Hranicky v. Trojanowsky

153 S.W.2d 649, 1941 Tex. App. LEXIS 720
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJune 26, 1941
DocketNo. 11121
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 153 S.W.2d 649 (Hranicky v. Trojanowsky) 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
Hranicky v. Trojanowsky, 153 S.W.2d 649, 1941 Tex. App. LEXIS 720 (Tex. Ct. App. 1941).

Opinion

CODY, Justice.

This is an automobile collision case arising out of an accident which occurred on a state highway in Fort Bend County in August of 1937. Appellee was plaintiff below and alleged specific acts of negligence on the part of defendants; that, if the defendants were not all co-partners, the defendant Raymond Hranicky was at the time of the collision engaged as the servant or employee of defendants Rudolph Hranicky and Frank Liberda in hauling cotton-seed from the premises of the Wallis Gin Company (a co-partnership composed of said defendants Rudolph Hranicky and Frank Liberda) to the Fidelity Products Company in Houston, Texas.

The answer of defendants properly denied partnership of Rudolph Hranicky and Frank Liberda with Raymond Hranicky and denied the employment by them of the defendant Raymond Hranicky in the hauling of said cotton-seed, and alleged that plaintiff’s (i. e., appellee’s) injuries were due to his contributory negligence in operating his automobile at the time of the collision.

The issues made by the pleadings of the parties are sufficiently reflected by the special issues submitted to the jury. The substance of the special issues submitted to the jury and the answers thereto are as follows:

[651]*6511A. That there was a collision between a motor truck driven by defendant, Raymond Hranicky, and plaintiff’s automobile on the night of August 23, 1937.
1. That defendant Rudolph Hranicky employed the defendant Raymond Hran-icky, together with his truck, to haul for the Wallis Gin Company a load of cottonseed from the premises of said Gin Company at Wallis, Texas, to the Fidelity Products Company at Houston, Texas.
2. That at the time and place of the collision, the defendant Raymond Hranicky was then in the act of hauling with his truck for the Wallis Gin Company the load of cotton-seed which he had then there been employed to haul.
3. That said defendant was driving his truck at a rate of speed in excess of 25 miles per hour.
4. That the driving of such truck at such rate of speed was a proximate cause of the damages sustained by plaintiff.
5. That defendant Raymond Hranicky, immediately prior to the collision, drove his truck on his left-hand side of the highway at the time when same was not clear and unobstructed for a distance of at least 50 yards ahead.
6. and 7. That such driving was negligence and was a proximate cause of the collision.
8, 9, and 10. That said defendant failed to yield to plaintiff as nearly as possible half of the highway, and this was negligence, and was a proximate cause of the damages to plaintiff.
11, 12, and 13. That said defendant then and there failed to have his truck under reasonable control, and this was negligence, and was a proximate cause of the collision.
14, 15, and 16. That said defendant in the operation of his truck on the highway at the time of the collision and immediately prior thereto, failed to keep a reasonable lookout for other cars passing along said highway, that this was negligence, and was a proximate cause of the damages sustained by plaintiff.
17, 18, and 19. That said defendant at the time of the collision was operating his motor truck on a public highway of this state at such a rate of speed as to endanger the life and limb of persons, and the safety to property then upon said highway, that the same was negligence, and was a proximate cause of the damages sustained by plaintiff.
Special issues Nos. 20 and 20A, and the jury’s answers thereto, are here copied verbatim:
“Special Issue No. 20. What sum of money, if any, do you find from a preponderance of the evidence, if paid now in cash would compensate the plaintiff for such reasonable and necessary doctor charges, if any, as he has necessarily incurred in the treatment of his injuries, if any, directly and proximately resulting from the collision in question, if any ?
“Answer by stating the amount, if any, in dollars and cents, not to exceed $208.22.”
To which the jury answered: “$208.00”.
“Special Issue No. 20A. What sum of money, if any, do you find from a preponderance of the evidence, if paid now in cash would compensate the plaintiff for such reasonable and necessary hospital charges, if any, as he has necessarily incurred in the treatment of his injuries, if any, directly and proximately resulting from the collision in question, if any?
“Answer by stating the amount, if any, in dollars and cents, not to exceed $186.00.”
To which the jury answered: “$186.00”.
20B. That plaintiff suffered personal damages in the sum of $1,606.
21. That the collision was not the result of an unavoidable accident.
22. That plaintiff was not extending his arm from the window of his sedan at the time of the collision.
25. That plaintiff was not then operating his automobile with only his right arm on the steering wheel.
The defendants moved to have the verdict set aside which the court overruled, and the court rendered judgment for plaintiff upon the verdict.

Appellants’ first complaint is that they were not allowed sufficient time by the court to prepare their exceptions tO‘ the court’s charge. This complaint relates to certain redrafted issues submitted as a part of the court’s charge. The bill of exceptions in which appellants reserved this complaint is qualified by the court. And from this qualification it appears that the special issues were submitted to counsel at 10 o’clock in the morning of March 28, 1940. Appellants’ counsel worked reserving exceptions to the court’s charge, using the court reporter in such work, until 4 o’clock P.M. the same day, at which time the court excused the jury until next [652]*652day allowing appellants additional time to make tlieir exceptions. At 9 o’clock the following morning appellants submitted their exceptions, consisting of many pages, to the court, and the court then amended his charge in certain respects to meet appellants’ exceptions. Appellants were then granted time to except to the charge as amended. Appellants then submitted additional exceptions to the court at 9:50 A.M., and announced to the court they would rely on their exceptions and not request the submission of two special issues which they had theretofore submitted. The court thereupon called the court reporter and dictated the two issues, with the companion issues of negligence and proximate cause as theretofore submitted by appellants.

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Bluebook (online)
153 S.W.2d 649, 1941 Tex. App. LEXIS 720, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hranicky-v-trojanowsky-texapp-1941.