Gannaway v. Gannaway

65 So. 2d 352, 1953 La. App. LEXIS 635
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedApril 30, 1953
DocketNo. 7934
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 65 So. 2d 352 (Gannaway v. Gannaway) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Gannaway v. Gannaway, 65 So. 2d 352, 1953 La. App. LEXIS 635 (La. Ct. App. 1953).

Opinion

McINNIS, Judge.

This suit is by Mrs. Annie C. Gannaway against her daughter, Miss Anne Ganna-way and her public liability insurer, National Surety Corporation and Joe. Taylor, for personal injury and medical and other expenses incurred as a result of injuries sustained when the automobile of Miss Gannaway, in which plaintiff was a guest passenger, collided with one owned and being driven by Joe Taylor, in the city of Bastrop, Louisiana, at a point where South Haggerty Street makes a T intersection with West Madison Street. The accident happened about 11:30 to 11:45 a. m. on December 26, 1950.

The following acts of negligence are charged to Miss Gannaway:

(a) Immediately prior to and at the time of said accident said Anne Gannaway was proceeding at an’ excessive rate of speed under the circumstances prevailing at the time and place of the accident.

(b) That said Anne Gannaway failed to have her automobile under proper control so as to be able to stop and thus avoid a collision with the automobile driven by said Joe Taylor.

(c) That said Anne Gannaway did not keep a proper lookout for danger whereby she could have avoided the accident after the said Joe Taylor began to make a left turn into the path of the automobile being-driven by Anne Gannaway.

It is charged that Taylor was negligent in attempting to make a left turn into South Haggerty Street from West Madison Street when he failed to keep a' proper lookout and failed to see the automobile of Miss Gannaway.

Other allegations of the petition set forth that the weather was cloudy and misty and the pavement wet and slippery, and that Miss Gannaway was driving at a speed of not less than 35 miles per hour in violation of the law; the injuries sustained by plaintiff, for which she démands $25,000 and medical and other expenses $1,561.99. ,

The answer of defendants, Miss Ganna-way and her insurer, admits the insurance coverage, and happening of the accident and that plaintiff was injured and hospitalized, but denies any negligence on the part of Miss Gannaway, and charges that the negligence of Joe Taylor, as alleged-by plaintiff, was the sole, only and proximate cause. In the alternative, it is alleged that if Miss Gannaway be found guilty of [354]*354any negligence, that plaintiff was on the front seat of the automobile and had equal opportunity to see and observe, that she failed to protest or suggest, and that she acquiesced in all particulars in the manner in which the automobile was operated, and in all things done by Miss Gannaway, all of which constitutes independent and contributory negligence precluding recovery herein.

Joe Taylor did not make any appearance, and when the case was called for trial plaintiff asked that the suit be dismissed as to Taylor, reserving all rights against the other defendants.

After trial on the merits, judgment was rendered and signed awarding plaintiff $1,-561.99 for expenses, $10,000 for her injuries and $5,000 for pain and suffering, a total of $16,561.99, less credit for $1,000 paid on the medical expenses, as provided by the insurance policy.

From the judgment defendants prosecute a suspensive and devolutive appeal, and plaintiff has answered the appeal, asking that the award to her be increased by $10,000.

The district judge has favored us with written reasons for the judgment. From our appreciation of what the record discloses we are not in full accord with all of the findings of facts as set forth in these written reasons, however, this may not be cause for reversing his finding of negligence on the part of Miss Gannaway. For instance, the finding that when Taylor started his left turn the Gannaway car was 300 feet away, is not borne out in the record. The district judge also concludes that Miss Gannaway was driving far in excess of 35 miles an hour, and this is not borne by the record.

The issue which is tendered in this case necessitates a conclusion as to the existence, vel non, of negligence — either causal or contributory — on the part of Miss Gannaway. We are therefore, not concerned with the question of the negligence of Taylor and though we note that the district judge exonerated him from any negligence we pretermit discussion of the point.

Our appreciation of the record is that the accident happened in the following manner: On the day in question, which was cloudy and misty and the pavement wet, Miss Gannaway was driving from her home in Monroe on the way to Wilmot, Arkansas. Enroute she would pass through Bastrop, Louisiana. She had as guest in the car, her mother, the plaintiff, riding on the front seat and Miss Louise Tarpley, a friend, riding on the back seat. They were to have lunch with relatives of Mrs. Gannaway at Wilmot and had started late, and were in a hurry. They reached Bastrop at 11:30 to 11:45 a. m. The record does not show the distance from Bastrop to Wilmot. Miss Gannaway was familiar with the roads and streets through Bastrop and had driven over the same route a number of times before. She had been driving fast, but when she got to Bastrop, slowed down to about 35 miles an hour.

There is a traffic light at the intersection. The street, on which she was driving east, is slightly curved for some distance from the intersection each way, the inside of the curve is on the north side of the street, and west several hundred feet from the intersection is a small hill, which, together with the curve, obscures vision of the intersection until the crest of the hill is reached, then it is down hill for some distance when another small hill begins and extends some distance east of the intersection.

As Miss Gannaway approached the intersection from the west, and Taylor approached it from the east, the signal light was green. Miss Gannaway says she probably speeded up some to try to make the intersection before the light changed to red. She saw cars, including that of Taylor, approaching the light from the east, and meeting her. She says she saw no hand signal by Taylor, indicating that he intended to turn south into South Hag-gerty Street, but Miss Tarpley saw Taylor turning left and warned her. Exactly how far she was from the light at that time is uncertain. Miss Tarpley thinks the warning was given at a telephone pole [355]*355185 feet from the intersection. Miss Gan-naway thinks it was about the church, which would be from 110 feet to 150 feet. She is uncertain about what she did, but thinks she did all she could to avoid the collision. The area through which she was driving is considered congested, being the Negro section of the city. There are residences, a Negro church and a Negro Catholic school, a Negro public school and some signs warning of 25 mile speed limit.

Joe Taylor says that he held out his hand indicating that he intended to turn left, for about a block, and that he kept his hand out until the collision occurred. He says he did not see Miss Gannaway’s car until it was less than 15 feet from him, and that, at that time, his front wheels were nearly to the south edge of the pavement, and that as soon as he saw the Gan-naway car he stopped so it would strike the front of his car instead of the middle of it. He also says the accident happened at about 1:00 o’clock p. m., which, of course, is incorrect. He also says he could not see the Gannaway car sooner because of the curve in the street. He says the light changed from green to caution as he reached the intersection.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Vidrine v. Southern Farm Bureau Casualty Ins. Co.
105 So. 2d 279 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1958)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
65 So. 2d 352, 1953 La. App. LEXIS 635, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gannaway-v-gannaway-lactapp-1953.