Jones v. Burke

51 So. 2d 322, 1951 La. App. LEXIS 619
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedMarch 15, 1951
DocketNo. 3346
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 51 So. 2d 322 (Jones v. Burke) 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
Jones v. Burke, 51 So. 2d 322, 1951 La. App. LEXIS 619 (La. Ct. App. 1951).

Opinion

DORÉ, Judge.

These two cases, arising out of the same accident, were consolidated for trial in the lower court and consolidated in this court on appeal. The accident occurred on the night of October 7, 1949, in Beauregard Parish, at a point some -one and one-half or two miles north of the community of Longville, on U. S. Highway 171. One of the plaintiffs, Rev. George I. Jones, a Baptist minister, had left his home near De-Ridder early on the morning of October 7th and had .driven to New Orleans in order to pick up Albert G. Palmer, a minister of another faith, and Palmer’s small daughter who was that day being discharged from .Charity Hospital. The girl was in a cast from her chest almost to her feet. She was placed on the rear seat of the car, a 1949 Pontiac .sedan, while the two men rode on the front seat. They left the hospital between 2:45 and 3 :00 P.M., and had an uneventful return trip up to the time of the accident, which occurred at about 8:45 P.M. They made three short stops, once to get soft drinks, once to get ice cream for the child, ánd once to wipe off the windshield. By the time they had readied Opelousas the weather had become cloudy and light rain had begun to fall, necessitating the use of windshield wipers for the rest of the trip. From Hollings-worth the parties travelled practically due north along Highway 171 for approximately nine or ten miles, to where the accident occurred. The terrain there is slightly rolling, with no big or steep hills. Rev. Jones testified that just prior to the collision he had been driving about fifty miles an hour; that it had been raining off and on, and his windshield wipers were working; and that his headlights were on bright. Immediately prior to the accident he admits having seen what appeared to be a shadow on the road, on an incline that he was beginning to ascend. His testimony is that he then removed his foot from the accelerator, but before he could identify [324]*324the “shadow” as a vehicle in his path it was too late to either stop or go around the vehicle, and consequently his car and the vehicle collided.

What plaintiffs collided with was a dual wheel trailer bearing an air compressor and Ford motor, pulled by a 1942 model Chevrolet Army truck. This unit and a 1939 International truck immediately ahead of it, on which wás mounted a rotary drilling rig, were owned by C. B. Sollay, A. A. Sollay,' doing business as Sollay Brothers’ Water Well Service, who, along with their insurer, Travelers Indemnity Company, and David H. Burke and Chester Blanchard, the drivers of the two ■ motor units, are made defendants herein. ■ The International truck ánd mounted rig had a gross weight of some 17,000 pounds; the Chevrolet and attached trailer unit had a gross weight o'f 14,000 pounds.' These units, accompanied by C. B. Sollay, who was driving his car, had left Ged, Louisiana, between 4 :30 and 5:00 P.M. and were on the way to' a new well location approximately four miles north of Longville and off some distance from the paved road.

In the Jones suit, it is alleged in Articles 14 arid‘15 that:

“Petitioner further shows that .both of said trucks and the trailer thereto attached were painted Blue-Gray and -their color blended with the night, preventing petitioner from seeing said trucks and trailer in time.

“Petitioner further shows that the elevation of said highway immediately, prior to the point of the accident is not level, but that your petitioner had driven down a. long hill slope to the bottom of a natural water drain or branch and the highway, while straight, rises on a hill slope, on the opposite side of said water drain, and immediately when the level of your petitioner’s headlights picked up and illuminated the hill slope, going up, that he was suddenly confronted with the truck and trailer, parked upon said highway and in his lane of traffic.”

.The plaintiffs made several allegations of negligence, the chief of which were that defendants were negligent in blocking the eastern or right lane of the highway with the two trucks and trailer; that the trucks and trailer were stopped on the highway without any taillights or clearance lights burning or visible and without any flares or other warnings being put out to give notice of their presence.

Defendants filed an exception of no cause of action in the suit brought by plaintiff Jones. There is in the record a statement in.the minutes of October 16, 1950 stating that “The exception of no cause or right of action is hereby overruled” in the case brought by plaintiff Palmer; this was apparently meant to apply to the exception filed in the Jones case. At any rate, the cases were consolidated and tried together, after answers were filed. Motors Insurance Corporation intervened in the Jones suit, claiming that intervenor was entitled to $1,760.49 out of what Jones might recover' on the ground that the com-pány had his car insured and paid his loss up'to that amount.

The defense to the Jones suit was that the accident resulted solely'from negligence of the plaintiff in driving at an excessive and unlawful rate of speed, in not maintaining a proper lookout, and in failing to have his car under proper control; contributory negligence was pleaded in the alternative. By way of defense to the Palmer suit defendants alleged that the accident was caused by Jones’ negligence which was imputed to Palmer for the reason that they were engaged in a joint venture, and in the alternative, for the reason that Jones was the agent of Palmer; and in the further alternative it was alleged that Palmer was contributorily negligent in the following among other respects:

“In riding in the vehicle being driven by G. J. Jones at a grossly excessive and unlawful rate of speed.

“In riding in the vehicle being then driven by G. J. Jones at a grossly, excessive and unlawful rate of speed under the adverse weather and road conditions then existing at the time and place of the accident.

“In carelessly and negligently failing to maintain a proper lookout for his own and the safety of others while permitting himself to be driven at a reckless and unlawful rate of speed.

[325]*325“In riding in the vehicle driven by G. Jones and being then operated in a; grossly ¡negligent manner and at an excessive rate of .speed under the adverse weather and road conditions existing, and without the vehicle being under proper control of the driver, all to his certain knowledge.

“In riding and continuing to ride in the vehicle being negligently operated in the manner above set forth in (a), (b), (c), and (d) without protest.”

After hearing the • evidence the lower court, in very brief written reasons, concluded that after the truck driven by Burke had broken down, the truck and trailer operated by Blanchard came to a stop on the right-hand side of the highway and the accident occurred within four or five minutes afterward; and that Blanchard was negligent in not placing flares on the highway as required by law.. The trial judge further concluded that plaintiff Jones was negligent in driving his car at the rate of fifty miles per hour and in not keeping a proper lookout for vehicles ahead of him; and the demands of Jones were rejected at his costs. The Court found that Palmer was a guest in the Jones car, that he did not have an opportunity to warn Jones of the danger, and that he was not guilty of negligence.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
51 So. 2d 322, 1951 La. App. LEXIS 619, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jones-v-burke-lactapp-1951.