Gulotta v. Toups

183 So. 2d 383, 1966 La. App. LEXIS 5527
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedFebruary 7, 1966
DocketNo. 2071
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 183 So. 2d 383 (Gulotta v. Toups) 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
Gulotta v. Toups, 183 So. 2d 383, 1966 La. App. LEXIS 5527 (La. Ct. App. 1966).

Opinion

BARNETTE, Judge.

This is a suit for damages to plaintiff’s automobile arising out of a collision at an uncontrolled intersection of two streets of equal width and dignity in the City of New Orleans. From a judgment in favor of plaintiff against Lumbermens Mutual Casualty Company, insurer of the car driven by defendant Joyce A. Toups, in the amount of $739.44, the defendant insurer has appealed.

Plaintiff’s car was being driven by his step-son Brad Kelly on Coliseum Street in the downtown direction. The car driven by Miss Toups was proceeding on Arabella Street from the river toward St. Charles Avenue, thus placing her in a position to the right of Kelly as they approached the intersection of Arabella and Coliseum Streets.

The appellant’s contention is that the proximate cause of the accident was the negligence of Brad Kelly, driver of plaintiff’s car. In the alternative the contributory negligence of Kelly is pleaded in defense. We do not have the benefit of reasons for judgment of the trial judge. We assume he held, as plaintiff argued before us, that Kelly had preempted the intersection.

We are well aware of the jurisprudence of the State that' great weight must be given to the findings of fact of the trial judge, and except in cases of manifest error his findings of fact should not be disturbed. The facts of this case, as we see them from a very careful reading of the testimony, are not difficult to determine, for there is no very serious disagreement among the witnesses. We doubt if our findings of fact are in conflict with the opinion of the trial judge, but we must disagree with him in the conclusion to be drawn therefrom. It is our opinion that plaintiff’s driver, Brad Kelly, did not preempt the intersection. The defendant Miss Toups, approaching the intersection from his (Kelly’s) right, had the statutory right-of-way and Kelly was therefore under the legal duty of stopping or reducing speed to allow her to pass through the intersection ahead of him.

It is our opinion that the testimony, considered in connection with the physical evidence as revealed by the photograph of plaintiff’s damaged automobile, supports the following findings of fact:

[385]*385Kelly, driving his step-father’s Falcon automobile with two companions on the front seat with him, Miss Townsend and Kenneth McAshan, was proceeding along Coliseum Street approaching the intersection of Arabella Street at a reasonable speed, estimated from very slow to moderate. Miss Toups was approaching Coliseum Street on Arabella at the same time from a direction placing her to the right of Kelly. There is no evidence of negligence on her part, except as argued by plaintiff that the skid marks of approximately thirty-three feet to the point of collision after she applied her brakes indicates that she was driving faster than Kelly, but not necessarily in excess of the lawful speed limit. Miss Toups’ car, a Dodge, struck plaintiff’s car, according to the photographs in evidence, almost squarely on the center post between the front and rear doors. It appears that plaintiff’s car sustained no damage to the right rear quarter panel (that portion from the rear door back). There does appear to be some damage to the right front quarter panel, that is, the right front fender, thus indicating that the blow was slightly forward of the center door post. The point of collision was probably slightly beyond the center of the street in the direction the Kelly car was moving. The force of the impact, together with the forward momentum of plaintiff’s car, caused it to spin around in a clockwise direction causing the left rear quarter panel or fender to strike a post, causing damage to that portion of the car.

The defendant Miss Toups testified that she saw plaintiff’s car before it reached the intersection of Arabella Street and that it was proceeding slowly. She expected it to stop and therefore did not reduce her speed. Suddenly upon realizing it was not stopping, she applied her brakes. She was rendered unconscious for a brief period and has little recollection of anything else.

Kelly and the two other occupants of plaintiff’s car each testified that they were proceeding slowly along Coliseum Street, that Kelly sounded his horn before entering the. intersection, and the first awareness they had of Miss Toups’ car was the sound of her brakes and skidding tires. At about the same instant that Kelly saw or heard the Toups car, he heard his young lady companion scream. The collision was almost instantaneous after the Toups car was seen and heard. Kelly testified:

“Q. — And you testified that you looked to your left and then to your right ?
“A. — Yes, sir.
“Q. — Did you ascertain whether or not it was safe to cross ?
“A. — Yes, sir.
“Q. — Did you believe you had sufficient time?
“A. — Yes, sir.
“Q. — And you didn’t see any on-coming automobile ?
“A. — No, sir.
******
“Q. — Brad, did you ever see the other vehicle prior to the collision?
“A. — Yes, sir, a few moments before, when I heard the tire squealing, you know.”

Miss Townsend testified:

“Q. — Miss Townsend, did you look to your right?
“A.■ — I guess so.
“Q.- — Did you look?
“A. — Yes.
“Q. — Did you observe an automobile approaching?
“A. — Yes.
“Q. — And when was the first time you noticed this automobile?
“A. — I heard the tires screeching and I turned and saw the automobile coming.
[386]*386“Q. — You didn’t look to your right then until you were in the intersection, is that right?
“A. — That’s right.
"Q. — What called your attention to this automobile ?
“A. — The screeching of the tires.
“Q. — The screeching of the tires made you look right?
“A. — Yes.
“Q.- — Before entering the intersection, before going on to Arabella Street, did you look to your right?
“A. — Yes.”

Kenneth McAshan testified:

“A * * * Brad honked his horn and I turned to the right and I suppose he did the same and we went across the intersection and I heard the squealing of brakes and I turned around and I saw the oncoming car coming to the right of us and I put my arm up to my head to protect myself and I felt the impact and I remember going out, blacking out a little bit and then getting out of the car and— there’s nothing more to say * * *
* * * * * *
“A The first time I saw it it was when I heard the tires screeching and I turned and I saw it.
******
“Q When was the first time you saw the other vehicle ?

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Bluebook (online)
183 So. 2d 383, 1966 La. App. LEXIS 5527, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gulotta-v-toups-lactapp-1966.