Firestone Tire & Rubber Co. v. Rhodes

256 S.W.2d 448, 1953 Tex. App. LEXIS 2258
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMarch 18, 1953
Docket10115
StatusPublished
Cited by27 cases

This text of 256 S.W.2d 448 (Firestone Tire & Rubber Co. v. Rhodes) 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
Firestone Tire & Rubber Co. v. Rhodes, 256 S.W.2d 448, 1953 Tex. App. LEXIS 2258 (Tex. Ct. App. 1953).

Opinion

ARCHER, Chief Justice.

W. B. Rhodes, appellee herein, brought this suit against The Firestone Tire & Rubber Company and one of its employees, Clarence E. Enis, and against John Bre-mond Company and one of its employees, Marvin L. Buck, for personal injuries sustained by Mrs. Rhodes and for damages to the Rhodes’ car.

The charge submitted to the jury consisted of 96 special issues. On the 2nd day of' May, 1952, the jury returned its verdict in favor of plaintiff.

The appellants,-The'Firestone Tire & Rubber Company and ’ Clarence R. Enis, filed three motions asking (1) that the trial court disregard the answers to certain special issues and to render a judgment non obstante veredicto as to these appellants; (2) that the court declare a mistrial because of conflicting answers, and (3) that if judgment he rendered against them they have judgment of indemnity over and against the defendants, John Bremond Company, and Marvin L. Buck. These motions were overruled and refused by the trial court and on the 31st day of May, 1952, a judgment in the sum of $11,041.45 was rendered and entered against all of the defendants, jointly and severally,, to which action these appellants excepted. These appellants, in due time, filed their motion for a new trial, which motion was overruled on the 18th day of July, 1952, to which action of the court these appellants excepted and gave notice of appeal.

Appellants John Bremond Company and Marvin L. Buck duly filed and presented their motions for a new trial which were overruled, to which they excepted and gave notice of appeal.

The appeal of Firestone and Enis is based on three points assigned as error and are:

First Point

The trial court erred in overruling and refusing appellants’ motion to disregard the answers of the jury to Special Issues Nos. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, and to render judgment non obstante veredicto, and to render judgment that plaintiff take nothing as to these appellants.

Second Point

The trial court erred in failing and refusing to grant appellants’ motion for a mistrial based upon conflicting answers of the jury to Special Issues Nos. 4 to 9 inclusive with the answers to Special Issues Nos. 72 to 75, inclusive.

*450 Third Point

The trial court erred in refusing to allow appellants, The Firestone Tire & Rubber Company and Clarence R. Enis, indemnity over and against John Bremond Company and Marvin L. Buck, for such amounts as these appellants might pay to appellee under and by virtue of the judgment rendered herein.

We believe that the trial court should have granted appellants Firestone’s and Enis’ motion to disregard the answers of the jury to Special Issues Nos. 4, 5, 6, 7 and 9 and should have rendered a judgment non obstante veredicto and rendered judgment that plaintiff take nothing as to these appellants.

Special Issue No. 4 inquired if the driver of the Firestone Truck failed to maintain proper control of his vehicle at the time and on the occasion in question. The jury’s answer was “yes.”

In response to Special Issue No. 5 the jury found that such failure to maintain proper control was negligence and further found that such negligence was a proximate cause of the damages.

Special Issue No. 7 inquired if the driver of the Firestone truck failed to maintain a proper lookout, and the jury found that such driver did so fail, and that such failure was negligence and was a proximate cause of the damages.

It appears from undisputed facts that Mrs. W. B. Rhodes, wife of appellee, was driving her car north on Congress Avenue in the lane next to the center stripe, and when she was about 12 feet north of the end of the bridge her car was struck by the Firestone truck being operated by Enis, and that immediately before the collision, the Firestone truck and the Bre-mond truck had come in contact with each other.

In his pleadings appellee alleged numerous acts of negligence on the part of the drivers of both trucks.

By their pleadings Firestone and Enis admitted that the Firestone truck did cross the center line of the street and strike the Rhodes car. They alleged that just before the collision the Firestone truck was being driven south on Congress Avenue in the lane next to the center line of the street; that just before such collision the Bre-mond truck crossed over into the lane in which the Firestone truck was traveling and struck the Firestone truck causing it to swerve to the left into the lane in which the Rhodes car was traveling and hit the car.

The appellants Firestone and Enis contend that the collision of Firestone’s truck and the Rhodes car was caused solely by the Bremond truck crossing over into the lane in which the Firestone truck was traveling and striking the Firestone truck and causing it to swerve into the lane in which the Rhodes car was traveling.

The appellants Firestone and Enis contend as a matter of law there is no evidence to support the jury’s finding that Enis Jailed to keep a proper lookout and maintain proper control, and that even if he did so fail, such failure could not be the proximate cause of the collision of his truck with the Rhodes car, and that they were entitled to a take nothing judgment.

The jury found that Enis was not operating his truck at an excessive rate of speed; that Enis failed to maintain proper control; that such failure was negligence and a proximate cause; that Enis failed to keep a proper lookout; that such failure was negligence and a proximate cause; that Enis failed to keep his truck on his right-hand side, but such failure was not negligence; that Enis failed to keep his truck within the lane in which he was driving, but that such failure was not negligence; that Enis was not driving too close to the Bremond truck; that Enis failed to turn his truck to the right to avoid the collision but such failure was not negligence; that Enis was not attempting to pass the Bremond truck, and that the collision was not solely caused by the manner in which the Firestone truck was being driven; that Enis, driver of the Firestone truck, did not fail to let the driver of the Bremond truck pass, and was not trying to beat the Bremond truck onto the bridge; that Enis failed to apply his brakes, but such failure was not negligence.

*451 As

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Bluebook (online)
256 S.W.2d 448, 1953 Tex. App. LEXIS 2258, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/firestone-tire-rubber-co-v-rhodes-texapp-1953.