Hartzog v. Eubanks

200 So. 2d 303
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedMay 29, 1967
Docket7065
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 200 So. 2d 303 (Hartzog v. Eubanks) 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
Hartzog v. Eubanks, 200 So. 2d 303 (La. Ct. App. 1967).

Opinion

200 So.2d 303 (1967)

John HARTZOG
v.
Robert L. EUBANKS et al.

No. 7065.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, First Circuit.

May 29, 1967.
Rehearing Denied June 30, 1967.

*304 John W. Anthony of Talley, Anthony, Hughes & Knight, Bogalusa, for appellants.

Hillary J. Crain of Seal, Lee & Crain, Bogalusa, France W. Watts, III, of Watts & Watts, Franklinton, John N. Gallaspy of Richardson & Gallaspy, Bogalusa, for appellee.

Before LOTTINGER, SARTAIN and REID, JJ.

LOTTINGER, Judge.

This is a suit for damages ex delicto filed by John Hartzog, as petitioner, against Robert L. Eubanks and Reliance Insurance Company, hereinafter referred to as Reliance, as defendants. The claim against Reliance was by virtue of its uninsured motorists protection coverage afforded in a policy issued to the City of Bogalusa on an automobile in which petitioner was riding as a guest passenger. Defendant, Robert L. Eubanks, filed an answer denying liability, and filed a third party petition against Reliance as well as Dale Freeman, the operator of the vehicle in which the petitioner was riding. Defendant Eubanks further third-partied the Employers Fire Insurance Company, hereinafter referred to as Employers, alleging that the vehicle which he was driving at the time of the accident was covered by a family automobile combination policy of insurance issued by Employers.

Reliance answered the suit seeking a credit against petitioner, Hartzog, for any workmen's compensation benefits paid him by the said insurance company, and filed a third party demand against defendant, Eubanks, in the event Reliance should be held obligated under the uninsured motorists clause of its policy. Reliance further intervened against defendant. Eubanks, seeking the sum of $1,064.90, which it had paid to the City of Bogalusa under its policy of collision insurance. The Lower Court rendered a judgment against the respective defendants and against petitioner, dismissing petitioner's demands at his cost, and further dismissing all third party and incidental pleadings. The petitioner, John Hartzog, has appealed. An appeal has also been taken by defendant, Robert L. Eubanks.

The accident in question occurred on February 6, 1965, at approximately 9:00 o'clock p. m. in the City of Bogalusa, Louisiana. Prior to the accident petitioner, who was then a police officer in the City of Bogalusa, was riding in the right *305 front seat, as a passenger in a police vehicle being driven by Arthur Freeman. These two police officers were proceeding in a southerly direction on South Columbia Road at some 10 to 15 miles per hour when they observed a young hitch-hiker standing on the right-hand side of the street. Arthur Freeman stopped the car so that the petitioner, who was sitting to his right, could question this hitch-hiker.

South Columbia Road is a two laned thoroughfare proceeding in a northerly and southerly direction, having one lane for traffic proceeding northerly and one lane for traffic proceeding southerly. The police vehicle, which had been proceeding in a southerly direction, came to a stop in the southbound lane of traffic, a distance of some 327 feet south of the traffic signal light located at the intersection of Columbia Road with Long Avenue. It had been raining and the black-topped roadway was wet, however, the rainfall had ceased at this time. After the petitioner had interrogated the young hitch-hiker for some two or three minutes, he told him to enter the rear seat of the car. Just as the hitch-hiker attempted to open the rear door to get into the police vehicle, said vehicle was violently struck from the rear by the automobile owned and operated by defendant Eubanks, thus causing the injuries of which petitioner claims.

The record discloses that the defendant Eubanks and his passenger, J. L. Baggett, had been together for a period of some 45 minutes prior to the accident. During this period of time, they had stopped and purchased a half pint bottle of whiskey and each had two drinks from the bottle. As they proceeded southerly along South Columbia Road, shortly prior to the accident, they stopped briefly for a red light at the intersection of Long Avenue. Both Eubanks and his passenger testified that they saw the police vehicle, or the tail lights thereof, just as they proceeded under the traffic light. Eubanks testified that he continued to watch the tail lights of the vehicle until the time of impact. His passenger, Baggett, testified that he realized that the police vehicle was stopped when they were approximately half the distance between the signal light and the stopped vehicle, at which time he called out to Eubanks and that Eubanks then started to stop his vehicle. Eubanks, however, contends that he had accelerated his vehicle to a speed of some 25 to 30 miles per hour after passing the traffic signal light, and that he did not notice that the police vehicle was stopped until he had reached a point of approximately 55 feet to the rear of the stopped vehicle. At this point, he stated that he forcefully applied his brakes, however, due to the wet black-topped road surface, the brakes were of little effect. Subsequent to the impact, the police vehicle came to rest some 90 feet south of where it was stopped on South Columbia Road.

The defendant contends that the petitioner was on a joint venture with the driver of the police vehicle. Accordingly, he claims negligence on the petitioner's part for the failure of the driver of the police vehicle to either pull off of the travelled portion of the roadway, or to put on the blinker light situated on the top of the car and to get out and warn approaching traffic of the stopped automobile on the roadway. In support of his claim, the defendant has cited Article 4, Section 21-78 of the Code of Ordinances of the City of Bogalusa, Louisiana, which provides, in part, as follows:

"Except in an emergency or for the purpose of allowing another vehicle or pedestrian to cross, no vehicle shall be permitted to stop in any street or public way other than in designated parking spaces near the curve."

He also cited, among others, the case of Dixie Drive it Yourself System New Orleans Co. v. American Beverage Company, 242 La. 471, 137 So.2d 298.

The Lower Court held both drivers to be negligent. Negligence on the part of the operator of the police vehicle was found by the Lower Court under the doctrine as *306 set forth in the Dixie case. The Court then imputed the negligence of the driver to his passenger, petitioner herein, because of the fact that, as stated in its written reasons, "* * * the plaintiff exercised as much control under the operation of the vehicle in which he was riding as did the driver, and therefore did not enjoy the status of guest passenger."

The question of last-clear-chance was not argued by the parties before the Lower Court. As a matter of fact it was not presented until oral argument before this Court. We believe that the doctrine of last-clear-chance is of paramount importance in the decision of this case. Although the driver of the police vehicle was clearly negligent in stopping on the travelled portion of the roadway, some two or three minutes of time had elapsed between his coming to a stop and the impact, during which time the defendant had ample opportunity to notice the perilous position of the police vehicle and to avoid the accident.

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Bluebook (online)
200 So. 2d 303, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hartzog-v-eubanks-lactapp-1967.