Johnson v. City of Omaha

188 N.W. 122, 108 Neb. 481, 1922 Neb. LEXIS 277
CourtNebraska Supreme Court
DecidedApril 19, 1922
DocketNo. 22046
StatusPublished
Cited by18 cases

This text of 188 N.W. 122 (Johnson v. City of Omaha) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Nebraska Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Johnson v. City of Omaha, 188 N.W. 122, 108 Neb. 481, 1922 Neb. LEXIS 277 (Neb. 1922).

Opinion

Welch, District Judge.

This is an action against the city of Omaha and one Ernest Moschel to recover damages because of certain alleged acts of negligence by an employee of the city in driving a motor fire truck upon Eighteenth street approaching Cass street in the city of Omaha, at 18 miles an hour, and failing to have said truck under proper control and management, and failing to slacken the speed of said truck as it approached the intersection of said streets, whereby said fire truck ran into an automobile driven by one Morris Johnson, which had been thrown into and against said fire truck by another automobile traveling on Cass street, driven by the defendant Ernest Moschel, coming into collision with the automobile of said Johnson, whereby said Johnson, by the collision with the said fire truck, was thrown from his automobile and killed.

The city denied each and all the acts of negligence alleged against it; alleged that the death of deceased was not due to any want of care on the part of its employees in charge of said fire truck, and that the same was not the proximate cause of the injury to the deceased. The city further alleged that the deceased carne to his death solely as a result of negligence and want of care both on his part and upon the part of the codefendant, Moschel. It further alleged that the circumstances of the collision and throwing of deceased under the truck of the city were; such, and occurred in such a manner, as to make it impossible, for .the city to prevent whatever injury the deceased may have sustained on' account of collision with its fire truck. Trial was had to a jury resulting in a verdict of $6,800 against both the city and said Moschel. The city appeals from the judgment rendered against it thereon.

The fire truck was returning to its station from a repair shop. It was not answering an emergency call.

[483]*483The occurrence of the accident resulting in the death of Johnson is best shown by the testimony of the witness Snyder, called by plaintiff. He was the only witness called by plaintiff who testified to seeing both collisions, and, in fact, the only witness she called who testified to seeing either of the collisions. His testimony was as follows: “Q. As I understand you, Mr. Snyder, you were at the northwest corner of Eighteenth and Cass,streets? A. Yes, sir; by the time the fire truck stopped I was ready to step off the curbing. Q. Yes. Did you see the three cars involved in this accident? A. Well, I seen the two of them; I seen Mr. Moschel hit Johnson’s car and swerve it into the fire truck; of course, that obstructed my view of the fire truck when the other car was thrown into the fire truck. Q. Did you see the fire truck coming north on Eighteenth street? A. Yes, sir. Q. And you saw the Moschel car going east on Cass street? A. Yes, sir. Q. And you saw the Johnson car going south on Eighteenth street? A. Yes, sir. Q. The Johnson car going south was — which side of Eighteenth street was he driving on? A. He was on the west side, on the right-hand side of the street. * * * Q. When did you see the fire truck first? . How far away was it? A. Well, I noticed the fire truck at the other crossing about the south end of the block as I was coming up the street. Q. It was going— A. It was going north. * * * Q. Now, you may tell us, Mr. Snyder, what was the approximate speed of that fire truck as it was going north. A. Well, to my decision it was about 18 miles an hour, and which I also heard Mr. Duda to say that the speed indicator stopped on 18 miles. * * * Q. Did you see the Moschel car? A. Yes, sir. * * * Q. Tell the court and jury if you observed the speed of that car? A. Well, Mr. Moschel, to my estimation, was traveling about 25 miles an hour. Q. Yes. When he came to the crossing, or to the Johnson car, did he swerve his car or do anything with reference to stopping the car? A. Not a thing. * * * Q. When the Moschel car, or the Liberty car, struck the Johnson car, tell the court and jury what part of the Johnson [484]*484ear was struck by the Moschel "car. A. When the — when the man Moschel’s car hit the J ohnson car, it hit it back of the hub on the rear, on the right hand, Mr. Moschel’s right front wheel hit the Johnson car, swerving it around. * * * Q. Then what happened to the Johnson car? A. The Johnson car was thrown directly in front of the fire truck. * * * Q. I mean the Johnson car, what part of the Johnson car did it hit? A. It hit the rear end of the Johnson car also. Q. And did that cause the Johnson car to rebound? A. Yes, sir. Q. So that it was facing south? A. The Johnson car, when it stopped, after the truck had hit it, was facing the same way that Mr. Johnson was traveling; it was straight south. Q. Now, what happened to the two men in the Johnson car? A. The two men were both thrown out of the car. * * * Q. What happened then to Johnson, as to whether or not the rear wheel of the fire truck ran against him? A. Well, when Mr. Johnson landed on the paving, the fire truck was coming straight, and it appeared that Mr. Johnson was stunned and the fire truck ran onto his head, not passing over his head, but crushed his head. Q. Yes. A. So that his head was not over, I would say, three inches in thickness, but when the fire truck stopped at the center of the intersection, after sliding about ten feet or so after the brakes had been set, it drug the body of Mr. Johnson for ten feet béfore the truck stopped.”

On cross-examination he testified as follows: “Q. I believe you stated a moment ago you were just a little to the north of the north line of Cass street on the west? A. Well, I was about five or six feet from' the edge of the curbing. *'* * Q. You were going south? A. South. * * * Q. In your judgment, what was the rate of speed of the Ford car? A. About 18 to 20 miles an hour. Q. The Ford car passed you immediately to your left? A. Yes, sir. Q. How far away from the west curb of Eighteenth street? A. Well, I should judge that he was not over 3% feet away from the curbing. * * * Q. Who got onto the intersection first, Moschel, or the Ford car? A. Mr. Johnson — the [485]*485Ford car. * * * Q. How far had you observed the Moschel car coming? A. Up past the driveway into the filling station. Q. Could you give the jury an estimate in feet? A. Well, I should judge it would be about 60 or 75 feet. Q. From the west side of the intersection? A. The west side of Eighteenth street. * * Q. But where had Johnson gotten in the intersection when he was hit; how far to the south had he gotten? A. Well, he was about ready to leave the intersection. * * * Q. And did the Moschel car go in a direct easterly course? A. Yes, sir. Q. Did Mr. Johnson go on in a direct southerly course? A. No; Johnson’s car was throwed around. Q. No; I mean before he was hit? A.- Oh; yes, sir. * * * Q. And went directly south, and the other went directly east? A. Yes, sir. * * * Q. Well, you figured there would be a collision? A. I think there would be; yes, sir. Q. And so- your attention was' riveted on the situation? A. Yes, sir. * * Q. In your .judgment, had Johnson’s front wheel reached the south side of the intersection at the point of the collision? A. Yes, sir. * * * Q. Before you noticed, or at about the time you noticed, the Moschel car and saw Johnson’s car pull up -even with you, you observed the approach of the fire truck? A. Yes, sir. * * * Q. Well, within the block? A. Within the block, about half ways in the block, about, at that time. * * * Q. It was on the east side of the street? A. Well, it was — there was some cars parked, if I ain’t mistaken, some cars parked on the east side of the street, and it naturally had to get away to clear them cars. Q.

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Bluebook (online)
188 N.W. 122, 108 Neb. 481, 1922 Neb. LEXIS 277, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/johnson-v-city-of-omaha-neb-1922.