Fame Laundry Co. v. Henry

144 N.E. 545, 195 Ind. 453, 1924 Ind. LEXIS 158
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedJuly 2, 1924
DocketNo. 24,567.
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 144 N.E. 545 (Fame Laundry Co. v. Henry) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Fame Laundry Co. v. Henry, 144 N.E. 545, 195 Ind. 453, 1924 Ind. LEXIS 158 (Ind. 1924).

Opinion

Willoughby, J.

An action was brought by the appellee by his next friend against appellant to recover damages for personal injuries alleged to have been suffered by plaintiff on account of a collision with one of defendant’s delivery trucks.

The action was begun by the filing of the complaint in one paragraph, to which the defendant filed a motion to make more specific, which motion was sustained, and the plaintiff filed an amended complaint. To this amended complaint, the defendant filed its demurrer, which was overruled by the court and the defendant answered by general denial. Afterward the plaintiff filed what is designated as the second paragraph of complaint, to which defendant filed its answer in general denial. The cause was submitted to the jury for trial *455 and the jury returned a verdict in favor of the plaintiff for the sum of $750. Judgment was rendered on the verdict, from which this appeal is taken.

The errors assigned are: (1) The trial court erred in overruling appellant’s demurrer to the complaint. (2) The trial court erred in overruling appellant’s motion for a new trial.

The amended complaint, omitting the caption and signature, is substantially as follows:

“The plaintiff, Bernard Henry, suing by his next friend, Edward Henry, in his amended complaint complains of the defendant in the above entitled cause of 'action and says:

“That the defendant, the Fame Laundry Company of Indiana, is a corporation organized and doing business under and by virtue of the laws of the State of Indiana, and as such is engaged in the laundry business in the city of Indianapolis, Indiana.

“That the defendant, in order to carry on its business and to collect and deliver parcels and packages of laundry in and around, over and in the immediate vicinity of the city of Indianapolis, uses a number of automobiles that are thus operated and in charge of its servants, employees and agents and that during the month of August, 1918, the defendant had in its employment a certain number of drivers and chauffeurs to run and operate its automobiles in connection with its laundry business.

“Plaintiff says that on or about the twenty-eighth day of August, 1918, * * * as he was riding his bicycle along, over and upon Harding Street in the afternoon of said day, while it was yet full daylight, at a reasonable rate of speed, he was obliged to pass a load of garden truck that had driven so close to the curb on the right side of the street that this plaintiff was obliged in passing said load of truck to turn out *456 to the left, that before he had passed said load of truck, a boy companion, who had preceded him, called out to him to look out, and not knowing what the danger was and having no time to look, he ran his bicycle to the extreme other side of the street, next to the curb; that just as he reached or was about to reach that part of the street, one of the defendant’s servants, employees, agents, operators, or chauffeurs, having in his possession and under his control and driving one of the defendant’s automobiles, came up behind this plaintiff while he was riding his bicycle and without plaintiff hearing or knowing that anyone was behind him in any kind of an automobile, and that the defendant did without any warning and with a careless and negligent disregard of other persons on the street, carelessly failed to notice and failed to see this plaintiff and carelessly failed to give any warning to this plaintiff, and while running at an unusual high rate of speed, carelessly, and negligently failed to give warning to or to see this plaintiff and carelessly and negligently ran defendant’s automobile over, onto and upon this plaintiff and over plaintiff’s bicycle, greatly injured this plaintiff, * * * and from such injuries plaintiff has not recovered.

“Plaintiff says that by reason of the defendant’s carelessness and negligence in running the automobile at a high rate of speed, carelessly failing to look ahead to see where the automobile was going and failing to give any warning to this plaintiff, that he was injured; that his arm was broken, a large gash was inflicted over his eye, that his legs, arms, head, eye, face and body were greatly injured; that his hip was injured and he has been obliged to engage the services of a physician at a great outlay of money, that he has already paid for such medical services more than ten dollars and is even now under the care of a physician; *457 that he was obliged to be confined to his bed for several days; that his arm was placed in splints for more than six weeks and that his arms, legs and body were bruised and were black and blue for a long time; that he has lost much valuable time and has suffered and still suffers much pain and mental anguish, all to his damage in the sum of one thousand dollars.

“Plaintiff says that Harding street, where the injury occurred, is a smooth street and sufficiently wide for the defendant to have passed plaintiff in safety had he used ordinary care and had exercised the use of his eyesight he could not have failed to have seen the plaintiff and avoided injuring him. Wherefore plaintiff sues and demands one thousand dollars damages, costs of this action, and for all other proper relief in the premises.”

The defendant demurred to the amended complaint alleging that it did not state facts sufficient to constitute a cause of action. It appears from the memorandum filed with such demurrer that the defendant pointed out as an objection to said complaint that it was a suit to recover damages for injury to personal property and that the complaint did not allege that the plaintiff was free from contributory negligence. There is no merit in this objection, for the reason that.said amended complaint did not seek to recover damages for injury to personal property, but sought damages on account of personal injuries, which plaintiff alleges he received by reason of the negligent conduct of the defendant. It is true that the complaint alleges that the plaintiff was the owner of a very fine bicycle and that it was in fair and good condition and that by the collision with defendant’s delivery truck, plaintiff’s bicycle was destroyed, that his clothing was torn, but no claim for damages is made for such injury in the complaint. That part of the *458 complaint in which damages are asked says that the plaintiff was injured, describing his injuries; that his legs, arms, head, eyes, face and body were greatly injured; that he was obliged to engage the services of a physician; that he has paid out for such services the sum of $10; that he was confined to his bed for several days; that his arm was placed in splints more than six weeks; that his arms and back were black and blue and he has suffered and still suffers much pain and mental anguish, concluding with a demand for $1,000 in damages. This damage is claimed solely on account of the alleged personal injuries of plaintiff, therefore, the provision of §362 Burns 1914, Acts 1899 p. 58, prevails. In that statute, it is provided that contributory negligence on the part of the plaintiff or such other person shall be-a matter of defense and such defense may be proved under the answer of general denial.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
144 N.E. 545, 195 Ind. 453, 1924 Ind. LEXIS 158, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/fame-laundry-co-v-henry-ind-1924.