Heyer v. North East Independent School District

730 S.W.2d 130, 40 Educ. L. Rep. 517, 1987 Tex. App. LEXIS 7502
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedApril 22, 1987
Docket04-86-00262-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by27 cases

This text of 730 S.W.2d 130 (Heyer v. North East Independent School District) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Heyer v. North East Independent School District, 730 S.W.2d 130, 40 Educ. L. Rep. 517, 1987 Tex. App. LEXIS 7502 (Tex. Ct. App. 1987).

Opinion

OPINION

CHAPA, Justice.

This is a suit by Vincent Heyer, individually and as next friend of his minor daughter, Kristen Heyer (hereafter referred to as Heyer), for damages against the North East Independent School District (hereafter referred to as the School District.) The suit stems from a motor vehicle-pedestrian accident upon the premises of one of the schools in the School District. This appeal arises from a complaint of the acts of the trial court in entering summary judgment in favor of the School District on the basis that the School District is immune from liability for such an occurrence.

The undisputed facts show that on the afternoon of November 19, 1982, Kristen Heyer was waiting to board her bus transportation home in an area designated by the MacArthur High School. James Mes-sengele, a fellow student, was leaving the parking lot in his vehicle which was permitted on the premises. Messengele was engaged in “power-braking” his automobile, a practice whereby the driver, with the transmission in gear, applies the brakes and gas simultaneously. While so engaged, Mes-sengele’s foot slipped off the brake, causing the car to accelerate out of control across the parking lot, striking two parked cars, a group of students awaiting the bus, and coming to rest next to the school building. The impact caused Kristen Heyer serious bodily injuries which resulted in the present lawsuit. It is undisputed that the School District did not own the automobile *131 that injured Kristen Heyer and that no School District employee was operating the automobile that struck Miss Heyer. It is also undisputed that the premises in question were owned and under the control of the appellee.

In a summary judgment, the burden is upon the movant to prove there exists no material fact issue and that they are entitled to a judgment as a matter of law. Mays v. Foremost Ins. Co., 627 S.W.2d 230, 233 (Tex.App.—San Antonio 1981, no writ); TEX.R.CIV.P. 166-A. Since there is no factual contest, this summary judgment should be affirmed only if the record establishes a right to the summary judgment as a matter of law. Clutts v. Southern Methodist University, 626 S.W.2d 334, 335 (Tex.App.—Tyler 1981, writ ref’d n.r.e.).

Heyer’s first point of error claims the trial court erred in granting summary judgment in favor of the School District, because immunity from appellant’s cause of action is waived under the Texas Torts Claims Act, TEX.REV.CIV.STAT.ANN. art. 6252-19, §§ 3, 13, and 19A (repealed 1985). 1 Pursuant to art. 6252-19, § 19A, now recodified as §§ 101.021, 101.051, Civil Practice and Remedies Code, school and junior college districts are excluded from exposure to liability under the Texas Tort Claims Act except as to the operation and use of motor vehicles. 2 The question is whether the motor vehicle exception applies to the case at bar. We think not.

The Tort Claims Act does not define the word “use;” therefore, its common and ordinary meaning should be applied. Satterfield v. Satterfield, 448 S.W.2d 456 (Tex.1969); Person v. Latham, 582 S.W.2d 246 (Tex.Civ.App.—Beaumont 1979, writ ref’d n.r.e.); Beggs v. Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation, 496 S.W.2d 252 (Tex.Civ.App.—San Antonio 1973, writ ref’d). Webster’s New Twentieth Century Dictionary, Second Edition, defines the word “use” as meaning “to put or bring into action or service; to employ for or applied to a given purpose.” Beggs, 496 S.W.2d at 254. Webster’s Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary defines the word “operation” as “a doing or performing of a practical work or of something involving practical application of principles or processes” and the word “use” as meaning “the act or practice of employing something.” Jackson v. City of Corpus Christi, 484 S.W.2d 806, 809 (Tex.Civ.App.—Corpus Christi 1972, writ ref’d n.r.e.). To overcome governmental immunity, it must be shown that the damages were proximately caused by the negligence or wrongful act or omission of any officer or employee acting within the scope of his authority, arising from the operation or use of a motor vehicle. Estate of Garza v. McAllen Independent School District, 613 S.W.2d 526, 527 (Tex.Civ.App.—Beaumont 1981, writ ref’d n.r.e.). In Lowe v. Texas Tech University, 540 S.W.2d 297 (Tex. *132 1976), the Texas Supreme Court stated that the Texas Tort Claims Act provided for waiver of governmental immunity in three general areas, and one being the “use of publicly owned automobiles.” The court in Jackson v. City of Corpus Christi 484 S.W.2d 806, declared that the “allegations of negligence related directly to the control of traffic” and were not “acts or omissions” which “in any way arise from the operation or use of a motor vehicle.” Id. at 809. Upon rehearing, the court further stated that “Section 3 [Texas Tort Claims Act] requires that the negligence arise from the ‘operation or use’ of the vehicle [involved].” Id. at 810.

In the case at bar, as in Jackson, 484 S.W.2d 806, the allegations of negligence against the School District related to the control and supervision of the parking lot, students, and the traffic. The vehicle involved was not owned or operated by any agent of the School District. Under these facts and the pleadings of Heyer, we hold that they do not amount to acts or omissions arising from the operation or use of a motor vehicle contemplated by the Tort Claims Act exception.

Appellant’s reliance on Madisonville Independent School District v. Kyle, 658 S.W.2d 149 (Tex.1983) is misplaced. In Madisonville, 658 S.W.2d 149, the Texas Supreme Court upheld the decision of the Waco Court of Appeals that the school district was liable under the vehicle exception of the Texas Torts Claims Act when a child student died crossing the highway after leaving a school bus following negligent directions of the busdriver. The case at bar is not in point with Madisonville, 658 S.W.2d 149.

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

Related

Elgin Independent School District v. R.N.
191 S.W.3d 263 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2006)
Tarkington Independent School District v. Aiken
67 S.W.3d 319 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2002)
Austin Independent School District v. Gutierrez
54 S.W.3d 860 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2001)
Ransom v. Center for Health Care Services
2 S.W.3d 643 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1999)
Bellnoa v. City of Austin
894 S.W.2d 821 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1995)
Goston v. Hutchison
853 S.W.2d 729 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1993)
Leleaux v. Hamshire-Fannett Independent School District
835 S.W.2d 49 (Texas Supreme Court, 1992)
Schaefer v. City of San Antonio Ex Rel. Water Works Board of Trustees
838 S.W.2d 688 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1992)
Luna v. HARLINGEN CONSOL. INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DIST.
821 S.W.2d 442 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1992)
Sem v. State
821 S.W.2d 411 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1992)
Luna v. Harlingen Consolidated Independent School District
821 S.W.2d 442 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1991)
Contreras v. Lufkin Independent School District
810 S.W.2d 23 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1991)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
730 S.W.2d 130, 40 Educ. L. Rep. 517, 1987 Tex. App. LEXIS 7502, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/heyer-v-north-east-independent-school-district-texapp-1987.