Huxford v. Kingsbury

240 S.W. 1028, 1922 Tex. App. LEXIS 761
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedApril 6, 1922
DocketNo. 2534.
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 240 S.W. 1028 (Huxford v. Kingsbury) 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
Huxford v. Kingsbury, 240 S.W. 1028, 1922 Tex. App. LEXIS 761 (Tex. Ct. App. 1922).

Opinion

HODGES, J.

In May, 1920, the appellant was injured in a collision with an automobile driven by Iris B. Kingsbury, one of the ap-pellees. The injury occurred on the Arlington Heights boulevard, a broad highway extending west from the city of Fort Worth. The boulevard was approximately 80 feet wide; the center was occupied by a double track of the street ear line; on each side of *1029 the car line a space of about 25 feet wide bad been paved with asphalt. People traveling west used the pavement on the north side, and those traveling east toward Fort Worth used that on the south side. On the morning the* accident occurred, the appellee Iris B. Kingsbury, in company with a companion, was driving toward the city of Fort Worth, where she was attending school. When within about a mile of the city limits, she observed a wagon on the north side of the boulevard, and a truck on the south side. Both vehicles were standing still. She saw a man, that proved to be the appellant, run across the boulevard from the wagon to the truck, stand on the running board of the truck, according to her testimony, a very short time, and then turn and start back, when he was struck by Miss Kingsbury’s automobile. According to the appellant’s testimony, he was in the employ of O. E. Brown, who was driving the truck, and he (appellant) was in charge of the wagon standing on the opposite side of the boulevard. When he and Brown met, they both stopped, and appellant went across to deliver Brown a wrench which the latter needed for some purpose about his car. After exchanging a word or two with Brown, he stepped back about 2 or 3 feet from the truck, and while in that position he was struck by the automobile. Appellant stated that his face was turned toward the truck. It was admitted on the trial that he did not look to ascertain whether or not any ears were approaching. The evidence shows that, had he done so, he could have seen this car at a safe distance before it struck him. Appellant was corroborated by the testimony of his employer, Brown. Miss Kingsbury testified that she commenced blowing her horn some time before she reached the truck, and continued to blow it; that appellant paid no attention to her, and just as she was within a few feet of the truck he got right in front of her car; and that the injury was unavoidable. She also testified that she was traveling about 18 miles an hour. Her testimony, except as to the rate of speed, was corroborated by two other witnesses.

The appellant filed this suit against Iris B. Kingsbury and her father, E. 0. Kings-bury. The latter was joined upon the ground that he was the owner of the car and that his daughter was using it in furtherance of his business.

The following are, in substance, the findings of fact made by the jury in response to the special interrogatories propounded:

(1) The car being driven was the property of the defendant Iris B. Kingsbury.

(2) At the time the accident occurred she was traveling at the rate of 20 miles per hour.

(3) At the time of the collision she was passing the motor truck at a rate of speed that was dangerous to the life and limb of other persons, but that such rate of speed was not the proximate cause of the accident.

(4) That Iris B. Kingsbury discovered the perilous position of the plaintiff, and did all in her power thereafter to warn him and to avoid the injury.

(5) Immediately prior to and at the time of the accident, the plaintiff was not exercising ordinary care for his own safety; that he was not at that time keeping a proper lookout for approaching automobiles.

(6) The injury sustained by the plaintiff was the result of an “unavoidable accident,” which the court defined as one which occurred without the fault of either party.

Upon those findings the court entered a judgment in favor of the defendants below.

In an application'for a new trial, the appellant relied upon newly discovered evb dence alleged to have been unknown to him at the time of the trial. The new evidence was that of a witness who was upon the scene after the accident occurred. He had examined the ground and discovered evidences tending to show that the appellant was facing south toward the truck at the time he was struck. That testimony was only cumulative of what the appellant and one of his witnesses swore, and for that reason the court committed no error in refusing the motion for a new trial.

In the course of the trial, D’Arcy, a witness for the appellees, testified that he was driving in a car immediately behind Miss Kingsbury at the time the accident occurred; that he had been following her for about one mile; that he knew the rate of speed at which she was traveling, by observing his own speedometer. He saw the appellant cross the boulevard to the truck, and saw him start back. He corroborated Miss Kingsbury as to the distance appellant was from the truck at the time he was struck. After testifying that he had been driving cars for at least eight years, had owned his own car four or five years, and had driven approximately 750 miles per month, he was permitted, over the objection of the appellant, to make this statement:

“In my opinion, from the manner in which the plaintiff was crossing the road and the way the defendant was driving the car, Miss Kings-bury could not have avoided striking the plaintiff if she had been proceeding only at the rate of five miles per hour, as I know I couldn’t have, and I don’t think any one else.”

Miss Kingsbury testified that she had been driving a car for four or five years. She was permitted, over the objection of the appellant, to testify:

“If I had been going at a rate of speed of only five miles an hour, it could not possibly have been avoided, because I was within a very few feet of Mr. Huxford when he deliberately jumped into the car and I could not possibly have avoided it.”

*1030 ''Áppéllánt objected to both of those statements upon the ground that they were the opinions of the witnesses. It requires no expert knowledge, under conditions such as were shown in this instance, to say that a collision was unavoidable, or that it could not have been prevented had the car been going at a very low rate of speed. But even if expert qualifications were required as the basis of an opinion, the evidence shows that both of the witnesses were experienced automobile drivers; each of them had stated the facts upon which they based their opinion ; and the jury could not have been improperly influenced by their expressions of opinion if such expressions were improper.

It is also contended by appellant that the findings of the jury are so conflicting and inconsistent that they could not be made the basis of a judgment in favor of the appellees. There do appear some slight inconsistencies in the findings, but none of them made it imperative upon the court to render a different judgment, or improper to render the one entered. For instance, the jury found that at the time the accident occurred Miss Kingsbury was driving at a dangerous rate of speed, but they also found that such rate of speed was not the proximate cause of the accident.

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Bluebook (online)
240 S.W. 1028, 1922 Tex. App. LEXIS 761, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/huxford-v-kingsbury-texapp-1922.