JARBET COMPANY v. Moore

397 S.W.2d 268, 1965 Tex. App. LEXIS 2489
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedNovember 18, 1965
Docket6791
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 397 S.W.2d 268 (JARBET COMPANY v. Moore) 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
JARBET COMPANY v. Moore, 397 S.W.2d 268, 1965 Tex. App. LEXIS 2489 (Tex. Ct. App. 1965).

Opinion

PARKER, Justice.

Appellees are Vinnie Moore, individually and as independent executrix of the will of J. O. Moore, deceased, and the children of J. O. Moore, deceased. Appellant is The Jarbet Company, Inc. This is a suit brought by appellees against appellant, a road contractor, for money damages arising out of the collision between a pickup truck of J. O. Moore, deceased, and an automobile operated by Mrs. Dorothy Loving, which occurred in the intersection of Highway 58 and Loop 287 in Lufkin, Angelina County, Texas, within the area of a highway construction contract between appellant and The State of Texas. J. O. Moore died as a result of the collision and his wife, Mrs. Vinnie Moore, was injured as a result of the collision. The jury found appellant responsible for various acts and omissions constituting negligence and the proximate cause of the collision in question. The jury also found that the drivers of both vehicles were not responsible for any act or omission which would constitute negligence, proximately causing the collision in question. Judgment was entered for appellees upon their motion for judgment on the verdict of the jury. Appellant filed a motion to disregard the jury’s answers to certain special issues and for judgment non obstante vere-dicto. Appellant’s said motion was refused.

On February 13, 1961, a contract was entered into by The State of Texas, represented by the State Highway Engineer, with The Jarbet Company, Inc. Jarbet agreed to construct Loop 287, a highway through timberland where no road had been. The Loop was designed to route traffic through the south part of Lufkin in an easterly direction from the Houston Highway (Highway 59) to connect with the Lufkin-Beaumont Highway (Highway 69). The roadway to be constructed totaled over 13,000 feet. Approximately midway between Highway 69 and Highway 59 it crossed Highway 58} the latter running north and south from Lufkin. Loop 287 ran east and west. In the contract Jarbet agreed to handle traf *270 fic during construction, it being the entire responsibility of The Jarbet Company for the passage of traffic in comfort and safety at all times, the parts of such contract dealing with traffic being as follows:

7.7. Public Safety and Convenience. The safety of the public and the convenience of traffic shall be regarded as of prime importance during construction. The Department will maintain independent detours, as shown on plans, and the contractor will not be responsible for the maintenance and direction of traffic thereon. In all other respects, public safety and convenience and provisions therefor, made necessary by the work, shall be the direct responsibility of the Contractor and shall be performed at his entire expense.
* * * The Contractor shall cooperate with the Engineer in the regulation of traffic and shall so govern his work that when necessary to suspend construction for a considerable time, the roadway may be opened to public travel.
SPECIAL PROVISION
“DETOURS, BARRICADES, WARNING SIGNS, SEQUENCE OF WORK, ETC.”
The Contractor’s particular attention is directed to requirements of Item 7, “Legal Relations and Responsibilities to the Public,” of the Standard Specifications. In addition to these requirements the following provisions shall also govern on this contract.
1.Due to the lack of satisfactory detours, traffic must be handled over the project during construction, and it shall be the entire responsibility of the Contractor to provide for the passage of traffic in comfort and safety at all times. No equipment or material shall be left in a position over night that will endanger traffic.
2. The Contractor shall plan and execute his operations in a manner that will cause the minimum interference with traffic during each phase of the several construction operations. The Contractor’s plans of operation, sequence of work and methods of providing for the safe passage of traffic shall be outlined to the Engineer before the proposed plan is placed into operation and shall be subject to the approval of the Engineer. If, at any time during the construction, the proposed plan of operation does not accomplish the intended purpose, due to changes in weather or any other condition affecting the safe handling of traffic, the Contractor shall immediately change the plan or sequence of operations to the extent necessary to correct the unsatisfactory conditions. Where dust is created by traffic, sprinkling shall be performed as directed.
3. The Contractor shall at all times provide for egress and ingress to private property where existing facilities cannot be used due to construction operations.
4. All construction traffic shall be regulated so as to cause a minimum of inconvenience to the traveling public. At points where it is necessary for trucks or other equipment to stop and unload, warning signs and flagmen shall be provided as necessary to adequately protect public travel.
5. The Contractor shall provide and maintain standard barricades and signs in accordance with the Standard Specifications, Title Sheet and Standard Sheets for Barricades and Warning Signs included in the plans in such manner as to adequately protect and safeguard traffic at all times. All barricades and signs to remain in place at night shall be illuminated by lights between sunrise and sunset.
*271 6. The Contractor shall provide and maintain flagmen at such points and for such periods of time as may be required to provide for the safety and convenience of public travel and Contractor’s personnel, and as directed by the Engineer. Flagmen shall be English speaking, courteous, well informed, physically and mentally able effectually to perform their duties in safeguarding and directing traffic and protecting the work, and shall be neatly attired and groomed at all times when on duty. Flagman shall use the standard flags and signals shown in “Instructions to Flagmen,” published by the Texas Highway Department when directing traffic.
On Page 2.2 of the contract, under Paragraph D-14 appears the safety and accident prevention provisions. “In the performance of this contract, the contractor shall comply with all applicaable federal, state and local laws, governing safety, health and sanitation. The contractor shall provide all safeguards, safety devices and protective equipment and take any .other needed actions, on his own responsibility or as the contracting officer may determine, reasonably necessary to protect the life and health of employees on the job and the safety of the public and to protect property in connection with the performance of the work covered by the contract.”

The collision between Mr. Moore’s pickup truck and Mrs. Loving’s automobile occurred within the area of construction of Loop 287 where Highway 58 crosses Loop 287. At the time of the collision, The Jar-bet Company had not completed its contract and was in control of the Loop 287 job and the intersection in question. On August 27, 1962, at approximately 8:30 a. m., J. O. Moore and his wife, Mrs. Vinnie Moore, were driving south on Highway 58 in their 1954 Chevrolet pickup truck. Mr. Moore was driving, Mrs.

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Bluebook (online)
397 S.W.2d 268, 1965 Tex. App. LEXIS 2489, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jarbet-company-v-moore-texapp-1965.