Dahl v. Hilltop Building Materials, Inc.

136 N.E.2d 316, 101 Ohio App. 392, 1 Ohio Op. 2d 324, 1956 Ohio App. LEXIS 710
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedJune 18, 1956
Docket8136
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 136 N.E.2d 316 (Dahl v. Hilltop Building Materials, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Dahl v. Hilltop Building Materials, Inc., 136 N.E.2d 316, 101 Ohio App. 392, 1 Ohio Op. 2d 324, 1956 Ohio App. LEXIS 710 (Ohio Ct. App. 1956).

Opinion

Per Curiam.

This is an appeal on questions of law from a judgment of the Court of Common Pleas of Hamilton County rendered in conformity to a verdict for plaintiff.

The action was brought to recover for personal injuries and damage to plaintiff’s automobile, all the result of a collision between the car of the plaintiff and a concrete-mixer truck, driven by the defendant’s employee, which occurred on Wesselman Road in the county of Hamilton on September 4, 1953, at approximately 5 p. m.

The undisputed facts are that a severe rainstorm had occurred shortly before the time of the collision causing the highway to be wet and slippery; that the plaintiff’s car and defendant’s truck were being driven in opposite directions on such highway in the vicinity of Zion Road; and that at the point of collision a tree, the base of which was some 12 inches in diameter, had fallen across the highway, the top, bare branches extending across the road. A deputy sheriff, Ott, plaintiff’s witness, stated that the branches extended “all the way across the road,” and that he cut away enough of the branches to permit passage of cars on the west side of the road. According to the plaintiff’s testimony, the tree was some 175 feet from a bend in the road north of the tree. The highway has a descending grade from the bend southwardly. When the police arrived on the scene, the rear of the truck, according to witness Ott, was still in the branches, and the right front wheel of the truck was three feet from the ‘ ‘ extreme right side of it ’ ’ — the road. The road was 18 feet in width. The debris, consisting of dirt and glass, resulting from the collision, according to the evidence of plaintiff, was found to be three feet to the west of the center line of the road. There is no evidence that the truck was moved from the point of impact until after the police arrived on the scene. The truck was what is known as a “ concrete mixer, ’ ’ the “superstructure” of which is 11 feet high. The truck is 22 feel-long and eight feet in width.

*394 The defendant’s employee testified, and there is no evidence to dispute his testimony, that when he saw the obstruction in the highway he brought his truck to almost a complete stop, put it in second gear, looked north up the highway, saw nothing approaching from the bend and started to go around the tree. There is no evidence that there was anything to obstruct or lessen vision from the bend in the highway to the tree. The portion of the tree remaining after the officer had removed some of the smaller branches was so large that it was necessary to employ highway equipment to remove it from the highway. The root portion of the tree was located at a considerable elevation above the highway and off the road on the east side.

The plaintiff was driving a 1947 Dodge.

The plaintiff testified:

“A. When I came into Wesselman Road, before I come to Zion Hill Road, it is a righthand curve. It is a curve you cannot overlook. It is going a little downhill. When I came almost around the curve, I seen a big truck coming, but I didn’t see that he was on the left side of the street.
“After I realized that he was on the left side of the street, I slowed down, but the truck kept on coming on the left side of the street, so I stepped on my brakes and the collision occurred.
i 6 * # *
“A. When I first saw the truck I would estimate about 175 feet.
“Q. And when was it that you were able to see the truck was on your side of the road? A. Oh, about 75 feet.
‘ ‘ Q. And then what did you do ? A. I applied my brake as hard as I could.
“Q. And how fast had you been going before you applied your brakes? A. Oh, I estimate about 25 mile.
“Q. And to what speed did you slow down before the collision took place? A. I don’t get you right.
“Q. To what speed had your automobile slowed down before the collision took place? A. Oh, about 10 mile per hour.
‘ ‘ Q. And what part of the truck hit what part of your automobile? A. The left side of the truck hit the left side of my car.
is* * #
*395 “A. Then, I stepped out of the ear and seen the whole damage to my car and I was wondering if I was still alive, and I turned around and I seen that truck way up on the road.
i i * * *
“Q. Now, this concrete mixer truck, when you saw it, at what speed was it coming? A. Oh, I estimate it was about 35 miles.
“Q. And did it at any time reduce its speed prior to the collision? A. No, I think he increased the speed going up hill.
i i * * *
££Q. And how far from the center of the road was the left side of your car immediately prior to the accident? A. About two feet.
a * * #
“Q. Where was this tree that was obstructing half of the road with regard to the truck when you first saw the truck ? A. I didn’t see no tree.
“Q. Did you at any time, either before or after the collision, see a tree that crossed the road? A. No, no tree, a tree limb, I seen.
“Q. A tree limb. When did you first see that tree limb across the road? A. After the police car came, one deputy sheriff went down and took a limb out of the street.
“Q. He took a limb from the street? A. A limb out of the street, yeah.
“Q. Well, did the deputy sheriff take the entire limb off the road? A. Yeah, it was only a short limb.
■ “Q. Well, about how short would you say it was? A. Oh, about six feet long.
“Q. About six feet long? A. About six feet in diameter.
“Q. How much in diameter? A. Six inches, pardon me.
<< * # *
£ £ Q. Well, did you see the deputy sheriff pick it up ? A. Sir ?
££Q. Did you see the deputy sheriff pick it up? A. Yeah.
££Q. Do you know which one of the deputies it was who picked it up? A. No, I couldn’t say.
££Q. Do you know whether or not he was able to pick it up with one hand or did he have to use both hands? A. No, I wasn’t that close.
*396 “Q. What do you say? A. I didn’t watch it that close.
‘ ‘ Q. But he did pick it up with his hands ? A. Picked it up with his hands and took it out of the street.
“Q. And carried it off the road? A. Yes, sir.

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153 N.E.2d 443 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 1957)

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Bluebook (online)
136 N.E.2d 316, 101 Ohio App. 392, 1 Ohio Op. 2d 324, 1956 Ohio App. LEXIS 710, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/dahl-v-hilltop-building-materials-inc-ohioctapp-1956.