Gates v. Staiger

24 Ohio Law. Abs. 569, 1937 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 1086
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedMay 17, 1937
DocketNo 15898
StatusPublished

This text of 24 Ohio Law. Abs. 569 (Gates v. Staiger) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Gates v. Staiger, 24 Ohio Law. Abs. 569, 1937 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 1086 (Ohio Ct. App. 1937).

Opinion

OPINION

By LIEGHLEY, J.

A collision between two automobiles occurred on July 13, 1932, in . the city of Painesville. at the intersection of Walnut Street and Bank Street. The defendant, Mary Jane Staiger was operating her automobile with five passengers in her car, including plaintiff, Frances Gates, in a westerly direction on Walnut Street, a main inter-county thoroughfare, about 3:00 o’clock P, M. oh said day. The defendant, [570]*570L. J. Hurlburt, now deceased, for whoso estate his administratrix filed an answer in the trial court, but his part in that collision on that day will be referred to in his name for convenience herein, — was operating his automobile in a southerly direction on Bank Street.

The trial resulted in a verdict in favor of both defendants. A notice of appeal on questions of law was filed, by plaintiff to review said verdict and judgment.

There were no interrogatories submitted ■to the jury. It is therefore impossible to -say what the jury findings of fact were. That the issues of fact presented were resolved in favor of the defendants is known.

There was evidence that the defendant Staiger, was driving her car at speeds from twenty to forty-five miles per hour. There was evidence that defendant, Hurlburt, stopped his car at the stop sign north of the intersection and evidence to the contrary. There was evidence that Hurlburt was going at speeds from five to twenty-five miles per hour. There was evidence that Hurlburt kept a look-out where he was going and looked in both directions and testimony that he did not seasonably see the Staiger car. There was evidence pro and con that the defendant Staiger swerved her car to the left to pass in front of the Hurlburt car when Hurlburt speed-ed up and collided with the Staiger car.

There was evidence that the Hurlburt car suddenly gained speed in the intersection as if his foot accidentally contacted the accelerator instead of the brake. There was evidence that defendant Hurlburt immediately after the accident made declaration to the effect that he accidentally touched the accelerator at the moment when a collision seemed imminent.

There is some evidence justifying the claim that the Staiger car was headed in a southwesterly direction in her efforts to avoid the collision and that the collision took place at the southwest corner of the intersection where the right front part of the Hurlburt car struck the right rear-part of the Staiger car, hurling it about so that it was facing and proceeded in a different direction. It is highly improbable ’that the Hurlburt car travelling at a speed of five to eight miles per hour would have such momentum and force as to hurl the Staiger car, carrying six persons, in the manner disclosed by the one phase of the evidence.

However, all these issues of fact with other material issues were before the jury and substantially controverted and all were resolved in favor of defendants. The issues were controverted to such extent that little weight can be given to the claim that the verdict is manifestly against the weight of the evidence.

The principal assignment of error advanced, argued and relied upon, relates to the charge of the court. The charge is particularly claimed to be prejudicially erroneous by reason of the proof peculiar to this case to which reference has been briefly made above.

At the conclusion of all the evidence and arguments of counsel, the court proceeded to charge the jury. At the conclusion or-near the conclusion of the general charge there was an unreported consultation between court and counsel, following which the court read several sections of the General Code of Ohio to the jury.

Sec 6310-28 GC was read, which defines the right of way or what is meant by the right of way.

Sec 6310-30 GC was read, which defines a main thoroughfare.

Sec 6310-31, GC, providing that vehicles and street cars going on main thoroughfares shall have the right of way over those going on intersecting thoroughfares, was read.

Following this, the court charges the jury as follows:

“The Court: Now, then, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, these sections that the court has read to you are intended to prescribe a rule of conduct for persons operating automobiles upon reaching intersections, and you will consider them in connection with the court’s instruction for whatever bearings they may have, in your judgment, on the question of negligence, whether ordinary care was exercised or not.”

This charge, to the effect that these sections prescribe a rule of conduct, is in substance the language of syllabus 4 of the case of Heidle v Baldwin, 118 Oh St 375. The rule was approved and followed by ihe Supreme Court in the case of Candy Company v Kling, 121 Oh St 362. Both of these cases were disapproved and overruled in the case of Morris v Bloomgren, 127 Oh St 247. By this latter decision it is established as the law prevailing since then that these sections confer an absolute right of way and right to proceed to the vehicle travelling in a lawful manner on a main thoroughfare and that it is the [571]*571duty of the driver of an automobile approaching the intersection over an intersecting street to yield the right of way to such automobile on the main thoroughfare.

It is also the right of the driver on the main thoroughfare to anticipate that the driver on the intersecting street will thus yield the right of way and right to proceed under such circumstances.

The contention is strenuously urged by appellant that the charge of the court that these statutes prescribe a rule of conduct was erroneous under existing law, and that the failure of the court to charge the rule of Morris v Bloomgren, supra, was error prejudicial to the rights of plaintiff, and that these errors of omission and commission resulted in a miscarriage of justice.

The inquiry is whether or not the charge of the court as given and the failure of the court to charge the rule of absolute right of way if travelling in a lawful manner, was prejudicial error. It must be conceded that the charge quoted above was erroneous as given. In view of the conclusions of the jury, was the failure to charge the rule of absolute right to proceed in a lawful manner by defendant, Staiger, on this main highway, prejudicial to the plaintiff?

Appellant cites the case of Bliss v Hartnett, 48 Oh Ap 156 (15 Abs 308), in which there was a verdict for plaintiff. The trial court charged the rule of the Heidel v Baldwin case. After the trial and before the decision in the Court of Appeals, the holding in Morris v Bloomgren was announced by the Supreme Court. This case was reversed by reason of this announcement of the present rule as prejudicial to the rights of defendant, in failing to give to the defendant an absolute right of way on a main thoroughfare if travelling in a lawful manner. Would the charge of the trial court iu this case have been held to be prejudicially erroneous and the cause reversed, if the verdict had been in favor of defendant?

As stated, Heidel v Baldwin supra, in syllabus 4, established the law that these sections prescribe a rule of conduct and that the rule of negligence per se is not applicable thereto. A judgment in favor of plaintiff was reversed by the Supreme Court for the reason that the trial court apparently applied the per se doctrine as imposing an unwarranted burden.

In the case of Candy Company v Kling, supra, there was a verdict for defendant.

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Related

Bliss v. Hartnett
192 N.E. 818 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 1933)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
24 Ohio Law. Abs. 569, 1937 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 1086, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gates-v-staiger-ohioctapp-1937.