John Gash v. Ruby Brangers as Administratrix for the Estate of Anthony Brangers, Sr.

CourtCourt of Appeals of Kentucky
DecidedOctober 21, 2021
Docket2019 CA 000702
StatusUnknown

This text of John Gash v. Ruby Brangers as Administratrix for the Estate of Anthony Brangers, Sr. (John Gash v. Ruby Brangers as Administratrix for the Estate of Anthony Brangers, Sr.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Kentucky primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
John Gash v. Ruby Brangers as Administratrix for the Estate of Anthony Brangers, Sr., (Ky. Ct. App. 2021).

Opinion

RENDERED: OCTOBER 22, 2021; 10:00 A.M. NOT TO BE PUBLISHED

Commonwealth of Kentucky Court of Appeals

NO. 2019-CA-0702-MR

JOHN GASH AND ALLEN ELECTRIC, INC. APPELLANTS

APPEAL FROM JEFFERSON CIRCUIT COURT v. HONORABLE ANN BAILEY SMITH, JUDGE ACTION NO. 17-CI-001462

RUBY BRANGERS, AS ADMINISTRATRIX FOR THE ESTATE OF ANTHONY BRANGERS, SR. APPELLEE

AND

NO. 2019-CA-0739-MR

RUBY BRANGERS, AS ADMINISTRATRIX FOR THE ESTATE OF ANTHONY BRANGERS, SR. CROSS-APPELLANT

CROSS-APPEAL FROM JEFFERSON CIRCUIT COURT v. HONORABLE ANN BAILEY SMITH, JUDGE ACTION NO. 17-CI-001462 JOHN GASH AND ALLEN ELECTRIC, INC. CROSS-APPELLEES

OPINION AFFIRMING

** ** ** ** **

BEFORE: ACREE, McNEILL, AND L. THOMPSON, JUDGES.

McNEILL, JUDGE: John Gash and Allen Electric, Inc. (“Gash”) appeal from a

judgment of the Jefferson Circuit Court entered on April 3, 2019, awarding

$107,070.56 to Anthony Brangers, Sr. (“Brangers”) following a jury trial. Ruby

Brangers,1 as Administratrix for the Estate of Anthony Brangers, Sr. (“the Estate”)

cross-appeals from the same judgment. For the following reasons, we affirm.

FACTS

On November 26, 2012, Brangers was driving home after work on I-

264 in Louisville when he came upon rush hour traffic near the I-65 exit. Brangers

was in the second to right lane, attempting to take the exit to I-65 South. Brangers

testified that before you get to the I-65 exit, there is a rise in the highway which

1 Anthony Brangers, Sr. died on April 30, 2019. Ruby Brangers was appointed administratrix of his estate on July 22, 2019. On November 14, 2019, Ruby Brangers, in her capacity as administratrix, was substituted as a party for Appellee/Cross-Appellant Anthony Brangers, Sr. by order of this Court.

-2- you cannot see over. As he got to the top of the rise, he noticed that traffic was

“slow and backing up” ahead and “gridlocked.”

Directly in front of Brangers, a car was completely stopped. Brangers

slowed and came to a complete stop, leaving a vehicle’s width between his Ford F-

150 and the car in front of him. Brangers testified that traffic was moving slowly

to his left but was pretty much at a standstill. Once stopped, Brangers glanced into

his rearview mirror and saw a car come up behind him. Brangers remembers being

stopped for less than a minute when his vehicle was hit from behind. He did not

see the accident happen. At the time of the accident, Brangers was waiting for

traffic in front of him to move so that he could exit onto the I-65 ramp.

Gash was also traveling on I-264 in the second to right lane in the

minutes leading up to the accident. Gash testified he was attempting to get into the

far-right lane to take the exit to I-65 North and estimated he was traveling between

35-40 miles an hour, trying to maintain speed with the cars in the right lane so that

he could safely merge. Because his work van did not have a rearview mirror, he

was glancing back and forth between the traffic ahead and his side mirror while

attempting to merge.

Gash did not notice the vehicles stopped ahead of him until it was too

late. His vehicle collided with the vehicle in front of him which in turn hit

Brangers’ vehicle. Gash agreed there were at least two vehicles stopped directly in

-3- front of him, although he believed the other lanes of traffic were moving. Gash

conceded that the lane to exit onto I-65 South often backs up during rush hour and

that he was aware traffic could stop in front of him at any time. While he testified

he was not anticipating a full, complete stop in the road, he nevertheless admitted

the wreck could have been avoided had he been looking ahead and seen the

vehicles stopped.

Following the accident, Brangers complained of head, neck and back

pain and was diagnosed with a neck and back strain. He underwent conservative

treatment in the form of physical therapy. When his symptoms did not improve,

Brangers visited Chambers Medical Group and was again diagnosed with neck and

back strains. He had an MRI performed and did more physical therapy. After the

MRI showed multilevel degenerative disc disease, Brangers began treatment with

an orthopedic surgeon who administered steroid injections.

While the steroid injections provided temporary relief, Brangers

sought further treatment from Dr. Christopher Shields, a neurosurgeon, on July 30,

2013. Dr. Shields performed more diagnostic testing and after further treatment

did not relieve Brangers’ symptoms, recommended that Brangers undergo surgery

to address his degenerative disc disease. Brangers’ surgery was scheduled for

April 14, 2015 but was cancelled on the day of surgery after complications with

anesthesia. After the failed surgery, Brangers did not seek any further treatment.

-4- Following the evidence, the trial court directed a verdict in favor of

Brangers on the issue of Gash’s liability for the accident. The trial court also

directed a verdict on $42,070.56 of Brangers’ medical expenses. The jury then

considered the remaining items of damages and awarded Brangers $95,000.00 in

pain and suffering. On April 3, 2019, the trial court entered a judgment against

Gash for $107,070.56 plus interest. This appeal followed. Further facts will be set

forth as necessary below.

ANALYSIS

As an initial matter, Gash’s appellate brief did not cite to where in the

record his arguments were preserved as required by CR2 76.12(4)(c)(v). Gash has

attempted to remedy this in his reply brief as is allowed by case law, Hollingsworth

v. Hollingsworth, 798 S.W.2d 145, 147 (Ky. App. 1990); however, CR

76.12(4)(b)(i) limits a combined appellant’s reply/cross-appellee brief to thirty

pages. While Gash’s brief complies with the letter of the rule’s 30-page limit, 25

pages of Gash’s brief are a substantive reply to the appellee’s brief and only three

are devoted to Brangers’ cross-appeal, seemingly violating the spirit of CR

76.12(4)(b)(i) when read in conjunction with its five-page limit on reply briefs.

However, because Gash’s combined appellant’s reply/cross-appellee brief

technically complies with the rule, we will resolve this case on the merits.

2 Kentucky Rules of Civil Procedure.

-5- Gash first argues the trial court erred in directing a verdict as to his

liability and Brangers’ non-liability for the accident, failing to view the evidence in

the light most favorable to him. He points to his trial testimony that he was

operating his vehicle with reasonable care, looking back and forth between the

traffic ahead and his side mirror as he was attempting to change lanes. He also

notes he was traveling well below the speed limit.

Gash also argues there is a jury question as to whether Brangers was

operating his vehicle in a reasonable manner by stopping on the interstate. He

notes Brangers’ testimony that he stopped when he saw the traffic ahead because

he “did not want to get into that mess,” apparently leaving enough room between

his vehicle and the one in front of him that another car was able to pass in between.

Gash also argues that “the jury could have found that . . . [Brangers] came to an

inappropriate/prolonged stop,” pointing to Brangers’ testimony that the car in front

of him had moved on prior to the accident.

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