Dallas Ry. & Terminal Co. v. Latham

143 S.W.2d 824
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedAugust 3, 1940
DocketNo. 12896
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 143 S.W.2d 824 (Dallas Ry. & Terminal Co. v. Latham) 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 Ry. & Terminal Co. v. Latham, 143 S.W.2d 824 (Tex. Ct. App. 1940).

Opinions

YOUNG, Justice.

Appellee’s suit for personal injuries resulted in a jury verdict and judgment for $1,000. In our review of the record, the parties will be referred to as in the trial court, or by name. On the morning of May 26, 1938, plaintiff, Iva Latham, was a passenger on a local bus of defendant, which was proceeding south on Tyler Street in the Oak Cliff section of Dallas. She alleged that, at the intersection of Melba Street, the operator of the bus caused it to slow down suddenly and without warning, and to violently swerve aside from its. course of travel, such movement being unusual and negligent; that, as a result, plaintiff was thrown from her seat to the floor and into the entrance well of the bus, sustaining certain injuries. To the merits of' plaintiff’s claims, the defendant denied that-its bus operator was at fault in any respect, but that such injuries were caused by-plaintiff’s own failure to exercise ordinary care. The court’s charge, among other-instructions, properly defined “proximate cause”, “new and independent cause”, “sole-proximate cause” and “unavoidable accident”. The jury, from issues, determined-: the following facts: (1) That the oper-. ator of defendant’s bus, at the time and on. the occasion in question, suddenly and violently caused said bus to swerve from its. course, which was negligence and a proximate cause of plaintiff’s injuries; (2) that said injuries were not the result of an unavoidable accident; (3) that the operator of an automobile, which was driven off of' Melba Street onto the Tyler Street intersection at the time, failed to drive to the rear of defendant’s said bus, but this was. not the sole proximate cause of plaintiff’s, injuries; (4) that the operator of the car,, which subsequently collided with defendant’s bus, did not fail to slow down as she approached the intersection of Tyler and. Melba Streets on the occasion in question;. (5) that the driver of the automobile, which subsequently collided with defendant’s bus,, did not approach the intersection at a. [825]*825speed 'in excess of twenty miles per hour; (6) that the driver of said automobile did not fail to keep a proper lookout at the time. The sole proximate cause issues which followed each of the issues outlined in subdivisions 4, 5 and 6 above, were not answered by reason of the jury responses to preceding; questions.

It is obvious from a study of appellant’s brief and the testimony, that the Street Railway’s main ground of non-liability is this: That there was no violent and unusual swerve of the bus, resulting in plaintiff’s fall, but that her injuries were solely due to the impact of an automobile driven by a third party (Mrs. Barton), off of Melba Street into the left side of said bus, as it proceeded south on Tyler through the intersection. It should be noted that Melba Street runs east and west, crossing Tyler at a right angle. Mrs. Barton’s car, at the time, approached and entered the intersection from the east, she intending to turn right on Tyler and away from the course of the southbound bus. The collision resulted, the right front of the Barton car being damaged and its bumper caught under the metal apron near the middle of the passenger bus. There was testimony that both vehicles were moving slowly at the time of the impact; also, that Mrs. Barton neared the scene at 45 miles per hour, but we are bound by the jury answer as to her speed. We may assume, as did the trial court, that the automobile moved forward into contact with the bus; also that, just prior thereto, the bus did bear to the right, as stated by the bus driver and several disinterested witnesses, to avoid a casualty. All testimony, except from plaintiff, described such swerve as slight and only incidental to the collision that immediately followed.

Appellant’s many assignments of error and propositions in support, on analysis, present the following contentions: (1) Of no probative evidence in support of the negligence as charged; (2) that plaintiff’s injuries were conclusively shown to have been caused by the act of a third person and not by the swerve of the bus; hence, there was a fatal variance between pleading and proof; (3) where the only alleged negligent act of defendant (swerving the bus) is shown to have run its course without causing any injury to plaintiff, an instructed verdict for defendant should have followed; (4) the element of causation essential to a recovery was absent, where the only act relied on by plaintiff, as the proximate cause of her injuries (the sudden and violent swerve of the bus from its course) did not, in fact, cause her to fall— the injuries being caused irrespective of any swerve, and conclusively by the impact of the Barton car; or, in event it be not conclusive that plaintiff’s injuries were caused by an agency over which defendant had no control, and for which it was not responsible, yet, in all events, the evidence was such that the court and jury were put to conjecture and supposition in order to establish causation; or, it being just as inferable that the injuries were caused by an outside agency, as by defendant’s operator, plaintiff has failed in necessary proof of proximate cause; (5) error in placing the burden of proof on unavoidable accident; (6) error in the refusal by the court of various defensive issues on new and independent cause.

We conclude the issues in the court’s charge, concerning the movement of the bus and the cause of plaintiff’s fall, were sufficiently raised by the testimony. As to the occurrence resulting in her alleged mishap, she testified on direct examination, in part:

“Well, we were going along, and I was looking out of the window, the right window; I was on the right side of the bus; and all at once, the bus swerved to the right and hit the curb, and that was the last I knew. * * *

“Q. Then what is the first thing you knew, after this occurrence, whatever it was out there? A. Well, I heard the motorman say, when I came to myself I heard the motorman say, ‘Get the number of that car’, and I didn’t know what he meant; I just came to myself and was lying down in the front of the bus. * * *

“Q. Just describe what kind of a swerving, I believe you called it, this was in the bus; was it slow or gradual, or sudden? A. No, sir,

“Q. Or otherwise; just describe it, if you can? A. It was quickly; just swerved to the right quickly, and I was semi-conscious, I think, for a minute after he swerved and threw me out of the seat, until I woke up. * * *

“Q. Tell the jury whether or not the swerving of the bus and its stopping was usual or unusual? A. It was very unusual.

[826]*826“Q. Did you or not have any advance knowledge of the fact that it was going to swerve or was going to stop ? A. No, sir; I didn’t.”

The following excerpts are from plaintiff’s cross-examination:

“Q. Do you know what caused the driver of the bus to swerve to the right? A. No, sir.

“Q. Do you know whether or not there was any other party ran into the bus or not? A. I didn’t see anything.

“Q. You don’t know what happened then? A. No, sir; I don’t.

“Q. If I understand you right then, as far as your knowledge is concerned, you were riding in the bus and sitting on the right-hand side and all of a sudden, the next thing you know, you found yourself in the bottom of the car, is that right? A. Yes, sir.

“Q. And how you got there or what caused you to get there, you don’t know? A. No.

“Q. Is that right? A. That’s right. * *

“Q. Which way did the bus swerve when you first observed it? A.

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Bluebook (online)
143 S.W.2d 824, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/dallas-ry-terminal-co-v-latham-texapp-1940.