Denco Bus Co. v. Keller

1949 OK 249, 212 P.2d 469, 202 Okla. 263, 1949 Okla. LEXIS 466
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedNovember 15, 1949
DocketNo. 33759
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 1949 OK 249 (Denco Bus Co. v. Keller) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Denco Bus Co. v. Keller, 1949 OK 249, 212 P.2d 469, 202 Okla. 263, 1949 Okla. LEXIS 466 (Okla. 1949).

Opinion

JOHNSON, J.

This action was commenced on the 5th day of February, ' 1947, by plaintiff in which she sought damages in the sum of $10,300 for personal injuries to her. The issues were joined and a trial had to a jury on the 18th day of December, 1947, which resulted in a verdict in favor of the plaintiff in the sum of $7,166.60. From this judgment and order of the trial court overruling a motion for a new trial, this appeal is prosecuted.

The parties herein will be referred to as they appeared in the trial court.

Briefly, the facts as alleged are as follows: The defendant is a common carrier of passengers for hire, operating one of its bus lines between the cities of Ada, Okla., and Pauls Valley, Okla., over Highway 19; that plaintiff, on September 6, 1945, was riding as a paid passenger on defendant’s bus between' Ada, Okla., and Pauls Valley; that several miles east of Pauls Valley the driver of defendant’s bus negligently tried to pass a truck; that the highway was under repair; that large piles of sand and gravel, material for the repair work, were placed at intervals along the center of the highway, which were clearly observable to the driver; that being unable to pass the truck in the distance between said piles of sand or gravel, and as the bus was going at such high rate of speed that it could not stop upon failure to pass said truck between the sand or gravel pile, but ran head on into a sand or gravel pile with such terrific impact that it came to a sudden stop; that by reason thereof the plaintiff was thrown from her seat against the front part of the bus with such force and violence as to cause her much pain and suffering; that plaintiff was forced by reason of this injury to remain in bed for several days and was immediately placed under the care of physicians; that she sustained injuries to her spinal column; that she has suffered great and excruciating pain; that she has continued to suffer pain in her neck, spine and shoulders; that her spine has been permanently injured; that the injury prevents her from doing any work and has caused her to become afflicted with traumatic arthritis; that her condition continues to grow progressively worse; that she suffered shock and continues to suffer by reason of her condition; that since said accident she is unable to sleep at night by reason of her nervous condition; that she has constantly had medical treatment, but is unable to get relief from her pain and suffering; that before said injury [265]*265she was able to work and earn current wages; that she is unable to do so now; that her injuries were caused by the gross carelessness and negligence of the defendant; that she has suffered great mental anguish and permanent disability.

Defendant’s first contention is that the court erred in overruling the demurrer to the evidence. The defendant argues that the evidence did not show any actionable or primary negligence by defendant. To sustain this contention, the defendant urges that plaintiff having alleged negligence assumed the burden of proof beyond that of establishing a prima facie case. This contention is untenable. In A. & A. Taxicab Co. v. Bass, 177 Okla. 248, 58 P. 2d 567, this court said:

“The law places upon common carriers the duty of exercising a very high degree of diligence in matters respecting the safety of their passengers. . .” and,
“Where the plaintiff shows by competent evidence to the satisfaction of the jury that he was a passenger in a taxicab operated by defendants and that there was a collision between such taxicab and another car and that such collision was proximately caused by ineffective brakes and the careless and negligent manner in which said taxicab was driven and shows to the satisfaction of the jury that injury complained of and the extent thereof were the direct and proximate result of such collision, he thereby establishes a prima facie case which raises the presumption of negligence and places the burden upon said carriers to overcome such presumption to the satisfaction of the jury.”

The evidence is undisputed that plaintiff was a passenger, with full fare paid, and riding on defendant’s bus for such passengers; that while so traveling the driver of the bus tried to pass a truck; that there were large sand and gravel piles, material for road repair, at intervals in the center of the highway; that while attempting to pass the truck, the bus collided with one of the sand and gravel piles with such force and violence as to cause the bus to come to a sudden stop, throwing plaintiff out of her seat and causing her serious injury. These facts, under the circumstances, established a prima facie case of negligence against the defendant, thus casting the burden upon the defendant to show that it had exercised the utmost care for the safety of its passengers, and whether the defendant had met this burden was a question for the jury. See A. & A. Taxicab Co. v. Bass, supra. Under the record in this case it was not error for the trial court to overrule the demurrer and refuse to instruct the jury to render a verdict for the defendant.

The defendant urges that the verdict is not sustained by the evidence. The record discloses sufficient evidence to sustain the verdict of the jury. This being an action of legal cognizance, the jury’s verdict is deemed to include specific findings in favor of the prevailing party upon all issues of fact, and it is not within the province of this court to disturb the finding of the jury when there is evidence reasonably tending to support such finding. Ramsey v. McKay, 44 Okla. 774, 146 P. 210; Union Transportation Co. v. Lamb, 190 Okla. 327, 123 P. 2d 660; A. & A. Taxicab Co. v. Bass, supra.

Defendant’s further contention that the jury’s verdict disregarded the instructions of the court is equally untenable. Defendant urges that an examination of the evidence of the plaintiff and defendant only shows an accident occurred to the defendant’s bus on which the plaintiff was riding as a paid passenger; that plaintiff did not allege that it was the duty of the defendant to use the highest degree of care, and that the case was tried and the jury was instructed on the theory of “ordinary care,” but, as we have said, the plaintiff made out a prima facie case of negligence and brought herself within the rule announced in A. & A. Taxicab Co. v. Bass, supra. The court’s instructions as a whole were more favorable to the defendant than the law required under 13 O.S.A. [266]*26632. Instead of framing the instructions to impose the utmost or highest degree of caré, the court limited that term by the expression “ordinary care.” That instruction lowered the standard of care fixed by law, because “ordinary care,” in law, at least, means the same as “due care” or “reasonable care,” while “utmost care” and “highest degree of care” is such a degree of care as would be exercised by a very careful, prudent and competent person under the same or similar circumstances. Chicago, R. I. & P. Ry. Co. v. Shelton, 135 Okla. 53, 273 P. 988; Weatherford, M. W. & N. W. Ry. Co. v. White, 55 Tex. Civ. App. 32, 118 S. W. 799.

In applying the lower standard of “ordinary care” the jury could find that the defendant only failed to use that degree of care which a man of ordinary prudence would have exercised under the same or similar circumstances, and the jury having rendered judgment in favor of the plaintiff under this instruction, the defendant has no reason to complain.

As defendant’s second proposition it urges error in allowing Dr. Clay Williams to testify as to the following statement:

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Bluebook (online)
1949 OK 249, 212 P.2d 469, 202 Okla. 263, 1949 Okla. LEXIS 466, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/denco-bus-co-v-keller-okla-1949.