Magee v. Cavins

197 S.W. 1015, 1917 Tex. App. LEXIS 867
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedOctober 17, 1917
DocketNo. 1224.
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 197 S.W. 1015 (Magee v. Cavins) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Magee v. Cavins, 197 S.W. 1015, 1917 Tex. App. LEXIS 867 (Tex. Ct. App. 1917).

Opinion

SARD, J.

This action was brought by ap-

pellant, Magee, against appellee, Cavins, to recover damages for injuries alleged to have resulted to appellant by reason of appellee striking appellant with his automobile. Appellant alleged negligence. Appellee answered, denying that he was negligent, and alleged that appellant was guilty of contributory negligence. The case was tried before a jury, and the special issues submitted to the jury and answers returned thereto are as follows:

“No. 3. Did defendant, at a time and place as alleged in plaintiff’s petition, drive an automobile to and towards plaintiff without watching out to observe plaintiff? Yes.”
“No. 4. If defendant, at a time and place as alleged in plaintiff’s petition, did drive an automobile to and toward plaintiff without watching out to observe him, was it negligence so to do? Yes.”
“No. 5. If defendant, at a time and place, as alleged in plaintiff’s petition, did drive an automobile to and toward plaintiff without watching out to observe him, was the same the proximate cause of plaintiff’s injury? Yes.”
“No. 5%- Did plaintiff, at a time and place as alleged in defendant’s answer, fail to look or listen for approaching vehicles, or step suddens Iy'and unexpectedly into the road in front_ of defendant’s moving automobile, without looking or listening for approaching vehicles? Yes.”
“No. 6. Was it negligence for plaintiff to be at the place where he was while defendant was approaching with his hand to his face, shading his eyes and observing an incoming passenger train, or with his back turned upon the approaching defendant and his eyes fixed upon the passenger train, or to fail, if plaintiff did fail, to look or listen for approaching vehicles, or to step suddenly and unexpectedly, if he did so, into the road in front of defendant’s moving automobile, without looking or listening for approaching vehicles? Yes.”
“No. 7. If it was negligence of plaintiff to be at the place where he was when defendant was approaching, with his hand to his face, shading his eyes and observing the incoming train, or with his back turned upon the approaching defendant and his attention fixed upon the passenger train, or to fail, if plaintiff did fail, to look or listen for approaching vehicles, or to step suddenly and unexpectedly, if he did so, into the road in front of defendant’s moving automobile, without looking or listening for approaching ve- *1016 hides, was same the proximate cause of his injury? Yes.”
“No. 8. If defendant, at a time and place as alleged in plaintiff’s petition, did drive an automobile to and toward plaintiff without watching out to observe him, and if same was negligence, and if it was negligence of plaintiff to be at the place where he was while defendant was approaching with his hands to his face, shading his eyes and observing an incoming passenger train, or with his back turned upon the approaching defendant and his attention fixed upon the passenger train, or to fail, if plaintiff did fail, to look or listen for approaching vehicles, or to step suddenly and unexpectedly, if he did so, into the road in front of defendant’s moving automobile, without looking or listening for approaching vehicles, did such negligence, if any, of plaintiff, concur with such negligence, if any, of defendant, so that such concurring negligence, if any, of plaintiff and defendant, became the proximate cause of plaintiff’s injury? Yes.”
“No. 9. If the proximate cause of plaintiff’s injury was the negligence, if any, of defendant, as those questions of negligence and proximate cause are submitted for your determination in special issues Nos. 3 and 4, then what sum of money, if paid at the present time, would compensate plaintiff for such injury? No damages allowed.”

The first assignment of error is:

“The finding of the jury, in answer to special issue No. 7, that plaintiff’s being at the place where he was when defendant was approaching, and with his hand to his face, shading his eyes and observing an incoming passenger train, or with his back turned upon the approaching defendant and his attention fixed upon the passenger train, or plaintiff’s failure to look or listen for approaching vehicles, or plaintiff’s stepping suddenly and unexpectedly into the road in front of defendant’s moving automobile, without looking or listening for approaching vehicles, was the proximate cause of plaintiff’s injury, is not supported by the evidence, for the reasons: (a) The proof clearly and affirmatively shows, and the jury found, that defendant, at a time and place alleged in plaintiff’s petition, drove an automobile to and toward plaintiff without watching out to observe plaintiff; (6) the proof clearly and affirmatively shows that defendant was driving his ear at a speed of not exceeding ten miles per hour, and that his brakes were in good condition and working well, and that defendant failed and did not look out for plaintiff, or give plaintiff any notice or signal of his approaching automobile; (c) the proof clearly and affirmatively shows that, but for the negligent acts of the defendant, the accident would not have happened, in that, had defendant watched out and observed plaintiff in the street, he could have avoided the accident by (11 stopping his car; (2) driving around plaintiff; (3) warning plaintiff by proper signal of the approach of his automobile; (d) the proof wholly fails toi show that any act of the plaintiff was the primary, original, continuous, moving cause of the accident and his injury.”

The proposition is urged under this assignment that if defendant, by the exercise of ordinary care, could and would have observed plaintiff standing in the street, and could have avoided injuring plaintiff, defendant’s failure to do so was negligence, and was the sole proximate cause of plaintiff’s injury.

[1-5] Appellee insists that because appellant objects to the seventh special interrogatory and the answer thereto, and does not object to any of the other special issues, with the findings of the jury thereon, if the answers to other issues not assailed in appellant’s brief will support the judgment, it should be affirmed. This position is well taken. Under article 1971, Revised Statutes, all objections to the charge, not presented in the trial court, are considered waived, and the fundamental rule of practice in this court is that, even though errors are assigned.in the motion for new trial in the court below, unless they are briefed and urged in this court, we must consider them waived. Scott v. F. & M. National Bank, 66 S. W. 493, 494. The judgment in favor of appellee is fully sustained by the findings of the jury in reply to special issues 6 and 8. Notwithstanding the rule, we have reviewed the evidence as set out in the 'brief of the parties, and in our opinion the question presented by the first assignment is simply one of the sufficiency of the evidence to support the verdict.

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

Related

Collum v. Neuhoff
507 S.W.2d 920 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1974)
Airline Motor Coaches, Inc. v. Parks
190 S.W.2d 142 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1945)
Helton v. Luse & Fosdick Drilling Co.
147 S.W.2d 831 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1941)
Cooper & Co. v. American Can Co.
153 A. 889 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 1931)
Latimer v. Ammons
245 S.W. 759 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1922)
Alamo Iron Works v. Prado
220 S.W. 282 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1920)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
197 S.W. 1015, 1917 Tex. App. LEXIS 867, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/magee-v-cavins-texapp-1917.