Heiserman v. Aikman

186 P.2d 252, 163 Kan. 700, 1947 Kan. LEXIS 272
CourtSupreme Court of Kansas
DecidedNovember 8, 1947
DocketNo. 36,864
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 186 P.2d 252 (Heiserman v. Aikman) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Kansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Heiserman v. Aikman, 186 P.2d 252, 163 Kan. 700, 1947 Kan. LEXIS 272 (kan 1947).

Opinions

The opinion of the court was delivered by

Smith, J.

This was an action for damages alleged to have been sustained when the automobile in which plaintiff was a passenger collided at a street intersection with a car being driven by defends ant. Judgment was for defendant. Plaintiff appeals.

[701]*701Plaintiff was riding to the place where she was employed. The car in which she was riding was being driven by one Crook. There were two other passengers in the car besides plaintiff, who was in the rear seat. They were all going to work at the same place. It had been the practice of plaintiff and the other passengers to ride to work with another driver whom they paid, but this morning the other driver was sick and he had made arrangements with Crook to pick up his passengers: The plaintiff knew nothing of the arrangement between her regular driver and Crook and had no arrangement with Crook. The collision occurred near the center of the intersection of Hillside and Oakland streets in Wichita at about 7:45 a. m., .January 16, 1946. Hillside is what is termed a through street protected by stop signs and runs north and south. Oakland runs east and west. At this intersection there is a stop sign on Oakland on each side of Hillside. Douglas avenue, which runs east and west, is the first street north of Oakland. The distance between these two streets is about 250 feet. Oakland is 26 feet wide. Hillside is about 45 or 46 fe.et wide as it enters Oakland on the north and about 30 or 31 feet wide as it leaves Oakland on the south. This makes a jog of eight feet on each side of Hillside on the south side of Oakland.

We shall' refer to the car in which plaintiff was riding as the “Crook” car. On this morning Crook picked up his last passenger at the corner of Hillside and Douglas approximately 250 feet north of the intersection where the collision occurred. He drove on south to the intersection and was driving south to the intersection when the collision occurred. The defendant approached the intersection on Oakland from the east and was driving west a little past the middle of Hillside when the collision occurred. It will be noted the Crook car was on the through street. Defendant’s car was on the street where the stop sign gave notice that the city ordinance made it his duty to come to a full stop before entering the intersection. It may be stated here, there is no dispute but that he did come to a full stop on the east side of Hillside and then proceeded to cross. His car was struck by the Crook car at the right front door about seven feet from the front of the car.

At the close of the plaintiff’s evidence defendant’s demurrer to it was overruled. On final submission the jury answered special questions and returned a general verdict for the defendant. Plaintiff’s motion for a new trial was overruled and judgment entered for defendant. Hence this appeal.

[702]*702The first argument of plaintiff on this appeal is that the answers of the jury to the special questions convicted defendant of negligence as a matter of law. Before we consider that argument we shall consider certain trial errors of which plaintiff complains.

This collision occurred at the intersection of a through street on which the Crook car was being driven and a street controlled by 'stop signs upon which defendant was driving his car.

Plaintiff argues it was error for the court to give instruction 8. That instruction was as follows:

“No. 8
“You are instructed that at the time of the collision involved in this lawsuit, the following ordinances of the City of Wichita were in force and effect:.
“ ‘Speed of motor vehicles:
“ ‘Thirty (30) miles per hour upon all right-of-way streets, except within the congested district and other points hereinafter specified . . .
‘Provided, however, That no driver in any event shall drive at a greater rate of speed than is reasonable, safe and proper having due -regard for the use and condition of the street and the occupancy thereof, at the time nor at such a rate of speed as to endanger the life, limb and property of any person.
“ ‘The driver of a vehicle approaching an intersection shall yield the right of way to a vehicle which has entered the intersection from a different highway.
“ ‘The driver of a vehicle shall stop as required by this ordinance at the entrance to a through highway and shall yield the right of way to other vehicles which have entered the intersection from said through highway or which are approaching so closely on said through highway as to constitute an immediate hazard, but said driver having so yielded may proceed, and the drivers of all other vehicles approaching the intersection on said through highway shall yield the right of way t-o' the vehicle so proceeding into or across the through highway.’
“The violation of a traffic ordinance constitutes negligence.”

The second and third paragraphs of this instruction are section 27 of ordinance 12-321 of the city of Wichita. This ordinance relates to speed of automobiles and is of no particular consequence here. The fourth paragraph is section 41 (a) of the above ordinance 12-321. The fifth paragraph is section 43 (a) of the same ordinance. It will be noted that each of these two latter sections deals with a certain type of intersection. Section 41 (a) lays down a rule of conduct for drivers- of cars approaching an intersection of two ordinary streets, where there are no stop signs on either street. In such a case the driver first in the intersection has the right of way and the last car to approach must yield. That is just the enactment of a rule of the road prompted by the test of ordinary care.

[703]*703The traffic problems of cities such as Wichita, however, require what have come to be designated as “through streets.” They are usually so designated on account of the fact that they lead tó some focal point to which an unusually large number of people generally desire to go at a certain time of day, that is, in the morning while people are going to work, at noon, and in the evening. Hillside is such a street. That street was designated by the city governing body as a through street because the airplane industry was located to the south of the city and it was deemed to the best interests of all concerned that it be so designated. The obvious purpose of so designating it was to speed up traffic upon it. One way, of doing so was to provide that all vehicles approaching it should come to a stop before entering upon it or attempting to cross it. Naturally this situation relieves to a certain extent the care with which a driver on Hillside street must approach an intersection of it with a side street. Under the provisions of section 43 (a) the driver of a car approaching a through street must stop before he enters the intersection. That is not the sole provision, however. He must yield the right of way not only to vehicles which have entered the intersection ahead of him but also to those approaching so closely on the through street as to constitute an immediate hazard, that is, a driver of a car approaching a through street from a side street owes a duty not only to keep a lookout for cars in the intersection but on the through street in both directions from the intersection. A different standard of conduct is provided for each type of intersection.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Scott v. McGaugh
506 P.2d 1155 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 1973)
Angell v. Hester
348 P.2d 1050 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 1960)
Kendrick v. Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad
320 P.2d 1061 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 1958)
Schmid v. Eslick
317 P.2d 459 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 1957)
Allen v. Keck
212 F.2d 425 (Eighth Circuit, 1954)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
186 P.2d 252, 163 Kan. 700, 1947 Kan. LEXIS 272, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/heiserman-v-aikman-kan-1947.