Hoover v. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance

185 So. 2d 548
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedApril 4, 1966
DocketNo. 6607
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 185 So. 2d 548 (Hoover v. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance) 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
Hoover v. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance, 185 So. 2d 548 (La. Ct. App. 1966).

Opinion

ELLIS, Judge.

On May 2, 1963, at or about 8:30 A.M., plaintiff was driving a Ford automobile owned by her husband in a westerly direction on U. S. Highway 190 and when about one and one-half miles west of Albany, Louisiana, she turned on her signal lights for a left turn and while making such a turn she was struck by the automobile of Earl F. Burk, who was insured by the defendant herein, which had also been traveling in a westerly direction on said highway and was at the time in the act of passing traffic to the rear of the plaintiff just prior to the collision. As a result of the accident, plaintiff filed this suit for damages for personal injuries and her husband sued for property damage to the car, medical expenses and future medical expenses. He died prior to the trial of the case and his daughter, Mrs. Beatrice Hoover Lea, was duly appointed as the ad-ministratrix of his estate, and was substituted as party plaintiff in the place and stead of the decedent, Arthur B. Hoover. The case was duly tried and judgment rendered in favor of plaintiff, Mrs. Lula B. Hoover, in the full sum of $10,000.00, together with legal interest from judicial demand until paid and further judgment also rendered in favor of the administra-trix of the estate of Arthur Hoover in the full sum of $1758.60, together with legal interest from judicial demand until paid. From this judgment the defendant has appealed.

The following statute contains the provision governing forward drivers intending to make a left turn. LSA-R.S. 32:104 provides:

“A. No person shall turn a vehicle at an intersection unless the vehicle is in proper position upon the roadway as required in R.S. 32:101, or turn a vehicle to enter a private road or driveway, or otherwise turn a vehicle from a direct course or move right or left upon a roadway unless and until such movement can be made with reasonable safety.
“B. Whenever a person intends to make a right or left turn which will take his vehicle from the highway it is then traveling, he shall give a signal of such intention in the manner described hereafter and such signal shall be given continuously during not less than the last [550]*550one hundred (100) feet traveled by the vehicle before turning.”

The cases are legion which hold that the operator of a motor vehicle attempting to turn left across a public highway must ascertain before doing so that the turn can be made in safety and it is not sufficient that a motorist be content with merely holding out the hand or putting on a directional signal light, but he should look before turning to see first if such movement can reasonably be made in safety. Counsel for the plaintiff has cited the cases of Hinton v. Beyl, La.App., 122 So.2d 680, and Johnson v. Wilson, La.App., 97 So.2d 674, while counsel for the defendant has cited Clark v. Spillman, La.App., 173 So.2d 203; Anderson v. Brackin Motors, Inc., La.App., 95 So.2d 730; Barras v. Fidelity & Casualty Co. of New York, La.App., 152 So.2d 74; Wesley v. Home Indemnity Co., et al., 245 La. 133, 157 So.2d 467. The cases cited by plaintiff and defendant do not differ as to the well settled law but are factually distinguishable. The case of Barras v. Fidelity & Causalty Co. of New York, supra, cited by the defendant, contains a statement of the settled law as well as a short statement of the facts upon which the court dismissed the suit of plaintiffs therein and we quote:

“Under the well settled law of this State, the driver of a motor vehicle who attempts to make a left turn on a public highway must ascertain before doing so that the turn can be made in safety. Leonard v. Holmes and Barnes, Ltd., 232 La. 229, 94 So.2d 241 (1957); Washington Fire and Marine Insurance Co. v. Fireman’s Insurance Company, 232 La. 379, 94 So.2d 295 (1957); Johnson v. Wilson, 239 La. 390, 118 So.2d 450 (1960); LSA-R.S. 32:236 (A). Also, a motorist intending to make a left turn on a public highway must not be content with merely holding out his hand or putting on his directional signal light, but he should look before turning to first see if such movement can reasonably be made in' safety. Johnson v. Wilson, 239 La. 390, 118 So.2d 450 (1960); Jenkins v. Fidelity and Casualty Company of New York, (La.App., 1 Cir., 1957), 92 So.2d 120; Johnson v. Southern Farm Bureau Casualty Insurance Company, (La.App., 3 Cir., 1960), 124 So.2d 331; Deshotels v. United States Fire Insurance Company, (La.App., 3 Cir., 1961), 132 So.2d 504; Guidry v. United States Casualty Co., (La.App., 3 Cir., 1961), 134 So.2d 319.
“It is apparent from the record that Mrs. Barras did not look to ascertain that she could make the left turn in safety. There was no evidence in the instant case to show that there were any cars approaching Mrs. Barras from the opposite direction. It is the opinion of this Court that the left turn made by Mrs. Barras was causally related to the accident, and the negligence on her part bars her and her husband from recovery in this case.”

In the case of Hinton v. Beyl, supra, cited by the plaintiff this court stated: “The operator of a motor vehicle who desires to make a left turn carries the responsibility of being certain that the turn can be made without danger to normal overtaking or oncoming traffic, and he must yield the right of way to such vehicles.”

This court then briefly discussed the facts upon which it denied the passing motorist damages for striking left turning truck and we quote:

“At the time he commenced his turn, Beyl had every reason to believe the maneuver could be executed in safety without unduly impeding or interfering with any traffic proceeding at a lawful rate of speed within the range of his vision. He had looked ahead and determined the roadway was free of oncoming traffic. After his truck was passed by the Lincoln, he consulted his rearview mirror and observed that his own truck was the nearest following vehicle. At [551]*551the time he glanced in his rearview mirror he did not and could not see plaintiff’s station wagon because plaintiff was then behind the Prevost truck. Under such circumstances, it was reasonable for him to assume the turn could be made without impeding the progress of any overtaking vehicle proceeding at lawful speed. The situation presented in his rearview mirror would have indicated to any reasonable individual that the nearest visible vehicle would not be delayed or impeded by his proposed action. Under such circumstances he was not required, under penalty of being held actionably negligent, to anticipate that an unseen motorist overtaking the nearest visible vehicle would do so at such speed as to make his turn dangerous to himself and such other motorist.”

It is therefore clear that the facts in each of these such cases are determinative of the decision and must be ascertained in order that the settled law might be applied.

In the present case the plaintiff was driving in a westerly direction on U.S. Highway 190 with the intention of turning into a private driveway approximately one mile and a half from the town of Albany, Louisiana, which necessitated her making a left turn at that point in order to enter this driveway. While traveling toward this driveway she was followed by a Mrs. Kinchen and behind the latter vehicle was some kind of a truck which no one seemed to be able to describe except Mrs. Kinchen thought it was a pick-up highway truck and behind this truck was the defendant, all traveling in a westerly direction.

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Bluebook (online)
185 So. 2d 548, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hoover-v-state-farm-mutual-automobile-insurance-lactapp-1966.