Kelch v. Courson

439 P.2d 528, 7 Ariz. App. 365, 1968 Ariz. App. LEXIS 396
CourtCourt of Appeals of Arizona
DecidedApril 9, 1968
Docket1 CA-CIV 388
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 439 P.2d 528 (Kelch v. Courson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Arizona primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Kelch v. Courson, 439 P.2d 528, 7 Ariz. App. 365, 1968 Ariz. App. LEXIS 396 (Ark. Ct. App. 1968).

Opinions

[367]*367MOLLOY, Judge.

This action resulted from an automobile accident which occurred June 9, 1961, at 23d Avenue and Camelback Road in Phoenix, Arizona. Plaintiffs sued defendants, Andrews, the driver of one of the cars, and Courson, the owner of the car Andrews was driving. On the trial of the action, the lower court directed a verdict in favor of defendant Courson, and the jury returned a verdict in favor of defendant Andrews. Plaintiffs appeal.

Plaintiffs predicate their appeal on several grounds, the first of which is that there was no evidence of negligence on plaintiffs’ part and hence no instruction on contributory negligence should have been given. Also, plaintiffs maintain that reversible error was committed in the instruction of the jury and that they were irreparably damaged by remarks of counsel exchanged in closing argument.

Plaintiffs were proceeding in their car in an easterly direction on Camelback Road in Phoenix, Arizona, approaching 23d Avenue. At that point, Camelback is a four-lane road, two lanes of traffic going east, and two west. The plaintiffs’ vehicle was in the southernmost, or right-hand lane. Immediately to the south of Camelback, and parallel thereto, is an irrigation ditch. In the left-hand lane of eastbound traffic, a car pulling a boat and trailer was stopped, preparing to turn left (north), onto 23d Avenue. The only traffic-control devices at this intersection are stop signs for the north-south traffic approaching Camelback on 23d Avenue.

As the Kelch vehicle entered the intersection, the defendant, who had been driving west on Camelback, made a left turn in front of the Kelch vehicle and a collision resulted.

INSTRUCTIONS RE NEGLIGENCE

The plaintiffs complain both of a failure to give an instruction to the jury that the defendant Andrews was guilty, as a matter of law, of negligence for violating A.R.S. § 28-7721 *****and of an instruction submitting to the jury the question of whether the plaintiff was guilty of contributory negligence. Both of these contentions require an analysis of the evidence pertaining to the cause of this accident.

The plaintiffs called as their witness a police officer who was qualified as an expert in the investigation of motor vehicle accidents. Taking his testimony at the fullest, to support the court’s rulings below, his testimony would indicate the plaintiffs’ vehicle was traveling somewhat in excess of 42 miles per hour 2 immediately prior to the accident in an area posted for a 35 miles an hour speed limit. The investigating officer testified the plaintiff Kelch informed him, [368]*368immediately after the áccident, that he had been going 35 miles per hour. Mr. Kelch testified at the trial:

“ * * * at the time of impact I wasn’t doing over 30 miles an hour.” (Emphasis added)

The total paved width of Camelback, at this intersection, was 42 feet, thus mandating that each lane would be approximately 10 feet in width. Maneuverability at this intersection, as far as the plaintiffs’ vehicle was concerned, was festricted by the trailer and boat in the left lane and by the ditch close to the road on the right side of the road. The point of impact was five feet two inches north of the south line of Camelback, and the Andrews vehicle was hit somewhat to the rear of center. There was testimony that this car was traveling at approximately ten miles per hour at the time of accident, thus indicating that in approximately half a second the defendant’s car would have been out of the intersection.

Under these facts, we are of the opinion there was sufficient evidence of contributory negligence to submit this as a factual issue to the jury, see A.R.S. § 28-701,3 and that the court properly denied an instruction which would have told the jury ■the defendant Andrews was guilty of negligence as a matter of law.4

The plaintiffs have cited no decision arising in this or any other jurisdiction which in a similar situation has ruled that the defendant was guilty of negligence as a matter of law. In a very comparable fact situation, when there seemed to be as much evidence of a violation of a right-of-way statute, our Supreme Court approved the refusal of the trial court to give such an instruction. Wolfe v. Ornelas, 84 Ariz. 115, 119—120, 324 P.2d 999, 1001 (1958).

in Wolfe, the Supreme Court was concerned with an application of A.R.S. § 28-773, which provides that after making a stop at the entrance to a through highway, the driver shall yield the right of way to vehicles:

“ * * * which have entered the intersection from the through highway or which are approaching so closely on the through highway as to constitute an immediate hazard * * (Emphasis added)

The Supreme Court approved the refusal to give an instruction:

“ * * * to the effect that the defendant Armida Ornelas was under the evidence negligent and that the same was the proximate cause of plaintiffs’ damages.” 84 Ariz. at 119, 324 P.2d at 1001.

The court stated:

“We think that Miss Ornelas’ admissions show clearly that she did ’ violate these sections [A.R.S. §§ 28-855 and 28-773].” 84 Ariz. at 120, 324 P.2d at 1001.

The court, however, upheld the refusal to give the requested instruction because it would have “ * * * in effect eliminated the question of contributory negligence.” (84 Ariz. at 120, 324 P.2d at 1001.)

In a two-car accident situation, or in any situation in which there may be counter charges of negligence, we believe our courts must be particularly careful as to the giving of a negligence-as-a-matter-of-law instruction, else we will make substantive rights depend upon which litigant wins the race to the courthouse. In this action, if Mr. Andrews had been so bold as to file suit immediately against the plaintiffs, it would he a violation of his constitutional rights to give the requested instruction. Wolfswinkel v. Southern Pacific Com[369]*369pany, 81 Ariz. 302, 305 P.2d 447 (1956), on rehearing 82 Ariz. 33, 307 P.2d 1040 (1957); and see Layton v. Rocha, 90 Ariz. 369, 368 P.2d 444 (1962).

In a case in which there was evidence that the plaintiffs’ vehicle was traveling between 53 and 58 miles per hour in a 35 miles per hour zone, and in which the “through street” type of “immediate hazard” problem was presented, this court (Division One) took the view that a negligence-as-a matter-of-law instruction should not be given. Boudreaux v. Edwards, 1 CA-CIV 573, released February 20, 1968.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Mott's Inc. of Mississippi v. Coco's Family Restaurant
762 P.2d 637 (Court of Appeals of Arizona, 1988)
Lininger v. Dine Out Corp.
639 P.2d 350 (Court of Appeals of Arizona, 1981)
W. R. Skousen Contractors, Inc. v. Chatter
536 P.2d 722 (Court of Appeals of Arizona, 1975)
City of Mesa v. Bradshaw
462 P.2d 864 (Court of Appeals of Arizona, 1969)
Hing v. Youtsey
460 P.2d 646 (Court of Appeals of Arizona, 1969)
Kelch v. Courson
439 P.2d 528 (Court of Appeals of Arizona, 1968)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
439 P.2d 528, 7 Ariz. App. 365, 1968 Ariz. App. LEXIS 396, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kelch-v-courson-arizctapp-1968.