Griffin v. Chalmette Laundry & Dry Cleaning Co.

8 La. App. 146, 1928 La. App. LEXIS 454
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedApril 23, 1928
DocketNo. 10,607
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 8 La. App. 146 (Griffin v. Chalmette Laundry & Dry Cleaning Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Griffin v. Chalmette Laundry & Dry Cleaning Co., 8 La. App. 146, 1928 La. App. LEXIS 454 (La. Ct. App. 1928).

Opinion

JONES, J.

This is a suit for Twelve thousand, five hundred ($12,500.00) dollars, damages for personal injuries arising out of an accident which occurred at the corner of Esplanade Avenue and Galvez Street in this city, on February 14, 1925, about 4:10 p. m.

Plaintiff alleges as follows:

The driver of defendant’s truck, which was coming up Galvez Street toward Canal Street, failed to stop before entering the intersection as required by City Traffic Ordinance and negligently drove into the right rear side of plaintiff’s Marmon car, jamming it against a telephone post on the neutral ground; the Marmon was practically destroyed and he was hurled to the pavement, sustaining various bodily injuries.

Defendant denied plaintiff’s allegations as to negligence and pleaded contributory negligence.

The trial judge after a thorough analysis of the evidence found both drivers guilty of negligence, which continued up to the very moment and dismissed the suit.

Plaintiff has appealed.

Griffin, the plaintiff, who was driving a Marmon sedan for Monteleone, in the livery business, was going out Esplanade Avenue to the Fair Grounds Race Track to “get a load.”

He testified in part as follows:

He was working on a salary and commission; the last race on that day went to the post about half 'past four o’clock p. m.; to be certain of getting a load it was necessary for him to reach the race track early; he was driving a heavy high-powered automobile about twenty miles an hour; when he reached the intersection of Galvez Street, a white laundry truck belonging to the defendant, attempted to cross the ■ lower roadway of Esplanade Avenue at his fastest speed about fifteen miles per hour, but he did not see it until he was within fifteen feet of it, about to enter the intersection; the truck struck .the right-hand rear of the Mármon and jammed it up against a telegraph post on the neutral ground; he did not slow down for passengers to get off the street car ánd didn’t know whether any got off or not; truck driver didn’t stop and didn’t look, was watching some change in his hand; he was thrown out of left door, had two front teeth broken, the tip end of his nose cut off and his knees skinned, truck was turned partly around by the blow and was facing up Galvez Street at a forty-five degree angle toward lake; Marmon, after accident, was facing like the truck, but further in Esplanade Avenue and nearer the telephone post, front end of Marmon was not injured; pulled his machine to the left as far as he could, without going on neutral ground; he was practically over the intersection when truck struck him and left white marks on rear and door, you can’t see through the iron fence surrounding the house on the downtown river corner of Esplanade Avenue and Galvez Street, if you approach the intersection as he did.

Just before he left the stand he testified as follows:

[148]*148“Q. And you did not see the truck until it was out in the intersection?
“A. No, I did not see the truck until I saw him going in there. I was in the intersection when he came out — when he came right on out of Galvez Street.
“Q. When you collided with the truck, did not the front of the truck scrape • along the side of the Marmon?
“A. I think it did, after he hit me. My car was going this way, and he was ' going that way (indicating), and natu-' • rally, it scraped.
“Q. It scraped along the right hand; ■ side?
“A. Yes, sir.”
' To support this theory, plaintiff pre-. sented two witnesses; one by the name of. '“Spears,” who was a chauffeur for the Checker Cab Co., Inc., and a friend of ' Griffin, a Mrs. Orsini:
Spears testified in part as follows '(Transcript, page 22):
“Q. How far wás the Marmon from the intersection at the time you saw the ■truck?
“A. In front of , me?
“Q. No. How far from the corner of Galvez was the Marmon at the. time you 'saw the truck ■ come up?
“A. Well, at the time I saw the truck— oh,- how far was the Marmon ahead of me?
“Q. How- far was the Marmon. from the corner at that time?
“A. I would say about ten or fifteen ■ feet. ' ’ •
“Q. • You testified, I believe, that, going out Esplanade, the Marmon was going at a speed of between fifteen and twenty miles an hour. Is that correct?
“A. Absolutely.
“Q. Then, as he approached the corner of Galvez, he slowed down?
“A. Absolutely.
“Q. On account of a car putting off passengers at that corner?
“A. Absolutely.
“Q. About what speed did he slow down to?
“A. I would say about ten miles.
“Q. Was he going about ten miles an hour at the time of the collision?
“A. Absolutely.
“Q. By ‘absolutely’ you mean ‘yes’?'
“A. It must be.”

Here the trial judge admonished Spears to take the matter seriously.

Later he says, after accident back and front left wheels of Marmon were on neutral ground, when impact occurred he turned quickly into Galvez Street to avoid hitting truck; Griffin came out of right front door; saw him get up and left.

The other witness for plaintiff, Mrs. Orsini, testified that she was standing in her gate on Milne Street. Milne Street is. not a continuation of Galvez. It cuts into Esplanade from the uptown side to the right of Galvez Street and the two streets, Galvez and Milne, form a triangle on the upper side of Esplanade Avenue, on which triangle there is erected an engine house. The witness’ home fronts on Barracks Street, but she was standing in her rear gate on Milne Street at the time of the accident about in the middle of the block, between Esplanade and Barracks, the next street above Esplanade toward Canal Street. Although she had no reason to do so, she says she kept her eyes contantly on this truck and also the Marmon until the collision. She could not give any information with reference to the street cars or passengers, but she gave minute details with regard to the movements of the- -laundry truck which did not stop at the intersection, though the Marmon was coming slowly.

Jas. J. Donelon testified that the block between Galvez and Johnson, the next street on Esplanade toward the river, was three hundred twenty feet, that the lower road-way of Esplanade up to curb of neutral ground was thirty-six feet and from neutral ground curb to car track nine feet more.

As there are two car tracks in the neutral ground and the upper road-way is equally as wide as the 'lower and Mrs. [149]*149Orsini was in the middle of the block ; between Esplanade on Milne Street, she. must have been at least one hundred seventy-five feet away in a slightly diagonal direction from the scene.

Azcona, defendant’s truck . driver, testified as follows:

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Bluebook (online)
8 La. App. 146, 1928 La. App. LEXIS 454, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/griffin-v-chalmette-laundry-dry-cleaning-co-lactapp-1928.