Kessler v. Brown

32 N.E.2d 68, 30 Ohio Law. Abs. 321, 17 Ohio Op. 42, 1939 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 886
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedOctober 11, 1939
DocketNo. 1849
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 32 N.E.2d 68 (Kessler v. Brown) 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
Kessler v. Brown, 32 N.E.2d 68, 30 Ohio Law. Abs. 321, 17 Ohio Op. 42, 1939 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 886 (Ohio Ct. App. 1939).

Opinion

OPINION

By LEMERT, J.

This cause was one for damages for the wrongful death of George Kessler brought by the administratrix of his estate for and on behalf of his widow and next of kin against George Brown, doing business as’ the Quality Tire Company, the employer of one Joe French, the operator of a truck owned by the defendant, which truck collided with an automobile being driven by plaintiff’s decedent, causing injuries to plaintiff’s decedent from which he died. The col[322]*322lision happened at a point approximately one-half mile north of the northerly limits of North Canton, Ohio," on State Route No. 8,. at about 4:45 on the afternoon of the 27th ¡lay of November, 1937, and at a point directly in front.of the plaintiff’s decedent’s residence located on the west side of said highway. State Route No. 8 at this location is a 41 foot highway, brick pavement: Plaintiff’s decedent was on his way home from his employment in Canton, Ohio, driving in a northerly direction. Upon reaching a point opposite his driveway on the said highway, the plaintiff’s decedent stopped crosswise of the concrete strip marking the center of said highway slanted toward the entrance into his driveway. Defendant’s agent was operating defendant’s truck in a southerly direction upon said highway. Plaintiff claimed that defendant’s agent operated the said truck out into the' center of the said highway and into the right side of plaintiff’s decedent’s automobile, causing it to tip over on its side and to be pushed a distance of over 30 feet up to and against a telephone pole located over the westerly curb of the said highway.

Defendant’s contention was that plaintiff’s decedent drove his automobile from the stopped position directly into the path of the approaching truck and that the truck collided with the right side of plaintiff’s .decedent’s automobile, causing it to be tipped over oh its side and stopped at a position either against or near the same telephone pole.

The jury in the Common Pleas Court rendered a verdict for the defendant, and this appeal is being prosecuted in this court upon the following assignments:

1st. That certain evidence constituting part of the res gestae was excluded.

2nd. That certain rebuttal testimony offered by the plaintiff was excluded.

. 3rd. That certain erroneous special, request charges in writing before argument by the defendant were permitted and delivered by the Court.

4th. That the Court erred in its general charge by limiting the jury’s consideration of certain of plaintiff’s evidence.

5th. The Court erred in its, charge in defining “preponderance of evidence”.

6th. That the verdict was manifestly against the weight of the evidence.

In this opinion we will proceed to deal with the 6th and last assignment of error first; to-wit, “that the verdict was • manifestly against the weight oí the evidence”.

To properly dispose of this assignment of error, we have found it.tó be necessary to read the record, which we have done with some degree of care, and from a careful examination of this record we are of the opinion that the verdict of the jury is not manifestly against the weight of the evidence, and that there is ample evidence in the record to sustain the verdict.

Proceeding now to' the first assignment of error, to-wit, “that certain, evidence constituting part of the res gestae was excluded”. For a correct decision on this point, we quote briefly from the record:

“Page 10. Direct examination of Mrs. Kessler:
Q. How long after the crash was it before the truck driver, Joe French came into the house?
A. It was about 10 minutes.
Page 11:
Q. What, if anything, did the driver of the truck say—
Object.
Q. —on coming into the house?
Object.
Court: Will counsel come to the bench? Therepon Court and counsel, conferred off the record.
Court: Unless you show that this is an exception to the general rule .the OBJECTION IS SUSTAINED for- the present.
A. Mr, Corlett: as a proffer to that former question which .was not permitted to be answered, the witness [323]*323would have testified: “The truck driver said T gave it all I had to get around. I was going at least 60 miles per hour’. ”
“Page 69. Direct examination of Mrs. Martha Fall:
A. Then they pulled the car up, on its wheels, Mr. Kessler fell out. Some men caught him, Mrs. Kessler arid myself was there by the car, and each of us took hold of him arid we helped him into the yard.
Q. Then what happened?
A. He went down on us, and brought us down with him, because we couldn’t hold him, but my husband and another man helped carry him in.
Q. Who all were in the house after-wards, as nearly as you can recall?
' A. Myself and my husband, my boy, and the truck driver, and a girl named Stone, as near as I can remember.
Q. Did you hear the truck driver say anything in the Kessler residence at that time?
Object.
Court: On what theory do you urge that again?
Mr. Corlett: I am asking if she heard them make a statement.
Court: You may answer Yes or No, and then stop.
Mr. Corlett: If the Court please.
Thereupon Court and counsel conferred off the record.
Court: Objection sustained. She ’may not give the conversation.
Exceptions to plaintiff.
Page 70:
Mr. Corlett proffers: The witness, if permitted to answer would testify that the truck driver, Joseph French, made the statement T gave it all I had- to get around it, but the damned fool wouldn’t get out of the center of the road. I was going at least 60 miles per hour’.
Court: Court is of opinion that the remark of the truck driver in question which plaintiff seeks to introduce in evidence is incompetent) as it was made some time after the collision m question occurred, is narrative in form and in no wise constitutes a part of the res gestae of the case.”

It is plaintiff’s contention that these statements which Mrs. Kessler arid Mrs. Fall would have testified were made by Jrie French, the driver of defendant’s truck, about 10 minutes after the collision itself occurred, constitute part of the res gestae of the collision.

The Court below refused to permit this testimony to go to the jury, holding that it did not constitute a part of the res gestae. From an examination of the record, we deem it unnecessary to pass upon appellants contention in. this regard for the reason that it is to ' be noted that this alleged testimony came into the record later, probably as a part of the plaintiff’s rebuttal, the record Page 184, 193, 198, and for that reason no prejudice could ensue.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
32 N.E.2d 68, 30 Ohio Law. Abs. 321, 17 Ohio Op. 42, 1939 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 886, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kessler-v-brown-ohioctapp-1939.