Duncan v. Ferrell

427 S.W.2d 36, 58 Tenn. App. 133, 1967 Tenn. App. LEXIS 216
CourtCourt of Appeals of Tennessee
DecidedDecember 14, 1967
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 427 S.W.2d 36 (Duncan v. Ferrell) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Tennessee primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Duncan v. Ferrell, 427 S.W.2d 36, 58 Tenn. App. 133, 1967 Tenn. App. LEXIS 216 (Tenn. Ct. App. 1967).

Opinion

AVERY, P.J.(W.S.).

This is a suit for personal injuries growing out of a collision between a motorcycle and a Chevrolet automobile in the intersection of Marsh and Benjestown Streets, on the 18th day of October, 1965 at approximately 3:20 p. m. Marsh Street runs east and west and Benjestown runs north and south through that intersection.

William Lewis Duncan, age 14 years, who was injured while riding as the second rider or passenger on a Honda [135]*135motorcycle, driven and owned by a boy friend, Larry Deal, who was also 14 years of age.

It is alleged that the motorcycle was designed to carry two people, the one behind the other. The seat was a long one, designed for two with certain attachments to support the second rider on which to place his feet and with others for support by his hands. The Chevrolet was owned and driven at the time by defendant, Herbert Lee Ferrell.

The main litigation is by the minor. His father also brought suit for expenses incurred through medical, hospital and other necessary expense on account of the son’s injury.

The case was tried by his Honor, Judge Greenfield Polk, to a jury as a consolidated method by agreement. There was a jury verdict for the minor plaintiff in the amount of $4,000 and for the father plaintiff for $1,500.

The only appeal is in behalf of the minor. Exceptions were made and motion for new trial seasonably filed, heard and overruled. Exceptions were saved to the action of the Court in overruling the motion for new trial, and judgment on the verdict. An appeal prayed, granted and perfected in behalf of the minor, his suit being brought by his father as next friend to his son.

The case was heard in this Court on October 9, 1967, taken under advisement and is here disposed of by this opinion. The parties will be herein referred to as they were styled in the trial Court or by name, the minor Duncan as “plaintiff” and Herbert Lee Ferrell as “defendant”.

The declaration in Count I charges common law negligence substantially as follows:

[136]*1361 — Defendant failed to keep proper control of Ms vehicle
2 — Failed to obey rnles of the road
3 — Failed to keep proper lookout ahead
4 — Driving at excessive speed
5 — Turned into west bound traffic without taking proper care
6 — Turned into west bound traffic before getting to intersection of Marsh and Benjestown
7 — Failed to give a turning signal
8 — Failed to yield to oncoming traffic.

Count II charges violation of City Ordinance Nos.: 1677.1; 1696(c); 1682; 1687.2; 1731.2; 1690; 1690.1; 1699.

Defendants filed general issue pleas and later by order, special pleas in which each allegation of both common law and statutory negligence is separately denied, and charging plaintiff violated each charge of negligence with which plaintiff charged defendant, and with violating T.C.A. Sections 59-829; 59-865 and City Ordinances Nos. 1696(c); 1708; 1731.2.

The assignments of error are generally explanatory of the statement of counsel for plaintiff that:

“Generally, the points raised in this appeal lie in severe inadequacy of the verdict and, more especially, in errors of the Trial Court in his instructions and refusal of requested instructions to the jury resulting in the severe inadequacy in the verdict, as more particularly specified in plaintiff’s numbered assignments of error.”

[137]*137Assignments Nos. I and II bring error because tbe Court charged the jury on remote contributory negligence rule, and says such was not applicable, saying “the record being void of any evidence to support such charge * * * and failed to explain or define remote contributory negligence * * * with the result # * * that the jury,was led or allowed to reduce the verdict to an amount severely inadequate. ’ ’

The charge on remote contributory negligence ' and result, if found, is as follows:

“If the plaintiff, Duncan, Jr., was guilty of negligence which did not directly and proximately contribute to the injury and damages complained of by both plaintiffs, but which only remotely contributed to the injury and damages complained of-by these plaintiffs,-then there may be a recovery but you must diminish the amount of damages you award each plaintiff by the degree of remote contributory negligence you find the plaintiff, Duncan, Jr., guilty of.”

Assignment of error No. Ill brings error because the Court charged the jury on the doctrine of assumption of risk.

Assignment of error No. IV brings error alleging that the charge given on the doctrine of the assumption of risk violates Article 6, Section 9 of the Constitution of Tennessee.

Assignment of error No. Y embraces I, II, III and IY and is as follows:

The Court erred in giving any charge on contributory negligence, proximate or remote, or on assumption- of risk, there being no evidence to support any such [138]*138charge, and erred in that all of the instructions so given were rendered erroneous by the Court’s instruction and query to the jury: ‘Who hit whom? There your issue is. Do you see the point’?, to the prejudice of the amount of the verdict.”

The whole charge of the Court consists of 46 and a fraction typewritten pages and in many respects it is extremely repetitious and it is hard to separate this long charge so as to put together that part of it which embraces the errors included within the five assignments of error above set out, and particularly is this true where the Court tries, in his charge, to differentiate between common law negligence, statutory negligence and assumption of risk.

Let us observe in the first place that the Court below was dealing with and we, in this appellate court, are dealing with a passenger or second rider on a motorcycle which in its manufacturing or making is designed to comply with T.C.A. Section 59-865 and with City of Memphis Code Section 1708, the phraseology of which is practically the same, and regardless of phraseology, the meaning is identical and we are, as was the lower Court, concerned with the application of the common law to the facts revealed by this record.

Under the common law the simple fact that a person is a second rider on a motorcycle or motorbike does not in and of itself, put the burden of “assumption of risk” on such rider. T.C.A. Section 59-865 is as follows:

“A person operating a motorcycle shall ride only upon the permanent and regular seat attached thereto and such operator shall not carry any other person, nor shall any other person ride on a motorcycle unless [139]*139such motorcycle is designed to carry more than one (1) person, in which event a passenger may ride upon the permanent and regular seat if designed for two (2) persons, or upon another seat firmly attached to the rear or side of the operator.”

Section 1708 of the Municipal Code of the City of Memphis is as follows:

“A person operating a motorcycle or a motordriven cycle shall ride only upon the permanent and regular seat attached thereto.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
427 S.W.2d 36, 58 Tenn. App. 133, 1967 Tenn. App. LEXIS 216, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/duncan-v-ferrell-tennctapp-1967.