Johnson v. Manners

157 N.E.2d 758, 80 Ohio Law. Abs. 142, 1957 Ohio App. LEXIS 1011
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedOctober 9, 1957
DocketNo. 3910
StatusPublished

This text of 157 N.E.2d 758 (Johnson v. Manners) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Johnson v. Manners, 157 N.E.2d 758, 80 Ohio Law. Abs. 142, 1957 Ohio App. LEXIS 1011 (Ohio Ct. App. 1957).

Opinion

OPINION

By PHILLIPS, J. .

Plaintiff appeals on questions of law from a judgment of the court of common pleas entered upon a jury verdict returned for defendant in her action against defendant, a minor, to recover damages for personal injuries/

Mahoning Avenue, a main thoroughfare of the city of Youngstown, extends in a general easterly and westerly direction within the corporate limits thereof and crosses Richview Avenue, the southerly portion of which, known as South Richview Avenue, dead ends at Mahoning Avenue about one hundred twenty-five feet west of the place where the northerly portion thereof, known as North Richview Avenue, dead ends at Mahoning Avenue.

North Brockway Avenue extends in a northerly direction from Ma-honing Avenue about one hundred twenty-five feet west of South Rich-view Avenue. Traffic moving on that street and Mahoning Avenue at that point is controlled by an automatic traffic signal light.

About 9:15 P. M. on February 28, 1955, plaintiff was in the act of crossing from the south to the north side of Mahoning Avenue at a place where an extension of the westerly sidewalk of South Richview Avenue would cross Mahoning Avenue at a time when the light controlling traffic at North Brockway and Mahoning Avenues indicated red. blocking traffic at North Brockway and Mahoning Avenue, when defendant allegedly operated his automobile in an easterly direction on Mahoning Avenue, allegedly against such traffic signal, into collision with plaintiff at a time when she was just approaching the mid-line of Mahoning Avenue, the vehicular travelled portion of which at that place was about forty feet wide.

Plaintiff objected to the following answer with reference to the speed of defendant’s car, and allowance thereof remaining in the bill of exceptions:—

“I am really no judge of speed, but he was going slow.”

Ruling on the objection the trial judge said, and we believe rightly:—

“No; strange as it may seem to you, I am going to allow that answer [144]*144to stand. While he says he is not a judge of speed, that is a case of how the car appeared to be in motion to him, and I think it may remain. with an exception to the ruling.”'

Subsequently in the trial of the case a witness answered with reference to the speed of defendant’s car:—

“I don’t know any approximate speed, but he wasn’t going fast.”

Plaintiff’s counsel objected to the foregoing answer. Whereupon counsel for defendant said “it may be stricken,” and the trial judge added “I would have to sustain that.” Plaintiff’s counsel argues, erroneously we believe, that this was evidence of the fact that the trial judge should have sustained plaintiff’s objection to the former answer quoted supra.

In State v. Auerbach, 108 Oh St 96, syllabus 1, it is said:—

“It is a general rule that any person of ordinary intelligence, who has had an opportunity for observation, is competent to testify as to the rate of speed of a moving automobile; the qualifications of the witness to judge accurately going to the weight which the jury may give his testimony rather than to its competency. Unless an abuse of discretion appears in permitting an expression of such opinion, no prejudicial error intervenes.”

Under the assigned ground of “error of law appearing on the record prejudicial to the rights of the plaintiff which prevented her from having a fair trial and receiving substantial justice” plaintiff complains that the issue of contributory negligence, which she contends was not raised by the pleadings nor the evidence, was “interjected by the court at the instance of the defendant in his special requests to charge before argument,” which the court submitted to the jury, “and reiterated and reemphasized the contents” thereof “in his general charge.”

In the case of Centrello v. Basky, 164 Oh St 41, at page 47, the supreme court said:—

“This court has held in several instances that, even though the pleadings do not raise the issue of contributory negligence, if it arises in a case by virtue of the evidence, the court should charge on that subject. Bradley v. Cleveland Ry. Co., 112 Oh St 35, 146 N. E., 805; Fries v. Cincinnati St. Ry. Co., 138 Oh St 537, 37 N. E. (2d), 193; 29 O. Jur., 785, Section 234. Compare Schreiber v. National Smelting Co., 157 Oh St 1, 104 N. E. (2d) 4.”

Without setting forth here, in our opinion plaintiff’s testimony and that of her mother, Leola Rosser, raised the issue of contributory negligence.

In the case of Patton v. Pennsylvania Railroad Co., 136 Oh St 159, at page 165, the court said:—

“ ‘Surely it will not do for one to claim the right to recover simply because he has looked and did not see, if the conditions are such that, had he looked, he must have seen. When he says he did look, and the conditions establish the fact that any one who- looked would have seen, then, if he says he did not see, his own evidence establishes the fact that he did not look, though he may think he did.’ See, also, Cincinnati, N. O. & T. P. Ry. Co. v. Farra (6 C. C. A.), 66 F., 496; Erie Rd. Co. v. Hurlburt (6 C. C. A.), 221 F., 907.”

[145]*145The trial judge submitted to the jury, over plaintiff’s objection, the following requests to charge before argument:—

“1. The legislature of the State of Ohio passed a statute which was in full force and effect on the day this accident happened. A part of that statute provided as follows: ‘Pedestrians shall not step into or upon a public road or highway without looking in both directions to see what is approaching.’ And I say to you as a matter of law that a violation of this statute is negligence per se or negligence in itself.
“2. The defendant, Richard Manners, had the right to assume, in the absence of knowledge to the contrary, that the plaintiff in this case, Leola Johnson, in attempting to cross Mahoning Avenue would act as a person of ordinary care and prudence and exercise ordinary care to make use of her senses of sight and hearing for her own protection.
“3. If you find from the evidence in this case that the view of the plaintiff, Leola Johnson,' from the curb to the west for vehicular traffic moving easterly on Mahoning Avenue at said time and place was somewhat obstructed by automobiles parked near the intersection and along the southerly side thereof, and you further find that the plaintiff attempted to cross said Mahoning Avenue at or near the intersection of South Richview Avenue and passed said parked cars, then I say to you as a matter of law that the plaintiff was charged with the duty of exercising ordinary care to make use of her senses of sight and hearing for her own protection as would a person of ordinary care and prudence.
“4.

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Related

Knisely v. Community Traction Co.
180 N.E. 654 (Ohio Supreme Court, 1932)
Bradley v. Cleveland Ry. Co.
146 N.E. 805 (Ohio Supreme Court, 1925)
Erie R. v. Hurlburt
221 F. 907 (Sixth Circuit, 1915)
Cincinnati, N. O. & T. P. Ry. Co. v. Farra
66 F. 496 (Sixth Circuit, 1895)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
157 N.E.2d 758, 80 Ohio Law. Abs. 142, 1957 Ohio App. LEXIS 1011, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/johnson-v-manners-ohioctapp-1957.