Davis v. Roosman

140 N.W.2d 639, 179 Neb. 808, 1966 Neb. LEXIS 714
CourtNebraska Supreme Court
DecidedMarch 4, 1966
Docket36061
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 140 N.W.2d 639 (Davis v. Roosman) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Nebraska Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Davis v. Roosman, 140 N.W.2d 639, 179 Neb. 808, 1966 Neb. LEXIS 714 (Neb. 1966).

Opinion

Brower, J.

The plaintiff Perry Earl Davis brought this action in the district court for Custer County to recover damages for personal injuries sustained in an automobile collision against the defendant Harold C. Butterfield, the driver *809 of a truck owned and being operated on the business of his employer, the defendant L. J. Roosman, doing business as Rural Gas Utility and Rural Welding Supply Co. The defendants’ joint answer, so far as it is of significance here, denied the allegations of negligence alleged in the plaintiff’s petition and alleged the collision was caused solely and proximately by the negligence of the plaintiff, and that any negligence on the part of the defendants was slight in comparison therewith. The defendant Roosman filed a separate cross-petition seeking to recover damages to his truck from the plaintiff. Hereafter where the defendant is used in the singular, it will refer to the driver of the truck, Harold C. Butter-field.

A trial to a jury resulted in a verdict finding that neither the plaintiff nor defendants were entitled to recover, and judgment was entered dismissing the plaintiff’s petition and the cross-petition.

The plaintiff has appealed from an order overruling his motion for a new trial. There is no cross-appeal.

The accident happened about 11:45 a.m., on August 21, 1961. It occurred on a graveled road approximately 7 miles northeast of the town of Callaway in Custer County. There were floating clouds and at times sprinkles of rain. The road there extends north and south and the collision occurred a short distance south of the crest of a hill which both vehicles had but a brief time before approached. Plaintiff was driving a 1959 Ford owned by his employer, State of Nebraska, southward toward the hill from the north. The defendant approached the hill in a 1959 International truck from the south. The plaintiff had stopped at the foot of the hill to its north. There is a short, comparatively level place at the crest of the hill. The road curves slightly to the west, going north, some 70 feet south of the crest. The road is cut through the hill with high banks on each side.

Plaintiff testified that after getting back in his car he *810 started in low gear and thereafter shifted into second proceeding up the hill. He let up on the gas as he approached the crest. He saw the top of the truck coming north. It was directly in front of his car, coming up the hill and making the bend. It straddled the imaginary centerline of the road. Plaintiff was driving about 5 miles per hour when he first saw the truck. The grade going up hill was fairly steep. Plaintiff applied his brakes and kept them on until the point of impact. His Ford went straight up> the road on its right side. Before the impact the defendant pulled the front end of his truck over toward its right side of the road but its rear wheels were still over on plaintiff’s side. The bumper of the Ford sideswiped the bumper of the truck and the front of the truck box was what he hit. Plaintiff’s Ford was straight with the side of the road. On impact the Ford was thus going straight and the truck at an angle. His car was practically stopped at the point of impact. On cross-examination the plaintiff testified he let up on the gas and applied the brakes when he knew the truck was coming toward him. When he let up on the gas he was going around 35 or 37 miles per hour. The car was practically stopped when the truck hit. The truck was proceeding at 35 to 45 miles an hour. Plaintiff, who was severely injured, had his car keys in his hand when he came to from the shock. At the trial he did not remember when he turned the ignition off but he had stated in a deposition it was when he applied his brakes.

The defendant testified he was driving the truck to the north up hill in third gear. The truck with its load weighed around 8 tons. It was being driven 15 to 20 miles an hour pulling the hill which is about all the loaded truck would make going upgrade in third gear. The truck was on the right side of the road. Defendant saw the plaintiff’s car about 100 yards away. Outside of the traveled portion, the road was rough and eroded but the traveled portion was smooth. The defendant’s truck was within a foot or so of the east edge of the road *811 at the point of impact. There were 5 feet of the traveled portion of the road to the plaintiff’s right. Plaintiff was coming quite fast. The defendant proceeded on straight ahead and the left front of the two vehicles collided within 2 or 3 seconds. Plaintiff’s car came straight for the truck and defendant had no place to go. He drove the truck on over the hill, applying his brakes; on the other side, and stopped on the edge of the road 119 feet from where the plaintiff’s car came to rest.

Exhibit 41 is an enlargement of the diagram originally contained in the report of the patrolman who testified as to the measurements and distances he marked thereon after the accident which the plaintiff and defendant both concede to be correct. The position of the crest of the hill is shown. Skid marks are shown laid down by plaintiff’s car which commenced a short distance north of the crest. These marks run south in a straight line up over the crest and on south. The skid marks from the left front wheel are 68 feet and of the right front wheel 70 feet in length. At the south end of these marks on the exhibit is shown an area of debris. The skid marks of the rear wheels are shorter, those of the left wheel being 57 feet long. They end in an arc, showing the back of the car had swung around to the right, and the vehicle came to rest facing northeast with its rear in the ditch. At their beginning north of the crest of the hill, the left skid marks are 13 feet from the east edge of the traveled road to plaintiff’s left. The right skid marks there were 5 feet from the right, or west edge of the traveled road. The car is 6 feet wide. The traveled road there is 23 feet wide. Throughout their entire length there is a space of 5 feet to the right of plaintiff’s right skid mark on the traveled road. However, at and about the point of the debris the traveled road is narrower and varies from 19 to 20 feet wide. There is still 5 feet of traveled road to the right of the Ford’s right skid marks but only 8 feet to the left of the car’s left skid marks. It follows that plaintiff’s car, at the place of the accident, had *812 usurped over half of the traveled portion of the road.

From photographs in evidence taken of the road after the accident, these skid marks are shown also and there is a gouge mark in the road at the south end of the left front skid marks laid down by plaintiff’s car. The traveled road to the west of this gouge mark and the plaintiff’s left skid mark is shown to be considerably less-than half the traveled road. Photographs of plaintiff’s car show damage to the left front bumper and the left front fender and side as far back as the trunk. The photographs of the truck show the front left bumper and fender were damaged to the greatest extent although a dent appears in the front portion of the lefthand skirt beneath the box.

Plaintiff assigns error to the trial court in refusing to give his tendered instruction by which he requested the submission to' the jury of the sudden emergency doctrine.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
140 N.W.2d 639, 179 Neb. 808, 1966 Neb. LEXIS 714, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/davis-v-roosman-neb-1966.