Commonwealth v. Bellini

482 A.2d 997, 333 Pa. Super. 526, 1984 Pa. Super. LEXIS 6310
CourtSuperior Court of Pennsylvania
DecidedSeptember 28, 1984
DocketNo. 532
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 482 A.2d 997 (Commonwealth v. Bellini) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Superior Court of Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Commonwealth v. Bellini, 482 A.2d 997, 333 Pa. Super. 526, 1984 Pa. Super. LEXIS 6310 (Pa. Ct. App. 1984).

Opinion

OPINION

MONTEMURO, Judge:

This is an appeal from a judgment of sentence. The appellant, Girard Bellini, was tried in the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County before the Honorable Henry R. Smith, Jr., and a jury. The appellant had been charged with violating 75 Pa.C.S. § 3742 (Accidents involving death or personal injury) and 75 Pa.C.S. § 3733 (Fleeing or attempting to elude police officer). The first charge, a misdemean- or, was submitted to the jury which returned a verdict of not guilty. The trial judge then dismissed the jury and found the appellant guilty of the second charge; which was [529]*529a summary offense. Post verdict motions were denied by the trial court and the appellant was fined twenty-five ($25.00) dollars and ten ($10.00) dollars costs. This appeal followed.

The appellant asserts that: the trial court erred in denying his demurrer; the verdict was against the weight of the evidence; the trial court erred in not submitting the summary offense to the jury;2 and that the appellant cannot be guilty of eluding police when the officer in pursuit was in an unmarked vehicle in a jurisdiction other than his own.3

The facts relevant to the present appeal are as follows. On November 18, 1978, at approximately 8:00 A.M., the appellant was proceeding west in the left hand lane of Connor Road, a four lane road in Mt. Lebanon. He was driving his father’s vehicle, a 1975 Chevrolet Camaro. Another vehicle, driven by David J. Motor, was also proceeding west in the right hand lane when he suddenly swerved into the left lane and collided with appellant’s vehicle. Motor’s vehicle went out of control and struck a telephone pole— severing the pole and bringing down high tension wires which landed on the vehicle. The accident occurred approximately two hundred (200) feet from the intersection of Connor Road and Route 19.

When the electrical wires cascaded down upon Motor’s vehicle, sparks flared all over the highway and it was virtually impossible to approach. The entire scene was viewed by Upper St. Clair Police Officer Dan Bryson, who was stopped at a traffic light on Route 19 where it intersected Connor Road. Officer Bryson immediately radioed the Mt. Lebanon police and rescue authorities. He then made a right turn and proceeded toward the accident scene.

[530]*530When the accident occurred, the appellant’s vehicle stalled out and was stopped on Connor Road. Appellant testified that he realized from the seriousness of the accident, that he would be unable to aid Motor, so he resolved to alert the authorities by the nearest phone. He restarted the vehicle and continued to proceed west, passing Officer Bryson’s vehicle. Although the testimony is not clear at exactly what point the two vehicles passed, the officer testified that he executed a U-Turn about fifty feet from the accident scene and then engaged his flashing lights and siren to signal appellant to stop his vehicle.

The appellant made a left turn onto Route 19, and in doing so, proceeded through a red traffic signal. A witness, Thomas Weinheimer, who was stopped at the traffic signal at Connor Road and Route 19, testified that appellant had already made the left turn onto Route 19 when Officer Bryson engaged his lights and siren.

Officer Bryson followed the appellant south on Route 19. The appellant was traveling at a high rate of speed and the officer lost sight of him for approximately five (5) seconds as appellant’s vehicle went over the crest of a hill. Officer Bryson testified that at a point either one mile from the accident scene or one-half mile from the intersection of Connor Road and Route 19 (we recognize that these distances are inconsistent), appellant turned right into the parking lot of a small shopping mall. As the officer drove up, the appellant’s car was turned off and he had exited the driver’s side door.

The appellant asserted that, after seeing the accident, he was proceeding to a telephone to call the proper authorities. (This testimony was apparently believed by the jury). The appellant worked at a bar called the Living Room on Route 19 and he knew that there was a public telephone in the parking lot. It was in this lot that he had stopped. He testified that he never saw the police car as he passed it, nor did he see the flashing lights or hear the siren. Two passengers, Dino Donatelli and Paul Mongelluzzo, both testified that they never saw the lights or heard the siren. [531]*531Appellant and Donatelli also testified that the time interval for the trip from the accident scene to the telephone did not exceed thirty seconds (N.T. 86-87, 96). Moreover, Officer Bryson testified that although he was in uniform and wearing a badge, he did not have his hat on and he was in an unmarked police car. He also agreed that there were numerous phone booths in the parking lot where the appellant stopped and that it was possible that appellant pointed out the phone booth to him.

Initially, the appellant claims the trial court erred in denying his demurrer. We note that the appellant put on a defense and thus has waived this issue. Commonwealth v. Ilgenfritz, 466 Pa. 345, 353 A.2d 387 (1976).

Appellant next contends that the verdict of the court was against the weight of the evidence. As this court stated in Commonwealth v. Laing, 310 Pa.Super. 105, 456 A.2d 204 (1983):

Appellant’s second claim is that a new trial should have been awarded because the verdict was against the weight of the evidence. Such a determination is generally committed to the discretion of the trial court. Commonwealth v. Zapata, 447 Pa. 322, 327, 290 A.2d 114, 117 (1972); Commonwealth v. Starks, 298 Pa.Super. 213, 215, 444 A.2d 736, 738 (1982); Commonwealth v. Rodriguez, 291 Pa.Super. 239, 243 n. 3, 435 A.2d 888, 890 n. 3 (1981); Commonwealth v. Larew, 289 Pa.Super. 34, 37, 432 A.2d 1037, 1038 (1981). A court will grant a new trial on the ground that the verdict was against the weight of the evidence only where it ‘appear[s] from the record that the jury’s verdict was so contrary to the evidence as to shock one’s sense of justice and to make the award of a new trial imperative, so that right may be given another opportunity to prevail.’ Commonwealth v. Barnhart, 290 Pa.Super. 182, 185, 434 A.2d 191, 192 (1981).

Id., 310 Pa.Superior Ct. at 110, 456 A.2d at 207. See also, Commonwealth v. Pronkoskie, 498 Pa. 245, 445 A.2d 1203 (1982). If “[i]n reaching a conclusion, the law is overridden [532]*532or misapplied or the judgment exercised is manifestly unreasonable as shown by the evidence or the record, discretion is then abused and it is the duty of the appellate court to correct the error.” Prescott v. Prescott, 284 Pa.Super.

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Bluebook (online)
482 A.2d 997, 333 Pa. Super. 526, 1984 Pa. Super. LEXIS 6310, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/commonwealth-v-bellini-pasuperct-1984.