Coates v. Moore Ex Rel. Caroll

325 S.W.2d 401, 1959 Tex. App. LEXIS 2492
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMay 28, 1959
Docket3633
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 325 S.W.2d 401 (Coates v. Moore Ex Rel. Caroll) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Coates v. Moore Ex Rel. Caroll, 325 S.W.2d 401, 1959 Tex. App. LEXIS 2492 (Tex. Ct. App. 1959).

Opinion

McDONALD, Chief Justice.

This is a suit for personal injuries and medical expenses brought by plaintiffs J. *403 L. Carroll, next friend and stepfather of the plaintiff William E. Moore, a fourteen year old minor, resulting from a collision which occurred at the intersection of Beauregard and Willis Streets in Alvin, Bra-zoria County, Texas. These two streets intersect each other at approximate right angles. There were no traffic signs or controls at the intersection. The minor plaintiff was traveling north on Beauregard Street on a motor scooter. Defendant was traveling west on Willis Street in an automobile when the collision occurred.

Trial was to a jury, which, in answer to special issues, acquitted the minor plaintiff of all acts of contributory negligence and convicted the defendant of numerous acts of primary negligence proximately causing the collision, including failure to keep a proper lookout, speed under the circumstances, failure to make a proper application of his brakes, failure to maintain proper control, failure to yield the right of way. The jury found the collision was not the result of an unavoidable accident.

In response to the damage issues the jury found $7000 general damages and $1063.95 medical damages.

The Trial Court entered judgment on the verdict in favor of the minor plaintiff for $8063.95 and directed that all such amount be paid into the registry of the court for the use and benefit of the minor plaintiff.

Defendant appeals on 10 points, which present the following basic contentions:

1) The Trial Court erred in awarding to the minor plaintiff judgment for medical bills incurred as a result of injuries sustained by said minor in said collision.
2) The Trial Court erred in permitting plaintiff's counsel, over objection, to impeach and discredit the witness Loveless by eliciting from him testimony of a traffic violation and a collision on his part.
3) The evidence establishes as a matter of law that the minor plaintiff was negligent in failing to stop his scooter before entering the intersection, and/or the contrary jury finding is against the great weight and preponderance of the evidence.
4) The evidence establishes as a matter of law that plaintiff was negligent as a matter of law in increasing his speed as he entered the intersection; and/or the contrary jury finding is against the great weight and preponderance of the evidence.
5) The amount of the award of damages is against the great weight and preponderance of the evidence.

We revert to defendant’s 1st contention. The jury found that plaintiffs had sustained general damages in the amount of $7000; and medical and hospital bills in the amount of $1063.95. The Trial Court entered judgment for the minor plaintiff against the defendant for $8063.95. Defendant complains that since plaintiff was a minor that he could not recover for medical bills incurred by the parent. Defendant cites Mercer v. Evans, Tex.Civ.App., 173 S.W.2d 206. W/E Refused, in support of his contention. The parent was liable for the medical expenses to those rendering such services. The parent is the party who should have recovered on this item. The parent J. L. Carroll is a plaintiff herein. Examination of the pleadings leads us to the conclusion that they are broad enough to grant the relief sought for medical and hospital expenses to J. L. Carroll individually. In any event the defendant at no time levelled exceptions to the pleadings seeking to recover for the medical and hospital expenses. In the absence of special exceptions, the petition must be liberally construed in the pleader’s favor, and to support the judgment. Scott v. Gardner, Tex.Com.App., adopted Sup.Ct., 137 Tex. 628, 156 S.W.2d 513, 141 A.L.R. 50. Under the foregoing authority we think that it is our duty to reform the judgment so as to award the $1063.95 to the plaintiff J. L. *404 Carroll individually, instead of to the minor plaintiff. See also, Mercer v. Evans, supra.

Defendant’s 2nd contention is level-led at the Trial Court’s action in permitting plaintiffs’ counsel to impeach and discredit the witness Loveless by eliciting from him testimony of a traffic violation and a collision on his part. The witness Loveless was called as a witness by defendant and testified that the minor plaintiff, about thirty minutes before the collision made the basis of this suit, had run a stop sign and nearly collided with him. On cross examination plaintiff’s counsel interrogated the witness regarding his driving habits generally and elicited from him that he had a collision on occasion himself; had run a stop sign himself; and was nicknamed “Speedy”. The record before us fails to reflect that proper objection was made by defendant’s counsel. We fail to perceive error. In any event, the matter complained of, if error at all, is deemed harmless under Rule 434, Texas Rules of Civil Procedure. Contention 2 is overruled.

Contentions 3 and 4 are to the effect that plaintiff is guilty of contributory negligence as a matter of law in not stopping at the intersection, and also in increasing his speed as he entered the intersection. Contention is further made that the evidence is insufficient to support the jury’s answers to Issues 35 and 37, and that such answers are against the great weight and preponderance of the evidence.

The jury in answer to Issue 35 found that the minor plaintiff was not negligent in increasing the speed of his motor scooter as he entered the intersection; and in answer to Issue 37 found that the failure of the minor plaintiff to stop before entering the intersection was not negligence.

The Trial Court defined negligence as applied to the minor plaintiff as follows:

“By the term ‘negligence’ as used in this charge, as applied to the minor plaintiff, is meant the doing of that which an ordinarily prudent person of 'the age, intelligence, experience and capacity of the minor would not do, or the failure to do that which an ordinarily prudent person of the age, intelligence, experience and capacity of the minor would do, under the same or similar circumstances.”

The foregoing definition was not objected to and is the proper standard in cases involving minors. Dallas Ry. & Terminal Co. v. Rogers, 147 Tex. 617, 218 S.W.2d 456; Brown v. Panhandle & Santa Fe Ry. Co., Tex.Civ.App., 294 S.W.2d 223 (no writ hist.)

The jury found that plaintiff entered the intersection first, which was undisputed, and that defendant failed to yield the right of way.

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Bluebook (online)
325 S.W.2d 401, 1959 Tex. App. LEXIS 2492, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/coates-v-moore-ex-rel-caroll-texapp-1959.