Garrett v. Brock

144 S.W.2d 408
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedOctober 4, 1940
DocketNo. 14114
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 144 S.W.2d 408 (Garrett v. Brock) 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
Garrett v. Brock, 144 S.W.2d 408 (Tex. Ct. App. 1940).

Opinions

DUNKLIN, Chief Justice.

This suit grew out of a collision between an automobile driven by A. B. Sandler and a truck in charge of one W. C. Barnes, as the agent and employee of E. N. Brock. The collision occurred on the highway about 3½ miles east of Iowa Park, about 9 o’clock in the evening on about April 12th, 1939. At the time of its happening, the truck and the automobile were both headed in an easterly direction toward Wichita Falls, with the truck in front and the automobile following it, and the front end of the automobile struck the rear end of the truck.

Mrs. Iona Lebus, who later married D. F. Garrett, was the owner of the automobile, and she was riding on the front seat with A. B. Sandler, the driver, when the accident happened. Mrs. Yetta Sandler, wife of A. B. Sandler, was also riding in the automobile, and was sitting on the front seat between her husband and Mrs. Lebus.

The suit was instituted by Mrs. Iona Le-bus, but during its pendency she was married to D. F. Garrett, and thereafter it was prosecuted in the name of D. F. Garrett and his said wife, as plaintiffs.

Judgment was sought against the defendant, E. N. Brock, for $7,500 damages for alleged personal injuries sustained by Mrs. Garrett, as a result of the collision, plus $75 as expenses incurred for medical treatment for those injuries. Recovery was also sought for damages done to the automobile.

The case was tried to a jury in answer to special issues, and upon their verdict judgment was rendered in favor of the defendant, from which plaintiffs have prosecuted this appeal.

The jury found that on the occasion of the accident and prior to the collision, the driver of the truck brought the same to a stop, and when it stopped it occupied a part of the paved portion of the highway, and was in such position that it obstructed the right-hand side of the main portion of the traveled highway, while the left side of the highway nearly opposite the truck was occupied by another vehicle, and that the stopping of the truck in that position was negligence, which was a proximate cause of the injuries sustained by Mrs. Garrett.

The facts so found by the jury were all alleged in plaintiffs’ petition. There were other allegations of negligence on the part of the defendant, namely, the failure of the truck driver to carry at the rear of said truck a lighted lamp, exhibiting one red light plainly visible 500 feet from the rear; and also failure to have a clearance light on the left side of the truck at the rear, displaying a red or yellow light visible for a distance of 500 feet from the rear; also failure to have a reflector at the rear of said truck, located as to height and maintained in such manner to be visible for at least 200 feet when opposed by the light of a motor vehicle displaying lawful undimmed headlights at night.

But the jury made adverse findings on those issues, and appellants have not assigned error to those findings.

The jury further found that $275 would reasonably compensate plaintiff, Mrs. Iona Garrett, for the injuries she sustained as [410]*410a result of the collision, and that $43 was the reasonable value of physician’s services in treatment for those injuries.

There were further findings that the reasonable market value of plaintiffs’ automobile immediately before the collision was $650, and its reasonable market value after the collision was $125; and further, that the reasonable market value of the car immediately after it was repaired was $400. In this connection, we will state that according to the undisputed evidence the plaintiffs had those repairs made and that the repair bill was paid by an insurance company who carried accident insurance on the automobile. There was a further finding that the collision in question was not an unavoidable accident. Other special issues, with the findings of the jury thereon, were as follows:

“23. Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that the plaintiff and A. B. Sandler were on a joint enterprise just prior to and at the time of the collision in question? Answer: Yes.
“24. Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that A. B. Sandler was driving plaintiff’s automobile at the time and just prior to the time in question, in excess of 45 miles per hour ? Answer: No.”
“26. Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that A. B. Sandler was driving plaintiff’s automobile at the time and just prior to the collision in question, at an excessive rate of speed? Answer: Yes.
“27. Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that such rate of speed at which A. B. Sandler was driving said car in question, as inquired about in Special Issue No. 26, was the proximate cause of the injuries to the plaintiff? Answer: Yes.
“28. Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that A. B. Sandler at the time and just prior to the collision in question failed to keep a ‘proper lookout’ for traffic on the highway in question? Answer: Yes.
“29. Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that such failure on the part of A. B. Sandler to keep a proper lookout, if you have so found he did fail, was a proximate cause of the damage to plaintiff, if any ? Answer: Yes.”
“38. Do you find from a preponderance of the .evidence that A. B. Sandler failed to use ‘ordinary care’ toward having plaintiff’s car under control just prior to the time of the collision in question? Answer: He failed to use ordinary care.
“39. Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that such failure on the part of A. B. Sandler to have plaintiff’s car under control at the time in question, as inquired about in the preceding issue, was a proximate cause of plaintiff’s damage, if any? Answer: Yes.”
“43. Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that A. B. Sandler discovered the position of the truck prior to the time of the collision in question? Answer: Yes.”
“49. Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that A. B. Sandler, in approaching the place where the collision, occurred, failed to use ordinary care in reducing the speed of his car before driving the same past the warning signs, and car, on the highway, belonging to Mr. Beverly? Answer: Yes.
“50. Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that such failure inquired about in the preceding issue on the part of A. B. Sandler was a proximate cause of the damages of the plaintiff, if any? Answer: It was a proximate cause.”

The issue of joint enterprise, submitted in Special Issue No. 23, was specially pleaded by the defendant, and the negligence of Sandler, found by the jury in issues above shown, was pleaded as contributory negligence chargeable to Mrs. Garrett, by reason of such joint enterprise! Other allegations of contributory negligence of Sandler were not sustained by the jury, and therefore are not necessary to be mentioned here.

Special Issue No. 42 and the jury’s answer thereto are as follows: “Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that the acts and conduct of A. B. Sandler in driving the plaintiff’s automobile prior to and at the time of the collision was not the sole proximate cause of the collision? Answer: It was not the sole cause.”

According to further findings of the jury, Mrs.

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

Related

Benson v. Wanda Petroleum Company
460 S.W.2d 453 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1970)
Bonney v. San Antonio Transit Company
317 S.W.2d 69 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1958)
Nelson v. Fulkerson
286 S.W.2d 129 (Texas Supreme Court, 1956)
Straffus v. Barclay
219 S.W.2d 65 (Texas Supreme Court, 1949)
Schuhmacher Co. v. Holcomb
174 S.W.2d 637 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1943)
W. W. Clyde & Co. v. Dyess
126 F.2d 719 (Tenth Circuit, 1942)
Price v. Humble Oil & Refining Co.
152 S.W.2d 804 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1941)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
144 S.W.2d 408, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/garrett-v-brock-texapp-1940.