Lach v. Buckner

86 S.W.2d 954, 229 Mo. App. 1066, 1935 Mo. App. LEXIS 46
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedOctober 7, 1935
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 86 S.W.2d 954 (Lach v. Buckner) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Missouri Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Lach v. Buckner, 86 S.W.2d 954, 229 Mo. App. 1066, 1935 Mo. App. LEXIS 46 (Mo. Ct. App. 1935).

Opinion

TRIMBLE, J.

The action involved ■ herein is a suit for damages because of the fact that John E. Lach was struck by defendant’s truck as Lach was walking across the intersection of 61st Street and Brookside Boulevard in Kansas City, Missouri. Lach was walking east on 61st Street, crossing Brookside, and was in said intersection, when defendant’s Ford truck, driven-north by the latter’s servant on Brookside, struck and knocked Lach down. The accident occurred at 6:15 P. M., on November-19, 1930, and on March 24, 1931, Lach filed suit, to which defendant, Buckner, on May 12, 1931, filed answer. Thereafter, on November 4, 1932, defendant filed suggestions of the death of Lach, and on the 18th day of February, 1933, Grace Lach, as Administratrix of the estate of John E. Lach, deceased, filed motion to revive, under section 3280, Revised Statutes of Missouri, 1929 ( 5 Mo. St. Ann., p. 3398), which motion was sustained on the 18th of February, 1933, and Grace Lach, as such administratrix, was substituted as party plaintiff, and summons was ordered to issue for defendant, William G. Buckner, to appear on or before March 4, 1933, and show cause, if any, why the action should not he revived. *1068 Whereupon, defendant, on said 19th day of February, 1938, entered his appearance and -plaintiff filed her amended petition. Thereafter, on February 20, 1933, defendant filed written waiver of summons, and process and entry of appearance to the March term, 1933, to said amended petition.

On February 12, 1934, it being a part of the January term, 1934, of said court, defendant filed his amended answer to said amended petition.

Thereupon a trial was had, and on February 14, .1934, the jury returned a verdict in plaintiff’s favor for $3,800. Defendant has duly appealed.

Said amended petition charged negligence in that defendant:

1. Negligently and carelessly failed to keep a reasonably careful and vigilant lookout for pedestrians on said street intersection.

2. Failed to sound or give a signal of warning of the approach of said truck.

3. Moved and operated said truck at an excessive, dangerous and unreasonable rate of speed under the circumstances then and there existing.

4. Drove and operated said truck in the nighttime at more than a half-hour after sundown without any or sufficient lights on said truck.

5. Failed to keep-truck under such reasonable control so as to be able to stop the same, when, by the exercise of the highest degree of care, it should have appeared that there was danger of striking and injuring said John E. Lach.

6. Failed to exercise the highest degree of care in the operation of said truck and failed to stop said truck and prevent striking said John E. Lach.

7. Failed to swerve said truck aside, or slacken the speed thereof, or stop the same, or give timely signal of warning of the approach thereof, by reason of which the striking and injury of said John E. Lach could have been prevented.

8. That “each and every one of said negligent acts operated jointly and. concurrently to and did cause the injury to the said John E. Lach,” by reason of which he was damaged in the sum of $25,000 and for which judgment was prayed.

The amended answer to plaintiff’s amended petition first contained a general denial, next a plea that John E. Lach was guilty of contributory negligence in that he “failed'to exercise ordinary care for his own safety in crossing said intersection; ’ ’ that he failed to exercise ordinary care in observing approaching traffic, and negligently failed to avoid placing himself in a position of danger at said time and place; in that said Lach “negligently followed a diagonal course in crossing said intersection instead of following the sidewalk lines; ’ ’ *1069 in that said Laeh, “although he saw or in the exercise of ordinary care for his own safety could have seen the truck ... in time by the exercise of ordinary care for his own safety to have avoided colliding with the same, nevertheless placed himself in a position of danger, and negligently failed to remove himself therefrom. ’ ’

In defendant’s opening statement to the jury, his counsel stated that the accident happened November 19, 1930, and two years later, sometime in November, 1932, Mr. Laeh died from cerebral hemorrhage, and the contributing cause, as given by the doctors, was arteriosclerosis, which means hardening of the arteries. “Now, gentlement of the jury, there is no claim in this petition, and it is not claimed, and there will be no evidence in the ease that this accident caused the arteriosclerosis; there vyill be no evidence that it caused the stroke from which he suffered between the time' of the accident and the time of his death, nor will it be in evidence that it produced the cerebral hemorrhage from which Mr. Laeh died in 1932.”

It is contended by defendant that the court erred in refusing to direct a verdict for defendant as requested by him at the .close of the entire ease. Defendant’s claim is that, notwithstanding plaintiff’s cause of action 'Stands revived under the provisions of section 3280, Revised Statutes of Missouri, 1929, 5 Mo. St. Ann., p. 3298, which applies only to injuries, “other than those resulting in death,” yet, nevertheless, the evidence introduced by plaintiff is to the effect that John E. Lach’s death was precipitated and hastened by his alleged injuries. This contention cannot be answered, in this case, merely by the argument that the ease was tried, by both sides, on the theory that decedent’s death was not the result of the collision or the acts complained, of. It may well be, that if the case was so tried by both sides, defendant would not be allowed to change his theory on appeal. [Roth, Admr., v. City of St. Joseph, 180 Mo. App. 381.] We are not saying that a defendant may not, by the manner in which the case is tried, preclude himself from raising the point on appeal that the evidence shows that the death resulted from the injuries sued for in the revived case, and, therefore, the ease is not revivable under Section 3280. It is possible for him to so preclude himself, under certain circumstances. [Jordan v. St. Joseph, etc., Power Co., 73 S. W. (2d) 205, 213.] The revived case does not show any express statement or concession on the above question, in the pleadings. Plaintiff, in her petition, alleged that decedent’s death was not so caused, and defendant, by his amended answer containing a general denial, technically disputed that allegation. It cannot be said that defendant’s counsel, in his opening statement to the jury, conceded that the death was not caused by the collision. At most, said opening statement was merely telling the jury what the plaintiff had pleaded, and what counsel thought- plain *1070 tiff’s evidence would be. Defendant’s given'•instruction J does not bind him to the theory that the collisions-didt'not result in. plaintiff’s husband’s death, for it only told the jury that plaintiff “makes no claim” that-said husband’s death-was caused by the accident; and the fact that the instruction ended by saying that “you are instructed that -the plaintiff cannot in this' action recover damages for the death of said John. E.

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Bluebook (online)
86 S.W.2d 954, 229 Mo. App. 1066, 1935 Mo. App. LEXIS 46, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lach-v-buckner-moctapp-1935.