Greenleaf v. Lambert

158 N.W. 868, 192 Mich. 411, 1916 Mich. LEXIS 789
CourtMichigan Supreme Court
DecidedJuly 21, 1916
DocketDocket No. 119
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 158 N.W. 868 (Greenleaf v. Lambert) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Michigan Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Greenleaf v. Lambert, 158 N.W. 868, 192 Mich. 411, 1916 Mich. LEXIS 789 (Mich. 1916).

Opinion

Stone, C. J.

This case was submitted to this court upon briefs. The appellant’s brief does not comply with Rule 40 of this court, and upon all disputed questions of fact it is a mere statement of appellant’s claims without reference to the testimony to the contrary. We glean the respective claims of the parties from the record, to be as follows:

. The plaintiff was the owner of a two-passenger motorcycle, on which he was riding. While so doing he was injured by a collision with defendant’s motor truck, which was being driven by the latter, about 6 o’clock in the afternoon of April 17, 1915, on Broadway, a paved street in the city of Bay City, upon which street there were two parallel street car track lines. It was the claim of the plaintiff upon, the trial that, on the occasion of the injury, he, with his wife, was riding south on his motorcycle on Broadway (which street runs north and south) ; that he had approached Broadway from the east on Twenty-Third street and turned south at the intersection; that when he turned south on Broadway he was traveling not to exceed 12 to 15 miles an hour; he overtook the defendant, who was driving his motor truck a short distance ahead of plaintiff, going south on the west, or right-hand side of Broadway; that plaintiff proceeded south on Broadway to the right of the center of the street and near [413]*413the right-hand street car track, following a short distance behind the defendant’s motor truck; that when the defendant’s truck reached a point between Twenty-Fourth and Twenty-Fifth streets a little beyond the center of the block, and while defendant was traveling near to the right-hand curb, and too near the curb for the plaintiff to pass on that side, and while the plaintiff was a short distance in the rear of the same, the truck suddenly and unexpectedly, and while running at least 10 miles an hour, was negligently turned by the defendant to the left without any signal, and ran in a short half circle across Broadway directly in the path the plaintiff was traveling; that plaintiff turned his motorcycle to the left in an effort to avoid the truck but was unable to do so, but, when the truck had turned so it was facing in a northeasterly or northerly direction, plaintiff’s, motorcycle collided therewith, throwing him to the ground, and injuring him by breaking his leg and inflicting other injuries upon him.

An ordinance of the city of Bay City was counted upon and offered in evidence, and was referred to in the charge of the court as hereinafter indicated.

On the other hand, it was the claim of the defendant that, on the day and at the time in question, he was proceeding south on Broadway, driving his motor truck with three other men with him; that he was driving at a rate of speed not exceeding 4 or 5 miles an hour close to the west curb; that he looked back to the right and saw and heard nothing, and proceeded to turn his truck to cross Broadway, and that, when the front wheels of his truck were at the east rail of the west street car track, there was a collision with the plaintiff’s motorcycle, but that he heard or saw nothing of the plaintiff up to that time; that the plaintiff was riding his motorcycle at a high rate of speed and could have avoided the collision if he had been paying attention to his business, and running his motorcycle at a [414]*414moderate rate of speed; that there was plenty of room for plaintiff to have gone by on either side of said truck; that the defendant was completely across the west car track before plaintiff’s motorcycle reached Twenty-Fourth street, and that plaintiff saw defendant, but sounded no alarm; that one of the men on the truck held up his hand to give a signal, but plaintiff ran into the left front wheel of defendant’s truck, causing the injury which plaintiff complains of; and that in making the turn defendant was not traveling to exceed three miles an hour.

■ There was evidence tending to sustain the claims of the respective parties, thus presenting questions of fact, and the case was submitted to the jury upon a charge which was very full and fair, as appears by the following excerpts therefrom:

“An ordinance of this city in force at the time of this accident provided that automobiles and motorcycles shall be driven at a rate of speed upon the streets of the city not exceeding 10 miles per hour in the business portion of the city, and outside of the business portion of said city at a rate of speed not exceeding 15 miles per hour, and I charge you that this accident did not occur within the business section of the city, and that the legal rate of speed for travel by automobiles or motorcycles thereon at that place was 15 miles per hour.
“Such ordinance further provides no vehicle shall cross a main thoroughfare or street upon which there is a street car track or make a turn thereon at a rate of speed exceeding one-half of the legal speed limit.
“If you find, therefore, that Broadway at the place of this accident was a main thoroughfare, or that there were street car tracks thereon, the defendant should not have operated his automobile across the same at a speed exceeding 7% miles per- hour, and if you find that he did drive across said street at a rate of speed exceeding 7% miles per hour, such act on his part would be evidence of negligence; and if you find that it was actual negligence, and that such negligence on [415]*415his part was the proximate cause of this accident, and that the plaintiff himself was free from any negligence contributing thereto, then the plaintiff is entitled to recover.
“The ordinance in question further provides that drivers or operators of vehicles, before turning, shall make sure that such movement can be made in safety, and give a plain signal to others upon the street by extending the hand, or otherwise.
“I charge you that, if the defendant before turning his car across this street failed to make sure that such movement could be made in safety, such failure on his part would be evidence of negligence; and if you find that it was negligence to make such turn before making sure that the movement could be made in safety, and if such negligence was the proximate cause of this accident, and that the plaintiff himself was free from negligence contributing thereto, then the plaintiff can recover.
“I charge you further that, if you find that the defendant before making this turn failed to give a plain signal to others, including plaintiff, upon the street, by extending his hand or otherwise, such failure on his part would be evidence of negligence; and if you find that it was negligence to make such turn without giving such signal, and that such negligence was the proximate cause of this accident, and that plaintiff was free from negligence contributing thereto, then the plaintiff can recover.
“Upon that question I further explain. The ordinance in question reads as follows: ‘Drivers or operators of vehicles before turning shall make sure that such movement can be made in safety, and give a plain signal to others upon the street by extending the hand or otherwise.’ The ordinance says that the hand signal shall be made before the turn. Now it is the claim of the plaintiff in this respect that no signal of any kind was made before turning, and that no signal of any kind was made after turning. It is the claim of the defendant that one of the gentlemen riding in the car at some tirpe gave the hand signal.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
158 N.W. 868, 192 Mich. 411, 1916 Mich. LEXIS 789, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/greenleaf-v-lambert-mich-1916.