Haerdter v. Johnson

207 P.2d 855, 92 Cal. App. 2d 547, 1949 Cal. App. LEXIS 1727
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedJune 24, 1949
DocketCiv. 13975
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 207 P.2d 855 (Haerdter v. Johnson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Haerdter v. Johnson, 207 P.2d 855, 92 Cal. App. 2d 547, 1949 Cal. App. LEXIS 1727 (Cal. Ct. App. 1949).

Opinions

WARD, J.

Plaintiff appeals from the judgment entered on a verdict in favor of defendants in a personal injury action arising out of an accident involving an automobile owned by defendant Bartholomew which was being driven by his employee, defendant Johnson.

The points urged by plaintiff are as follows: The court erred in refusing to instruct on last clear chance; the court erred in instructing that the plaintiff was not in an unmarked crosswalk and hence was required to yield the right of way to defendant Johnson rather than giving plaintiff’s instructions to the contrary, and the court erred in rejecting evidence pertinent to the existence of an unmarked crosswalk.

The last clear chance instructions requested by plaintiff stated that the plaintiff’s negligence would not bar his recovery if the jury found, among other facts, " That the defendant Johnson had actual knowledge of plaintiff’s perilous situation” and “That after the defendant Johnson acquired actual knowledge of plaintiff’s perilous situation, he had a clear opportunity to avoid the accident and could have done so by exercising ordinary care. ” (Emphasis added. See, California Jury Instructions Civil, 1943, pp. 310-312; Girdner [549]*549v. Union Oil Co., 216 Cal. 197 [13 P.2d 915].) Whether the court erred in refusing to give such instructions depends upon whether they are applicable to the evidence produced in the trial court. (Jones v. Heinrich, 49 Cal.App.2d 702 [122 P.2d 304] ; Vitali v. Straight, 21 Cal.App.2d 253 [68 P.2d 746]; Rather v. City & County of San Francisco, 81 Cal.App.2d 625 [184 P.2d 727] ; Dickey v. Thornburgh, 82 Cal.App.2d 723 [187 P.2d 132].)

Evidence of the location of the accident in question included a photograph and two diagrams which reflected conditions as of the date of the accident. The accident occurred while plaintiff was walking across Army Street, which runs east and west, near the intersection of a thoroughfare running in a northerly direction to the north of Army Street and in a southeasterly direction south of Army Street, thereby making a bend. North of Army Street this thoroughfare is Potrero Avenue and to the south it is Bayshore Boulevard.

Plaintiff testified that at about 11 p.m. of a fogless and rainless night he descended from a street ear on the westerly side of Potrero Avenue at Army Street. After waiting a few minutes for a bus he determined to cross Army Street to catch a bus or street ear which he thought would stop slightly west of the traffic signal on the southerly side of Army Street. No lines or other markings existed at this time to indicate the pedestrian crossing between the northerly and southerly sides of Army Street at the intersection in question. Instead of crossing over that portion of Army Street “ordinarily included within the prolongation or connection of the boundary lines ’ ’ of the westerly sidewalks of Potrero Avenue and Bayshore Boulevard (Veh. Code, §85), plaintiff crossed from a point slightly west of the westerly sidewalk of Potrero Avenue towards a point slightly west of the traffic signal on the southerly side of Army Street and considerably west of the prolongation of the westerly sidewalk of Bayshore Boulevard at Army Street. The jury could reasonably infer from plaintiff’s testimony that when he started across the traffic light was against him. When he left the northerly sidewalk of Army Street he looked to the right and saw automobile lights 400 to 450 feet away. He walked “as fast as he could walk” always continuing in the same direction at the same speed. After crossing the street car tracks he again looked to the right and saw the lights of defendants’ car 150 feet away. He was about 5 feet from the southerly sidewalk when he was knocked over and rendered unconscious.

[550]*550Defendant Johnson testified that at the time in question he was driving at 20 to 25 miles an hour in high gear in an easterly direction on Army Street with the intention of making a right hand turn on Bayshore Boulevard. The 1936 Packard 120 which he was driving was in good mechanical condition and his headlights, which were on high beam, had been recently inspected. When he first saw plaintiff he was about 5 feet from the front right fender or headlight. Johnson’s explanation for not having seen plaintiff sooner was that the lights of the automobiles coming up Bayshore Boulevard obstructed his vision and caused “a glare from your windshield glass.” He did not have this problem when he was 300 or 400 feet west of the corner and veered slightly to avoid a woman pedestrian, because the “lights don’t affect you back there.” He was driving 6 or 7 feet from the southerly curb at the time of the impact. The point of impact was west of the traffic signal referred to above. The car went 20 feet from the time it struck plaintiff until it came to a stop, plaintiff being carried this distance on the right front fender. When it came to a stop, plaintiff rolled onto the pavement near the traffic signal. After the accident Johnson observed skid marks about 15 feet in length made by the car which were approximately 15 feet to the west of the traffic signal.

The member of the Accident Investigation Bureau who arrived at the scene of the accident after plaintiff had been conveyed to the hospital testified that the right front fender of defendants’ car was damaged and that the street lights were lit on each of the four corners of the intersection. At the hospital he saw plaintiff who was wearing a brown suit, black shoes, and a brown hat at the time of the accident. His report contains the following statements: The accident occurred ‘ ‘ 50 feet west of intersection.” “Pedestrian stated that he did not know status of the signals when he started to cross street.” The report was cheeked at the printed statement, “Crossing not at intersection,” and the word, “no,” followed the question, “Was pedestrian inside the markings or extension of sidewalk lines.”

Plaintiff contends that the triers of fact were entitled to find that defendant Johnson saw the plaintiff sooner than he admitted and at a time when," by the exercise of ordinary care, he could have avoided the accident, and that therefore the jury should have been instructed as to the doctrine of last clear chance. There is abundant authority that “notwithstanding there may be a total absence of any positive testimony that [551]*551the defendant actually knew of plaintiff’s danger, and even though the defendant definitely denies seeing the plaintiff at all, the doctrine of the last clear chance may be invoked and applied where the facts and circumstances are such as would justify the jury in finding that despite the defendant’s denial of knowledge or the absence of direct testimony on the subject, he was actually aware of plaintiff’s danger in time to avert the accident; in other words, that he ‘must have known’ of plaintiff’s danger.” (Emphasis added. Gillette v. City of San Francisco, 58 Cal.App.2d 434, 442 [136 P.2d 611

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Haerdter v. Johnson
207 P.2d 855 (California Court of Appeal, 1949)

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Bluebook (online)
207 P.2d 855, 92 Cal. App. 2d 547, 1949 Cal. App. LEXIS 1727, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/haerdter-v-johnson-calctapp-1949.