Union and that portion of Union Avenue east of Gay as E. Union. The irregularity thus formed and the heavy traffic, both vehicular and pedestrian, at this point, apparently caused the city authorities to establish a cross walk leading from Spence Shoe Company located on the north corner of E. Union Avenue and Gay to Miller’s Store on the west side of Gay.”
“Four traffic lights were in this area, one at the Bank corner and one on the Miller corner, where W. Union intersects Gay Street, and the other two directly across Gay Street on the East side thereof as if W. Union extended directly across Gay Street, ■
“Having charged the jury that there were two separate and distinct intersections, the Court went further and charged the jury both in the original charge and in response to the jury’s request for further instructions that the traffic lights did not control the movement of traffic either pedestrian or vehicular at the cross walk sixty feet north of the Miller corner though plaintiff’s testimony that she was crossing on a green light could be considered in determining whether she was in the exercise of due care.
“Plaintiff testified that before stepping off the curb in front of Spence Shoe Company the light at the Miller corner facing her was red; that she waited for a green light and started across the street on the cross walk; that [638]*638when she reached a point near the center of the street she passed in front of a truck facing south and parked on the north side of the cross walk; that when she passed beyond the truck the Solomon car struck and felled her to the pavement. There were a number of other pedestrians crossing at the same time some two or three of whom support plaintiff’s testimony as to the light being green and the position of the parked truck. Plaintiff says she was watching the light and did not look for traffic from the north before emerging from in front of the truck.
“Miss Watson, accompanied by two other ladies, entered Gray Street from the west one block north of the Union Avenue intersection. She says she was driving at a speed of about ten miles per hour; that the light on the corner of W. Union and Gay facing her was green and continued green until after the collision; that there was no parked truck as related by plaintiff and her witnesses but that she was in a stream of traffic (two or three cars abreast) which continued in motion; that, although she knew that pedestrians crossed ' between Spence Shoe Store and Miller’s, she did not look for persons crossing there and did not see plaintiff until after she heard a noise and stopped her car. One of her companions support her insistence that she was moving on a green light. The other did not notice the traffic lights.
“With the greatest deference to the able trial judge, we think the case hinges not so much on whether there is one intersection or two as upon the question of whether the jury should have been allowed to determine for themselves the question of whether, under all the prevailing circumstances and the peculiarities of location of the cross walk and traffic lights, the driver of a vehicle ap[639]*639proaching from the north should stop at the cross walk upon being confronted with a red light. For the parties here involved the only effect of the existence and peculiar location of the intersection of E. Union and Gay was the location of the cross walk sixty feet north of the intersection of W. Union and Gay instead of immediately north of that intersection. It was not Miss Watson’s intention to enter E. Union and, of course, she was not con1 cerned about the movement of north bound traffic controlled by the light for the E. Union intersection. As we view, it, the final and decisive question is whether it can be said as a matter of law that a red light at the W. Union intersection did not control the movement of traffic approaching the intersection from the north at the point sixty feet north of the intersection where the city had established a cross walk for pedestrians. The learned trial court determined as a matter of law that it did not control though, as noted, the jury were instructed to consider the fact that plaintiff was crossing on a green light in determining whether she was guilty of contributory negligence. ’ ’

We have italicized, above, the determinative reason for the decision of the Court of Appeals. We have given the question an unusual amount of thought and independent research because of our regard for the opinion of that court. After thus considering the question we are constrained to disagree with the Court of Appeals and agree with the trial judge.

The plaintiff below relied on certain' city ordinances governing “traffic at an intersection” which is controlled by “colored lights”. The trial judge held as- a matter of law that these traffic ordinances were not applicable because “this was an intersection” “which was not con[640]*640trolled by traffic control lights or a police officer.” Obviously the answer to the question is a proper determination of wbat constitutes an intersection under tbe physical facts of this case.

Ordinarily, the term “intersection” as used in a municipal ordinance regulating traffic, means the space occupied by two streets at the place where they cross each other and to include the whole space between lines of two streets This would certainly seem the reasonable rule to adopt here. Even though W. Union did not extend across Gay Street the City authorities had placed lights on the East side of Gay Street directly across from the lines and lights on the W. side of Gay Street where W. Union entered Gay Street. This then left a considerable space (not exactly shown by the record, but approximately 60 feet) north of the north line of W. Union if extended across Gay Street before the cross walk from E. Union was reached. The municipality established cross walks at the lights and another some distance north, where the accident happened, where there were no control lights.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
216 S.W.2d 339, 187 Tenn. 634, 23 Beeler 634, 1948 Tenn. LEXIS 478, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/claiborne-v-solomon-tenn-1948.