Garza v. Anderson

417 S.W.2d 368, 1967 Tex. App. LEXIS 2099
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJune 29, 1967
Docket284
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 417 S.W.2d 368 (Garza v. Anderson) 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
Garza v. Anderson, 417 S.W.2d 368, 1967 Tex. App. LEXIS 2099 (Tex. Ct. App. 1967).

Opinion

OPINION

NYE, Justice.

This is a personal injury suit brought by Rodolfo Garza as a result of an intersec-tional collision within the city limits of the City of McAllen, Texas. Based on a jury verdict, judgment was rendered for defendant Anderson. Plaintiff appeals. The accident giving rise to this suit occurred at approximately eleven o’clock in the morning. It was a sunshiny day and the pavement was dry. The plaintiff was proceeding north on North Tenth Street approaching Hibiscus Avenue which intersects from the west at right angle to Tenth Street. The defendant was travelling east on Hibiscus Street which dead ends into Tenth Street and is controlled by a stop sign. The defendant made a left-hand turn in front of the plaintiff, whereupon the plaintiff slammed on his brakes, skidded some distance, turned his vehicle to the right, and crossed over the caliche shoulder through the right of way and out into the field, crossing a shallow irrigation ditch, and thereafter proceeded in the field a distance and back to the edge of the road where he came to a stop. The cars did not collide. The plaintiff’s car actually passed the defendant’s car on the defendant’s right while the plaintiff was in the field. Plaintiff did not seek any damages to his vehicle but complained of personal injuries to his back.

The jury found that the defendant failed to keep a proper lookout and failed to yield the right of way, which omissions were found to be a proximate cause of the accident. The jury further found the plaintiff guilty of contributory negligence in driving at a greater rate of speed than a person of ordinary prudence would have driven under the facts and circumstances then existing and further failing to make such application of his brakes as a person of ordinary prudence would have made under the same or similar circumstances, which acts were found to be a proximate cause of the accident.

Three of appellant’s five points can be summarized as complaints that there was no evidence or insufficient evidence of plaintiff’s contributory negligence and that the court erred in not entering a judgment non obstante veredicto.

In considering the “no evidence points” the record must be viewed in the light most favorably in support of the judgment of the trial court and the jury verdict. In this regard this court in considering the sufficient of the evidence (under the no evidence point) must disregard all evidence adverse to the findings of the jury and consider only the evidence favorable to such findings, indulging every legitimate conclusion which tends to uphold them. In re King’s Estate, ISO Tex. 662, 244 S.W.2d 660; Fisher Construction Company v. Riggs, 160 Tex. 23, 325 S.W.2d 126 (1959). The jury is not only the judge of the facts and circumstances proven, but may also draw reasonable inference and deductions from the evidence adduced before it. Its *371 findings may not be disregarded if the record discloses any evidence of probative value which, with inference that may be properly drawn therefrom, will reasonably support the same. Lynch v. Ricketts, 158 Tex. 487, 314 S.W.2d 273 (1958). Concerning the no evidence point, the Court of Civil Appeals is without authority, to disregard the jury’s findings to special issues where there is some evidence in the record to support the findings. Singer v. Singer, 150 Tex. 115, 237 S.W.2d 600 (1951). Insofar as there may be conflict in the testimony of the witnesses it is clear that the jury, in the exercise of its prerogative, is the sole judge of the facts proven, of the credibility of the witnesses and the weight to be given their testimony. It is well settled that any ultimate issues may be established by circumstantial as well as direct evidence. Lynch v. Ricketts, supra; English v. Miller, 43 S.W.2d 642 (Tex.Civ.App.-Amarillo 1931, wr. ref’d). With these principles of law as our basis, we review some of the evidence which is sufficient to cause the submission of the jury issues and serve as a basis for us to uphold the answers thereto.

The plaintiff testified that the defendant was approaching the intersection very slowly; that he first saw the defendant at around 150 to 200 feet away from the intersection; that when he got to within 100 feet of the intersection he applied his brakes as hard as he could; that he travelled about 60 feet after he had applied his brakes; that after he went across the shoulder and hit the irrigation ditch he testified that it seemed to him that the car was going to hit on the side and that it was going to roll over so he hit the gas pedal. He stated that he could not testify on how fast he was going because he was trying to get control of his car. He also testified that there were cars coming from the north approaching him which prevented him from passing the defendant and required him to turn to the right and go on out into the field. The defendant on the other hand testified that he saw the same cars approaching from the north; that he turned in front of them and had no difficulty in pulling into Tenth Street in front of these cars. The defendant testified that “after getting out on Tenth Street I straightened out my car, and then I looked up to the rear view mirror and I saw this car coming at a terrific rate of speed. I glanced away just for a moment and adjusted myself, got the car fully straightened out, and then looked up in the mirror again and the car was gone.”

“Q. Where did you next see the car (plaintiff’s car) ?
A. He pasesd me out in the field.
Q. And then did he pull up ahead of you?
A. Pulled up ahead of me.”
(emphasis and parenthesis supplied).

Concerning the factual insufficiency of the evidence, the Court of Civil Appeals is required to consider all of the evidence in deciding this qustion. Garza v. Alviar, 395 S.W.2d 821 (Tex.Sup. 1965). We have reviewed all of the evidence in the record, including the photographs and other' exhibits, and find that by balancing the substantial evidence that supports the verdict against the substantial evidence that is against the verdict we find that the greater weight and preponderance of the evidence favors the verdict of the jury. Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe Railway Company v. Deen, 158 Tex. 466, 312 S.W.2d 933 (1958); Couch v. Hale, 404 S.W.2d 920 (Tex.Civ.App.-Corpus Christi 1966). Appellant’s points 1, 3 and 4 are overruled.

Appellant’s second point complains that the trial court erred in admitting testimony over objection, concerning a subsequent automobile accident in which plaintiff was involved. The defendant cross-examined the plaintiff concerning this subsequent accident that happened about twenty days after the accident that is the basis for this suit.

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Bluebook (online)
417 S.W.2d 368, 1967 Tex. App. LEXIS 2099, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/garza-v-anderson-texapp-1967.