Geschwender v. Warner

206 P.2d 308, 33 Wash. 2d 435, 1949 Wash. LEXIS 455
CourtWashington Supreme Court
DecidedMay 12, 1949
DocketNo. 30829.
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 206 P.2d 308 (Geschwender v. Warner) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Washington Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Geschwender v. Warner, 206 P.2d 308, 33 Wash. 2d 435, 1949 Wash. LEXIS 455 (Wash. 1949).

Opinion

Schwellenbach, J.

This is an appeal from a judgment dismissing an action for personal injuries, tried to the court.

At the time of the accident, the plaintiff was a minor, aged seventeen years. The action was prosecuted in his behalf by Nadine Hager, his guardian ad litem. The complaint alleged that the plaintiff was proceeding, on his bicycle, in a southerly direction down Monroe street, in the city of Spokane, and that when he entered the intersection with College avenue, he had the right of way; “that he proceeded part way through the intersection when the Chevrolet coupe (of defendants) attempted a left turn onto College avenue and struck the plaintiff.”

It was alleged that the negligence of the defendants which proximately caused the collision was: the failure of the operator of the automobile to give the right of way to the bicycle at her right; failure to signal her intention to turn to the left; failure to yield the right of way to the bicycle at her right, simultaneously approaching a given point *436 within the intersection; failure to have the lights on the automobile lighted; and failure to operate in a careful and prudent manner and that she did operate at a speed greater than was reasonable and proper under the conditions then existing; all in'violation of certain ordinances of the city of Spokane.

These allegations were all denied by the defendants, who alleged affirmatively that the plaintiff’s injuries were caused by the negligence of the minor, which proximate!? contributed to his injuries.

The accident occurred at the intersection of Monroe street and College avenue in Spokane, on January 16, 1946, at about 4:30 o’clock p. m. Monroe street is a busy thoroughfare running north and south. It is fifty-one feet wide. College avenue, a street forty feet wide, intersects Monroe from the west, forming a “T” intersection. There are no traffic signals at this intersection.

Mr. and Mrs. Warner live at 2325 west Broadway. They had gone down to Ulrich’s, on Main and Stevens, where Mr. Warner cashed his check. Mrs. Warner was driving the car, a 1931 Chevrolet coupe. Mrs. Warner testified that she drove north on Monroe (keeping toward the center lane) to the point where she would turn west on College. She stopped, waiting for traffic to pass south. When there was nothing in sight between College and Broadway (the next street north), she turned left and went as far as the gutter line, where she stopped for pedestrians to pass. Just as she was about to start, she felt a “thump.”

Mr. Warner testified:

“A. Mrs. Warner turned to Monroe, turned north to Monroe; she was going north and she wanted to make a turn to go west at College. She stopped at College. She waited for the traffic to clear, coming from the south. After the cars had gone by and other vehicles—no other vehicles coming from the south. Q. Coming from the—. A. From the north. ... A. From the north, she started to turn west to College. She got about the pedestrian lane and had to stop to let pedestrians get by. Just about the time she started to go west on College, I saw another car, a car coming, one car and a bicycle come south on Monroe. They *437 were about one hundred and fifty feet or maybe better than that, but I guess one hundred and fifty feet from College, and the boy was going very fast. He was going faster than the car anyway. I didn’t see a light on his bicycle. Mrs. Warner started to move slowly onto College. About that time she said, “It seems to me like there is a bump.”

G. L. Gray testified that he was crossing College avenue from the north and had just stopped on the south curb on the south side of College when he heard an unusual noise. He whirled around and saw the car going west on College and the boy on the bicycle. As he watched, the boy fell off to the right side on his face. As he recalled it, the car was just crossing the crosswalk.

Leonard Ferguson testified that at the time of the accident he was across the street, getting into an automobile which was parked at the east curb of Monroe street, facing north, down a car length or two south of the College avenue intersection. The Warner car was headed west and going at “just a good fast walk.” He saw the boy come down Monroe street, quite close to the west curb. The boy was going quite fast. When the boy hit, his whole body went “right in the air.” He and Mr. Cusick, with whom he was riding, went over to where the boy was lying in the street. He testified that there was another car going south, very slowly, with the bicycle handlebars under the runing board, dragging the bicycle down. The boy was carried into a beauty parlor, and the police called.

Perry R. Miles, police officer, testified that he arrived at the scene two or three minutes after receiving the call. The boy had been removed to the beauty parlor. He located a splotch of blood on the west portion of Monroe street, about eighteen feet south of the north curb of College avenue, and twelve feet east of the west curb of Monroe. On the bead of the front bumper of the car, he found red paint similar in color to that of the bicycle. On the upper hinge of the right windshield post, he found what appeared to be flesh and a small amount of hair.

The boy was very seriously injured and was unconscious for four or five days. The abrasions were practically all *438 on the left side. There was a fracture in the skull about the size of a quarter, and it was necessary to operate in order to remove several particles of broken bone in his forehead. He was in the hospital until February 5th, and then was home in bed for six weeks. Later, in August, it was necessary to perform an operation on the brain. On November 13, 1946, without the knowledge of his guardian, he enlisted in the army. He was not present to testify at the trial, and his deposition by interrogatories was taken May 17, 1947, at Camp Drake, seventeen miles out of Tokyo.

He testified that at the time of the accident he was employed by the Western Union as a messenger boy. He had gone to the courthouse (one block west of Monroe, facing Broadway) to deliver a message. He left the courthouse on Mallon, one block north of Broadway, and stopped at a cafe on the corner of Mallon and Monroe. He testified that the brakes on his bicycle were in good condition. On the whole, his testimony was of very little benefit to the trial court. He testified:

“Q. On the night you were hit, was it slippery? A. I don’t remember. Q. Do you recall the weather conditions? A. No. Q. Do you know whether it was dark or not? A. It was just turning dusk, some car lights were on and some were not. Q. Was your bike equipped with lights? A. Yes. Q. Two reflectors? A. Yes. Q. With reference to the light on the handle bars, what kind was that? A. It was a regular light made to fit the handlebars. Q. What kind of light on the fenders? A. It was made on the fender and held by two screws. Q. What kind of batteries, flashlight batteries for both of them? A. Yes. Q. Were the lights of the bicycle on at the time you were struck? A. Yes. Q. Do you recall seeing the car which struck you before it hit you? A. No. Q. How fast did you travel between College and Mallon on Monroe as you went down hill? A. I don’t know. Q. What distance were you from the curb? A. I don’t remember. Q.

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Bluebook (online)
206 P.2d 308, 33 Wash. 2d 435, 1949 Wash. LEXIS 455, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/geschwender-v-warner-wash-1949.