Hill v. Haynes

170 N.W. 685, 204 Mich. 536, 1919 Mich. LEXIS 725
CourtMichigan Supreme Court
DecidedFebruary 7, 1919
DocketDocket No. 57
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 170 N.W. 685 (Hill v. Haynes) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Michigan Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hill v. Haynes, 170 N.W. 685, 204 Mich. 536, 1919 Mich. LEXIS 725 (Mich. 1919).

Opinion

Kuhn, J.

The testimony taken on the trial of this case discloses that on and prior to June 2, 1917, defendant Haynes was operating a small garage on National avenue in the city of Grand Rapids, where cars were storéd for owners and repairs made as desired. Defendant Haynes was absent from Grand Rapids on that day and the defendant Curren, who was employed in the work of the garage, was left in charge. One Conrad, who had a Chevrolet car stored in the garage, had left directions that a grease leak in the right rear wheel be stopped, and a direction to that effect was written upon a tag card and attached to the car. No further direction was contained upon the card and Curren received no further instruction either from his employer, Haynes, or from the owner of the car, Conrad, or from any other person, to do any other work upon the car. It appears from the testimony of Curren that he stopped the grease leak about 9 or 10 o’clock in the forenoon of June 2d, and made an entry upon the tag card to that effect, charging for three washers and one hour’s work done, and no further entry was made upon the card, which card served as a basis for the charge to be made to the owner, Conrad, for the services rendered. The car remained standing in the garage until noon, and Conrad had not called for it. At noon the defendant Curren took [538]*538the car out, for the purpose, as he says, of testing the brakes, and drove it to his home in a distant part of the city to obtain his dinner. He did not stop on the way, and on his way back did not stop until a collision occurred with the plaintiff’s motorcycle at 1:15, at the intersection of Michigan street and Ottawa avenue, which is a business portion of the city of Grand Rapids. The plaintiff testified that as he was going south on Ottawa avenue, approaching the intersection of Michigan street, knowing that it was a bad corner because to the east was a steep hill, he slackened his speed to six or seven miles an hour; that he looked to the west and saw nothing but a team of horses, and then looked to the east and saw the defendant’s automobile some 250 feet away, and he continued on his way across the intersection looking to the west, and that he did not look again towards the east and towards the oncoming automobile until it was 10 feet away and when it was too late to avoid the accident, the two vehicles coming together and the plaintiff receiving the injuries complained of in this case. It was shown that by virtue of an ordinance of the city of. Grand Rapids, the plaintiff had the right of way coming down Ottawa avenue.

The case went to trial as to the liability of the defendant Haynes, as the defendant Curren made no defense, and at the close of the proofs counsel for the defendant Haynes made a motion for a directed verdict on the grounds: First, that there was no evidence tending to prove that the status of the defendant Curren as an employee of the defendant Haynes, at the time of the alleged collision with plaintiff’s motorcycle, was such that the defendant Haynes was responsible for any negligence on the part of Curren; and second, that a verdict should be directed because of the contributory negligence of the plaintiff in recklessly driving his motorcycle in front of the rapidly approaching [539]*539car without taking such precaution as the ordinarily prudent person should take, under the circumstances. The trial judge directed a verdict for the defendant Haynes for the second ground alleged, and judgment was entered in his favor. Whether or not the court erred in directing a verdict upon the record as made is the question before us for review.

Without determining whether or not the court came to a correct conclusion with reference to the second proposition advanced, we are clearly satisfied that he could have properly directed a verdict for the defendant Haynes for the first reason urged by defendant’s counsel and that the result of his action, therefore, was a just and proper one. Accepting the testimony of Mr. Curren relative to taking the car out, under the circumstances of this case, in the light most favorable to the plaintiff’s claim, we are clearly satisfied that it shows no liability on the part of the defendant Haynes. The testimony of Curren relative to this phase of the case is as follows:

“Q. And isn’t that why you were telling the jury now you were under his (Haynes’) directions and were out testing cars?
“A. I was under his employ, yes, sir. The garage is about 100 feet back in behind the house.
“Q. He has a little bit of repair shop that he takes care of cars and stores cars?
“A. Yes, sir.
“Q. And you knew this car was in there for storage?
“A. Yes, sir. * * *
“Q. And you deliberately took this car out of this garage to take, it home to dinner?
“A. I had been working on the car.
“Q. You took it home to dinner?
“A. Yes, sir.
“Q. At twelve o’clock noon?
“A. Yes, sir.
“Q. And you were coming back on the hill at quarter to one?
“A. Yes, sir.
[540]*540“Q. It happened when you were coming from lunch?'
“A. When I was coming from lunch.
“Q. And when you found you were going to be a party defendant in this case, you wanted to make this man Haynes to be the defendant in this case, and. make him bear the burden?
“A. Yes, sir.
“Q. You always enter up everything you do on a car?
“A. No, sir.
“Q. Keep a time slip?
“A. I do now.
“Q. Haynes could not charge for anything if you didn’t?
“Mr. Limey: Haynes.
“Q. You did that then?
“A. Yes, sir. * * *
“Q. Now, when you got through the work on this machine, you wrote it down on a card?
“A. I don’t remember whether I did or not.
“Q. He could not charge for it unless you did?
“A. A card was put in for the car before the repair work was done.
“Q. Was there anything said on that card about testing brakes?
“A. Didn’t say anything about testing brakes.
“Q. Of course it did not, and you knew that car was not in there for any brake testing purposes, didn’t you?
“A. Yes, sir, I did.
“Q. And you knew as a matter of fact that the only thing that car was in there for was to see why the rear hub on the right wheel was leaking grease?
“A.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
170 N.W. 685, 204 Mich. 536, 1919 Mich. LEXIS 725, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hill-v-haynes-mich-1919.