Fisher v. Central Surety & Insurance

86 P.2d 583, 149 Kan. 38, 1939 Kan. LEXIS 8
CourtSupreme Court of Kansas
DecidedJanuary 28, 1939
DocketNo. 33,959
StatusPublished
Cited by23 cases

This text of 86 P.2d 583 (Fisher v. Central Surety & Insurance) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Kansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Fisher v. Central Surety & Insurance, 86 P.2d 583, 149 Kan. 38, 1939 Kan. LEXIS 8 (kan 1939).

Opinion

The opinion of the court was delivered by

Allen, J.:

This was an action to recover damages resulting from an automobile collision which occurred July 13, 1937, near the intersection of U. S. highway 81 and a country road about one mile south of the city of Newton. Plaintiff prevailed, and defendants appeal. U. S. highway 81 at the place of the collision runs north and [39]*39south; the country road runs east and west. Highway 81 at the time of the collision was a two-lane paved highway eighteen feet wide; the country road was thirty to thirty-five feet wide from shoulder to shoulder. There were state highway stop signs on the country road located about fifteen feet back from the arterial highway.

The intersection in question had several filling. stations located on both sides of highway 81. A café was located on the southwest corner; south of the café was the Donaldson filling station, and south of the Donaldson filling station was the Cities Service filling station. From the evidence it is clear that the intersection was a much used, heavily traveled part of the highway, and well lighted by lights from the filling stations. Trucks parked on both the east and west sides south of the country road. On the northwest corner of the intersection was a filling station known as the Phillips or Heclcerdon station. The pumps of this station were set back about fifteen feet from the slab on highway 81, the south pump being about fifteen feet north of the country road. The collision occurred near this filling station.

The defendant Van Donge was operating a transport truck owned by Ray Ogier, of McCook, Neb. It was a Diamond T three-and-a-half-ton truck; was 31 feet, 9 inches from the front bumper to the back end of the tank; was seven feet wide, and the entire equipment weighed 18 tons. Prior to the accident Van Donge had been proceeding north on highway 81 and had pulled his truck off the highway of the west side and parked it in front of the Donaldson café. There were two rows of trucks parked between VanDonge’s truck and the highway. Upon leaving the café Van Donge entered his truck, drove north to the county road running east and west, then turned east toward highway 81. On entering the highway he turned north. At the time of the accident the trailer had not completely straightened out on the highway.

The plaintiff had a contract carrying newspapers from Wichita to Salina, and had a regular schedule that he made each night. On the night of the accident plaintiff left Wichita at 12:37 o’clock a. m., and drove between Wichita and Newton at an average speed of 50 to 55 miles per hour, arriving at the intersection at about 1:20 o’clock a. m.

Plaintiff testified that when he reached a point four or five hundred feet south of the intersection he removed his foot from the ac[40]*40celerator, threw out his clutch and coasted up to the intersection, intending to turn on to a road running northwest into Newton, which joins highway 81 about 200 feet north of the intersection. When he reached a point 150 or 200 feet south of the intersection he saw Van Donge’s truck for the first time. It was moving east on the country road. Plaintiff stated he could not see defendant’s track until it was from 1 to 3 feet west of the slab because of the trucks parked along the slab. He was then driving, as he testified, about 40 or 45 miles per hour. The estimates as to the speed of the track varied from less than 5 miles to 10 or 12 miles per hour. Plaintiff stated he expected the truck to stop, but that it came onto the pavement of the main highway without stopping, proceeded across the center line and turned north, leaving the trailer blocking the west side of the pavement. When the front of the truck was almost to the center line of the pavement and plaintiff saw that it was not going to stop, he immediately applied his brakes. He pushed the brake clear down and held it there. The brakes were in good condition, but the surface of the pavement was covered with sand, preventing him from stopping as soon as he could have under ordinary conditions. All of the tires on plaintiff’s car slid. He tried to steer over to the right far enough to go between the track and the gasoline pumps of the filling station, but was not able to do so. His left front wheel hooked inside the rear wheel of the tractor on Van Donge’s truck. After the collision plaintiff’s left front fender was about two feet west of the edge of the pavement; the right front wheel was off the slab; the door of the plaintiff’s car was even with the south pump of Phillips or Heckerdon station. Plaintiff suffered injuries for which he sues.

Van Donge testified that he came to a complete stop before entering highway 81; that he looked both ways and saw no car approaching from either direction. The weather was clear and the intersection well lighted. He testified that he stopped at a point where his front wheels were possibly two feet west of the pavement. The cab was three to three and a half feet west of where the front wheels stood. He stopped at a point from which, as he testified, he had a “reasonable” vision down the highway. There was no evidence that he ever looked to the south again, tie admitted he did not see plaintiff’s car until the crash.

The jury gave a general verdict in plaintiff’s favor and returned answers to special questions. Many errors are specified.

[41]*41It is contended that plaintiff’s negligence bars his recovery as a matter of law. Defendants contend that plaintiff’s testimony as to the speed of his car cannot be believed. The sheriff who investigated the accident testified the plaintiff “skidded one tire 49 yards.” The jury found one skid mark extended 49 steps and one skid mark 18 steps south of the point of impact. Defendants assert that “the plaintiff, after skidding his tires a distance of 147 feet, collided with the truck, still going at such a speed that he demolished his car and injured himself.” The rule is invoked that where the testimony of a witness is positively contradicted by physical facts, neither the court nor the jury is permitted to give credit to such testimony. (Chambers v. Skelly Oil Co., 87 F. 2d 853.)

The jury found the defendant Charles VanDonge was guilty of negligence which contributed to and was a proximate cause of the accident; that such negligence consisted in his failure to use due precaution when entering the highway. The jury further found the plaintiff was not guilty of any negligence which contributed to the cause of the accident.

We think the question was for the jury. The jury could disregard the testimony as to the skid marks on the pavement if it chose to do so. As there was testimony to support its findings, we cannot say, as a matter of law, that plaintiff’s negligence bars his recovery.

Defendants assert plaintiff was guilty of negligence as a matter of law in violating section 32 of chapter 283 of the Laws of 1937, which reads as follows:

“(a) No person shall drive a vehicle on a highway at a speed greater than is reasonable and prudent under the conditions then existing, (b)

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
86 P.2d 583, 149 Kan. 38, 1939 Kan. LEXIS 8, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/fisher-v-central-surety-insurance-kan-1939.