Hansen v. Cunningham

258 P.2d 906, 1953 Okla. LEXIS 462
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedJune 30, 1953
DocketNo. 35396
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 258 P.2d 906 (Hansen v. Cunningham) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hansen v. Cunningham, 258 P.2d 906, 1953 Okla. LEXIS 462 (Okla. 1953).

Opinion

BLACKBIRD, Justice.

This is an appeal from a judgment sustaining defendants’ demurrer to plaintiff’s evidence in an action by plaintiff to recover damages to his automobile, and for loss of use thereof, alleged to have resulted from a collision proximately caused by defendants’ negligence.

The petition charged plaintiff’s vehicle, operated by one Hostick, was struck at the intersection of Sixth Street and Troost Avenue in the City of Tulsa by an automobile owned by defendant, C. M. Cunningham and operated by his agent, the defendant, Mrs. Dorothy L. Cunningham; that plaintiff’s car was being driven east on Sixth Street, which is a through street, protected from north and south bound traffic on Troost Avenue by stop signs (where the latter street intersects it); that Mrs. Cunningham negligently refused to yield the right of way and drove into said intersection, thereby causing the collision and resultant damage, for which plaintiff sought a total recovery of $315.80. Mrs. Cunningham was charged with negligence in failing: (1) to yield right of way to plaintiff’s vehicle traveling upon a through street; (2) keep a proper lookout; (3) to drive in such manner as to be able to stop in the assured, clear distance ahead; (4) to keep her car under proper control and be able to avoid striking plaintiff’s car; (5) to observe applicable city ordinances relating to stopping at through streets and yielding the right of way, and those defining the circumstances under which an operator is guilty of reckless driving.

Defendants answered by general denial and cross-petition, but since no question with reference to the latter is involved in this appeal, it need not be considered.

Plaintiff’s evidence established that Hos-tick was his brother-in-law and that each used the car at his own convenience. His testimony, and that of the party who repaired the car, established the nature and extent of damage to the vehicle and the necessity and reasonableness of the repairs made thereto.

The substance of Hostick’s testimony concerning the way in which the accident occurred was that he was driving east on Sixth Street, which is protected at intersections from cross traffic by stop signs. He was following along in the regular line of traffic, traveling no more than 25 miles per hour, and when about 40 feet from the intersection involved he observed defendants’ car “heading out” intó the intersection, and he thereupon applied his brakes and swung his car hard to the right. Due to wetness of the pavement, his car skidded, and when defendants’ car was at the center of the intersection, the left front of his car struck it on its right front fender. His car did not move after the impact, but defendants’ car skidded into another vehicle parked at the southeast corner of the intersection. Hostick further testified there was a building on the northwest corner of this intersection, standing about 12 feet back from the .curb, and there was shrubbery about 5 feet high which protruded out between this building and the sidewalk. There was a car parked along the north curb line in front of this building.

Hostick further testified that he was south of the center line, in the proper traffic lane of Sixth Street, and defendants’ car was at or beyond the center line, when the collision occurred. He did not see defendants’ car come into the intersection and did not know he was required to be on the lookout for traffic coming into Sixth Street, since he thought all traffic moving into a [908]*908through street was required to wait for traffic on it to clear. Also, he could not have seen a car back of the stop sign (on Troost Avenue) because the aforementioned parked vehicle had the effect of obstructing his view of any car at the stop sign, and rendering it impossible to see any such car under the circumstances, until it came out into the intersection beyond the said parked car.

Mrs. Cunningham testified she was driving south on Troost Avenue, and that on the corners of the intersection, there were buildings obstructing the view, so .that it ■was necessary to pull out beyond the stop sign in order to have a clear view in both directions. After stopping, she drove up a little farther, about 3 feet, past the curb line, to get a dear view, and looked in both directions before driving out into the intersection in low gear, and her car. was approximately three fourths of the way across Sixth Street .when struck by plaintiff’s car, the impact pushing her .into a .parked, truck. She said she did not see plaintiff’s car. when she looked for traffic approaching the intersection on Sixth, nor did she see him until she was struck. After pulling out past the stop sign, it is possible, to see some four blocks back west along Sixth Street.

At the close of all the evidence, defendants demurred to plaintiff’s evidence and moved the court for a directed verdict, on the ground of insufficiency of the evidence. Said demurrer was overruled, as was plaintiff’s motion for a directed verdict. After a short recess, and upon further hearing of this matter the trial court stated:

“Gentlemen of the .jury, I have given this consideration since we were in session, and on reading some of the evidence, and on consideration of some of the law, * ■* * the demurrer of the defendant(s) to the plaintiff’s evidence is sustained, and the plaintiff is allowed an exception; .* * *

■ The court thereafter entered judgment in accord with his quoted declaration.

To reverse this judgment, plaintiff urges application of the rule that defendants’ demurrer admitted every fact which the evidence in the slightest degree tended to prove, and all logical inferences to be drawn therefrom; that any conflict in the evidence unfavorable to him must be considered as withdrawn for the purpose of a decision on the demurrer. His position is that taking all the evidence favorable to him, and the reasonable and logical inferences to be drawn therefrom, there was ample evidence from which the jury could have found Mrs. Cunningham was negligent in failing to stop and yield the right of way, and in driving directly into the path of his oncoming vehicle; and that, inasmuch as said defendant testified she did not see plaintiff’s car, there was at least a question, under the facts, as to whether she was negligent in failing to keep a proper lookout.

In plaintiff’s petition he cited, and, at the trial, introduced in evidence, Sec. 139(c) of Title 28 of the Tulsa City Ordinances, which reads as follows:

“(c) Vehicle Entering Through Streer or Stop Intersection.
“The driver of a vehicle shall stop as required by this Ordinance at the entrance to a through street or at any intersection where a stop sign'is erected at the entrance thereto and shall yield the right of way to all vehicles which are within the intersection or are approaching upon his left or right so closely as to constitute an immediate hazard and shall not proceed into said intersection until he can do so without interfering with the movement of other vehicles.” (Emphasis ours.)

This ordinance, as counsel says, is similar to Section 121.6(c) Title 47 O.S.1951.

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Bluebook (online)
258 P.2d 906, 1953 Okla. LEXIS 462, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hansen-v-cunningham-okla-1953.