Dallas Railway & Terminal Company v. Bosher

278 S.W.2d 357, 1953 Tex. App. LEXIS 2112
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedNovember 30, 1953
Docket6352
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 278 S.W.2d 357 (Dallas Railway & Terminal Company v. Bosher) 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
Dallas Railway & Terminal Company v. Bosher, 278 S.W.2d 357, 1953 Tex. App. LEXIS 2112 (Tex. Ct. App. 1953).

Opinion

NORTHCUTT, Justice.

Appellee, George E. Bosher, Sr., brought suit against appellants, Dallas Railway & Terminal Company and J.-B. Landers, for damages in the sum of- $25,000.- Appellee alleged that on or about March 2.0, .1-952, at about 7:00 p. -m., he was operating a small Cushman motor scooter in .a northerly direction on the east side of • Peak Street in the two-hundred block at the same time J. B. Landers, an employee of-Dallas -Railway & Terminal Company, backed a large 1947 White passenger bus out into Peak Street in the middle of the block and drove said bus in a backward motion across-said street from west to east. Appellee, alleged that the bus was operated in an illegal manner in violation of Article 6701d of Vernon’s Revised Civil Statutes of Texas in that the bus entered said street from a private driveway and lot operated' by the Dallas Railway & Terminal Company and failed to yield the right of way to the vehicle driven by the appellee thereby coming into collision with the appellee and inflicting severe personal injuries. >

*358 Appellee alleged that appellants were guilty of negligence, in -that they failed to use that degree of care which an ordinarily prudent person would have or should have used in same or similar circumstances in the following respects:

First, in failure to keep a proper lookout.

Second, in backing said bus across the street in the middle of the block from a private driveway when such movement, could not be made with safety.

Third, in backing said bus in excess of ten miles per hour which was a rate of speed that was excessive under the surrounding circumstances.

Fourth, in failing to yield the right of way. ■ . ■

Fifth, in failing to sound the horn.

Appellee then alleged that all of such acts and omissions taken separately or con-junctively were the direct and proximate cause of the injuries and damages sustained by the appellee.

The appellants answered ..pleading that any injuries as appellee may have sustained at the. time and. -on the occasion in question proximately resulted from a failure on the part-of the appellee to exercise that degree of care and caution that a person of ordinary prudence would have used under the same or ■ similar circumstances in that there was nothing obstructing the view of the appellee as he came along the street; in- that the bus was lighted up and for some reason unknown to the appellant the appellee was not- keeping a proper lookout; in that appellee was driving too fast; in that appellee failed to make application of his brakes and ran into the bus; in that the manner of operation of the scooter the appellee was riding was not the careful conduct of a' prudent person; and further alleged that if appellee was not negligent the accident was unavoidable. Appellants by their trial amendment pleaded: The appellee failed to exercise ordinary care for his own safety in-the following ways and manner, to wit: First, he failed to keep a proper lookout as he approached the place where the collision occurred.

Second, he failed to exercise ordinary care in not sooner making application of his brakes at the time and on the occasion in question.

Third, he drove the motor scooter at a greater rate of speed than that at which the same would have been driven by a person of ordinary care under the same or similar circumstances.

Fourth, he operated the motor scooter without lights at the time and on the occasion in question.'

Fifth, he failed to yield the right of way to appellant, J..B. Landers, at the time and on the occasion in question.

• Appellants alleged all of such acts and omissions separately and collectively constituted a failure to exercise ordinary care and- were the proximate cause of the collision in question. In the alternative appellee pleaded that the collision was unavoidable.

The case was tried to a jury upon special issues. In reply to'said special issues submitting appellee’s theory the jury found as follows: That appellant, J. B. Landers, failed to keep a proper lookout for appellee, George E. Bosher, Sr.; that such failure was a proximate cause of the collision in question; that J. B. Landers failed to yield the right of way to George E. Bosher, Sr.; that such failure was negligence and that the same was a proximate cause of the collision in question.

In reply to said special issues submitting appellants’ theory, the jury found as follows: That appellee, George E. Bosher, Sr., failed to keep a proper lookout as he approached the place where the collision occurred and that such failure was a proximate cause of the collision in question; that George E. Bosher, Sr., failed to exercise ordinary care in not sooner making application of his brakes at the time and on the occasion -in question and that such failure was a proximate cause of the collision in question; that George. E. Bosher, *359 Sr., failed to yield the right of way to J. B. Landers at the time and on the occasion in question and that such failure was negligence and a proximate cause of the collision in'question. The jury found the collision was not the result of an unavoidable accident. The jury found the amount of appellee’s damages to be $17,500.

There were other issues submitted to the jury and answered by them but the above answers of the jury control and determine the issues involved in this appeal. The appellants made their motion for judgment in accordance with the verdict of the jury. Appellee made his motion for judgment requesting the court to disregard the- above outlined jury’s findings of contributory negligence because such findings had no support in the evidence. In this connection appellee asserts there was no evidence to raise the issue that George E. Bosher, Sr., failed to keep a proper lookout and that such failure was a proximate cause of the collision in question, or that George E. Bosher, Sr., failed to exercise ordinary care in not sooner making application of his brakes at the time and on the occasion in question and that such failure was a proximate cause of the collision in question, or that George E. Bosher, Sr., failed to yield the right of way to J. B. Landers and that such failure was negligence and a proximate cause of the collision in question.

The law is well settled in this state on the proposition that if appellee,' plaintiff in the trial court, was guilty of negligence and such negligence was the proximate cause of the collision in question he cannot recover. Southern Pine Lumber Co. v. Andrade, 132 Tex. 372, 124 S.W.2d 334. But, the question to be determined here is whether there is sufficient evidence in the record to substantiate the jury findings of negligence on the part of appellee. It is the contention of appellee that there was no evidence, either direct or circumstantial, upon which any reasonable mind could infer any contributory negligence on the part of the appellee or a contributory negligent act which was a proximate cause of the collision in question.

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Bluebook (online)
278 S.W.2d 357, 1953 Tex. App. LEXIS 2112, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/dallas-railway-terminal-company-v-bosher-texapp-1953.