Edwards v. Houston Transit Company

342 S.W.2d 787, 1960 Tex. App. LEXIS 2596
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedDecember 29, 1960
Docket3721
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 342 S.W.2d 787 (Edwards v. Houston Transit Company) 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
Edwards v. Houston Transit Company, 342 S.W.2d 787, 1960 Tex. App. LEXIS 2596 (Tex. Ct. App. 1960).

Opinion

TIREY, Justice.

This is a negligence case. The jury, in its verdict, found substantially:

(1 and 2) That the bus driver failed to keep that lookout for cars ahead of him that an ordinary prudent person in the exercise of ordinary care would have kept under the same or similar circumstances, and that such failure was a proximate cause of the collision in question;

(3 and 4) That just prior to the collision in question the bus driver was following more closely behind the plaintiff’s automobile than a person of ordinary prudence in the exercise of ordinary care would have done under the same or similar circumstances, and that such act was a proximate cause of the collision;

*788 (5) That just prior to the collision in question the bus driver was not operating his bus at a greater rate of speed than a person of ordinary prudence in the exercise of ordinary care would have operated same in the exercise of ordinary care under the same or similar circumstances;

(7) That just prior to the collision in question the bus driver did not fail to make such application of the brakes on his bus as the ordinarily prudent person would have made in the exercise of ordinary care under the same or similar circumstances;

(10) That at the time and on the occasion in question B. C. Edwards did not drive his car at a greater rate of speed than a person of ordinary prudence in the exercise of ordinary care would have driven it under the same or similar circumstances;

(12) That at the time and just before the occurrence in question, B. C. Edwards’ failure to swerve his car to the right was not negligence;

(14, IS, 16, 17) That at the time and on the occasion in question Edwards failed to keep such a lookout as a person of ordinary prudence in the exercise of ordinary care would have kept under the same or similar circumstances, and that such failure was a proximate cause of the collision, and that at the time and on the occasion in question Edwards brought his car to a stop more suddenly than a person of ordinary prudence in the exercise of ordinary care would have done under the same or similar circumstances, and that such action was a proximate cause of the collision;

(18) That at the time and on the occasion in question, B. C. Edwards did not slow his car more suddenly than a person of ordinary prudence in the exercise of ordinary care would have done under the same or similar circumstances;

(20) That at the time of and just before the occurrence in question, B. C. Edwards’ failure to sound the horn on his car was not negligence;

(22) That at the time and on the occasion in question, B. C. Edwards’ failure to give a hand signal of his intention to stop was not negligence;

(24) That at the time of and just before the occurrence in question, Donald Douglas was not acting in an emergency;

(27) That the accident was not unavoidable.

The jury fixed damages to plaintiff’s car at $602.31, and the medical bills at $634.31, and assessed damages for personal injuries at $10,000. The Court overruled plaintiff’s motion for judgment non obstante veredicto, and granted defendant’s motion on the verdict and entered judgment that Edwards take nothing.

The judgment is assailed on what plaintiff designates as seven points. Points one, two, three and four are to the effect that the Court erred in failure to grant plaintiff’s motion for judgment non obstante veredicto — (1 and 2) because there is no evidence of contributory negligence; (3 and 4) because the evidence is insufficient to sustain the finding of contributory negligence, and further that such finding is so against the overwhelming weight and preponderance of the evidence as to be manifestly wrong. As heretofore pointed out the jury in its answer to special issue 14 found that plaintiff failed to keep a proper lookout, and further found that such failure was the proximate cause of the accident, and in answer to issue 16, found that plaintiff brought his car to a stop more suddenly than an ordinary prudent person would have done under the same or similar circumstances, and that such failure was a proximate cause of the accident.

Evidence was tendered to the effect that on the morning of July 2, 1957, an automobile driven by B. C. Edwards pulled onto Chocolate Bayou Road in the City of Houston and was traveling in a northerly direction; that in the lane of traffic behind plaintiff was a Houston Transit Company bus operated by Donald Gene Douglas, *789 a co-defendant herein; that at a point near the intersection of Chocolate Bayou Road and Ward Street, a dog ran onto Chocolate Bayou Road, traveling from the left to the right of the street as viewed from the po•sition of the parties; that Edwards slammed on the brakes of his car, stopping his car in the lane of traffic immediately in front of the defendant’s bus, and that the bus was following behind at a distance of .about thirty-five to forty feet; that plain■tiff’s automobile and the bus were being -operated within legal speed limits; that when plaintiff brought his automobile to a sudden stop, the bus hit the rear of plaintiff’s car, causing personal injuries to the plaintiff and damages to the plaintiff’s automobile. Four witnesses testified as to ■the accident, which forms a basis of this suit; they are, plaintiff Edwards, the bus driver Douglas, and two bus passengers, Bettye Knight and Audry Simon. Edwards testified to the effect that visibility was ■good on the day of the accident, and that he was well acquainted with the area; that he became aware of the dog’s presence when it was near the center of the road about two car lengths ahead of him; the bus driver testified to the effect that he had seen the dog when it was on a walkway leading toward the road, and that the bus was thirty-five feet behind the plaintiff’s car at the time; the bus driver also testified to the effect that he was to some extent occupied in operating the change box as he was driving the bus, but the fact remained that plaintiff was much closer to the dog than was the bus driver, and as we understand the testimony the driver of the car failed to discover the dog until it had reached the center of the road. The jury, after hearing the testimony of plaintiff, and the bus driver as to this factual situation, found that plaintiff failed to keep a proper lookout, and that such failure was the proximate cause of the accident. The plaintiff further testified to the effect that his foot was resting on the brake pedal prior to seeing the dog in the center of the road, and upon seeing the dog he applied his brakes “at first pretty suddenly,” and that his brakes were in “near perfect” condition, and that “they stopped as quick as brakes could.” Testimony is to the effect that the dog was only two car lengths away when Edwards first discovered his presence, and he stopped his car quick enough to avoid hitting the dog. The bus driver testified that Edwards made a “panic stop”. It is true that plaintiff testified on trial:

“I applied my brakes and — at first pretty suddenly and then I slackened a little bit after I saw this wasn’t a child.
“Q. * * * did you come to a complete stop or were you still moving, or do you know? A.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
342 S.W.2d 787, 1960 Tex. App. LEXIS 2596, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/edwards-v-houston-transit-company-texapp-1960.