Jackson v. American Insurance Co.

182 So. 2d 552, 1966 La. App. LEXIS 5472
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedJanuary 24, 1966
DocketNo. 6524
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 182 So. 2d 552 (Jackson v. American Insurance Co.) 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
Jackson v. American Insurance Co., 182 So. 2d 552, 1966 La. App. LEXIS 5472 (La. Ct. App. 1966).

Opinion

REID, Judge.

This suit was brought by Junies Lee Jackson, individually and for and on behalf of’and for the use and benefit of the minor children, Marion Antoinette, Bertha and Richelle Jackson, and Alonzo and Terry Taylor. Plaintiff alleged that he was the father of the minors Marion Antoinette, Bertha and Richelle Jackson, issue of his marriage to Leola Sholes Taylor Jackson, and the step-father of the minors Alonzo and Terry Taylor, issue of his wife’s first marriage to Alonzo Taylor, Sr., now deceased. The suit is for medical expenses incurred and to be incurred by Junies Lee Jackson and for physical injuries, pain and suffering allegedly sustained by the named minors. The suit was brought against American Insurance Company, the public liability insurer of Leola T. Jackson, wife of plaintiff and mother of the five minor children.

By agreement of counsel it was stipulated that the undisputed facts were that the accident sued upon occurred on Sunday, September 29, 1963, at approximately 12:25 P.M., at the intersection of Louisiana Highways 19 and 10, approximately seven miles West of Clinton, Louisiana. The accident involved a 1962 GMC pickup truck being driven by Jones T. Young of Jayess, Mississippi, and a 1958 Chevrolet sedan being driven by the said Leola T. Jackson of Baton Rouge. The occupants of the car were Rachal Jackson, Marion Jackson and Terry Taylor, who were on the front seat with the driver, Leola T. Jackson, and Alonzo Taylor, Louella McCall, James McCall, and Bertha Jackson, who were on the back seat of the car. The highway at the point of intersection of the two highways is straight and level. Both highways are blacktopped two-lane highways. The accident happened in daylight, the weather was dry, and the roads were in good condition. The east-west highway is controlled at the intersection by a stop sign and a flashing caution light. To the north-south traffic there is an amber flashing light. The Young vehicle was going east on Pligh-way 10 and the Jackson vehicle was going north on Highway 19.

Arising out of the same accident is another suit brought by James McCall and his wife Louella McCall who were guest passengers in the car driven by Leola T. Jackson, said second suit having been No. 101,645 on the docket of the 19th Judicial District Court for the Parish of East Baton Rouge, and being No. 6525 on the docket of this Court. The two cases were consolidated for the purpose of trial, were tried on the merits on December 30, 1964, and for written reasons assigned on January 13, 1965, judgments in both cases were rendered on January 27, 1965 dismissing plaintiffs’ demands at their costs. The judgment in the matter here considered, Junies Lee Jackson, Ind., etc, vs. American Insurance Company, fixed the expert witness fee of Dr. Clifton T. Morris, Sr. at $50.00, that of Dr. Cecil O. Lorio at $100.00, that of Dr. R. M. Pullig at $50.00, and taxed those fees as costs. It is from that judgment plaintiff has appealed to this Court.

In his excellent reasons for judgment the trial Judge held as follows;

‘T find the relevant facts in this case to be as follows:
“The defendant driver approached this intersection at a speed of approxi[554]*554mately 55 miles per hour. She testi-íied when she saw the 50 mile speed sign she commenced decreasing her speed and that when she was near this sign, which was 183 feet from the intersection, she saw the truck approaching the intersection, whereupon she continued the deceleration of her car and applied her brakes lightly. Upon observing that the truck stopped at the intersection she accelerated her car and was approaching the intersection at about 45 miles per hour. She then saw the truck start across the intersection and she applied her brakes with full force, leaving approximately 30 feet of skid marks up to the point of collision. Considering her speed and the reaction time, she must have been some 80 to 100 feet from the intersection when the truck began proceeding across it. The question then is whether or not these facts show negligence on the part of the defendant driver.
“Plaintiffs have cited Martin v. Adams [La.App.], 88 So.2d 476, in support of their contention that the driver was negligent. In that case there were no signal lights, traffic controls, or stop signs at the intersection and directional right of way was the only control involved. The evidence showed that neither driver saw the other vehicle until momentarily before the impact. Both drivers were held guilty of negligence. To the same effect is the case of Cappo v. Baker [La.App.], 91 So.2d 611, cited by plaintiffs. Savoy v. Cooley [La.App.], 144 So.2d 223, cited by plaintiffs involved an intersection similar to the one involved in the instant suits. That case is authority for the proposition that an amber light serves as a warning to proceed with care and a motorist is guilty of negligence if he fails to take measures to avoid obvious danger. The-same holding is found in Bourgeois v. Francois [La.App.], 152 So.2d 383. This is likewise the requirement of LSA-R.S. 32:234 (A-2).
“Defendant has cited the decisions in Martin v. New Amsterdam Casualty Company [La.App.], 97 So.2d 509, and Emmco Insurance Company v. Carambat [La.App.], 145 So.2d 83. The Martin case holds that a motorist approaching an intersection on a blinking amber light has the right to assume that a driver approaching on a less favored street will observe the law by bringing his automobile to a full stop before entering the intersection but that he cannot indulge in such an assumption if he sees or should see that the driver on the intersecting street has not observed or cannot observe the law with respect to stopping at that intersection. The second case cited by defendant holds that a motorist driving at a reasonable speed on a right of way street has the right to assume that a driver approaching the intersection from a less favored street will stop at a stop sign and, if already stopped, will yield the right of way. The motorist on the right of way street can indulge in this assumption until he sees or should see that the other car has not observed or is not going to observe the law.
“In the light of the above authorities, it is my opinion that the evidence here does not show negligence on the part of the defendant driver. She was proceeding with caution when she observed the approach of the truck and when the truck stopped at the intersection it was not, in my opinion, negligence on her part to proceed toward the intersection. When she saw the truck entering the intersection she made every possible effort to avoid the collision.
“There is testimony in the record from the two adult guest passengers that the driver’s attention to the traffic situation was diverted when she looked down to attend to one of the little [555]*555children sitting next to her. -The testimony indicates to me that if this happened it was after the driver had applied her brakes with full force when she saw the truck entering the intersection. In that event, such action on her part had nothing to do with the collision.”

It has been repeatedly said by this Court that the determination of a case largely depends upon the correctness of the factual findings made by the Judge and his application to the jurisprudence.

After a careful examination of the record, it cannot be said that the finding of the Trial Judge is manifestly erroneous. It also appears that the facts of this case fit those cases cited by the Trial Judge as authority for his holding.

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Related

Foster v. Hunt
220 So. 2d 179 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1969)
McCall v. American Insurance Co.
182 So. 2d 556 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1966)

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182 So. 2d 552, 1966 La. App. LEXIS 5472, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jackson-v-american-insurance-co-lactapp-1966.