Maneff v. Lamer

54 P.2d 287, 152 Or. 619, 1936 Ore. LEXIS 182
CourtOregon Supreme Court
DecidedJanuary 16, 1936
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 54 P.2d 287 (Maneff v. Lamer) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Oregon Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Maneff v. Lamer, 54 P.2d 287, 152 Or. 619, 1936 Ore. LEXIS 182 (Or. 1936).

Opinion

CAMPBELL, C. J.

This is an action for personal injuries arising out of a collision of an automobile with a pedestrian.

Plaintiff was walking northerly on Third avenue in Portland and across its intersection with Salmon street when he was hit by an automobile driven by defendant. Defendant was driving his automobile northerly on Third avenue, and as he turned his machine westerly into Salmon street he collided with plaintiff. The case was tried to a jury resulting in a verdict and judgment for defendant. Plaintiff appeals.

The first assignment of error is based on the ruling of the court in sustaining an objection to a hypothetical question propounded to a medical expert on direct examination regarding the permanency of the injuries sustained by plaintiff.

The expert, sometime before the trial, had examined plaintiff. He testified that he had seen the defendant five or six times, made a very thorough examination of him, and also an X-ray picture of his skull and that the X-ray showed a fracture, and that from the history of the injury, and his examination, he would say plaintiff was permanently injured; that he found no objective symptoms of the injury on plaintiff’s person. He was then asked: * * is the injury in such a case a permanent injury or otherwise?” This question was *621 based on a hypothesis which did not include the fact of his examination or the knowledge that he gained therefrom, nor his examination of the X-ray picture. This question was objected to and the objection sustained.

No offer of proof was made and we might rest our decision on that point, but even if the expert testimony should be favorable to the plaintiff he already had the expert’s opinion on all the matters covered by the hypothetical question.

It is alleged in the complaint that plaintiff, “* * * in a careful and cautious manner was lawfully walking in the regular and usual pedestrian lane and crosswalk”. Defendant denied this allegation and alleged affirmatively that plaintiff did not cross the street in the usual and regular pedestrian lane, but crossed said street other than at a regular pedestrian lane.

It is unnecessary to cite authority to support the principle that where there is any substantial evidence in support of any material issue in the cause that issue should be submitted to the jury.

The plaintiff testified:

“Q. Where were you walking with reference to the sidewalks on the north and south side of Salmon Street as you were crossing Salmon Street; I mean the sidewalks along Third Street, the corners, where were you walking, just tell the jury?
A. I was walking to Third and Salmon Street, walking to north.
Q. Were you going directly north?
A. Yes, directly north.
Q. Were you crossing from one corner to the other, from one sidewalk to the other?
A. From one corner to the other, started to.
*****
Q. And what is the fact as to whether or not you were in the unmarked crosswalk in making that cross *622 ing at the end of the block, in what we call the pedestrian lane from one end of the sidewalk to the other end?
A. Well, I was just walking straight, walking across to the other street, walking to north.
Q. And intending to proceed along Third Street, as I understand you?
A. Yes.”

The defendant testified on the same matter and there can be no misunderstanding thereto.

“Q. Now about where was he crossing in relation to the west side of the sidewalk line?
A. Well, the sidewalks, I think they are about eight feet wide, are they not, six or eight feet wide ?
Q. I don’t know just how wide they are.
A. But he was walking down on the west side of Third Street on the extreme side of the sidewalk to the left, he wasn’t right out to the intersection on the corner.
Q. There were no marked pedestrian lines there I believe ?
A. No, there were not.
Q. Could you give us any idea as to whether he was in the regular pedestrian lane, or whether he was off?
A. He wouldn’t have been off, but if there had been a pedestrian lane there, I would say he would be on the extreme left of it, right walking about on the line.
Q. About on the line, walking about on the line?
A. Yes.
Q. You wouldn’t say on which side of the line?
A. No, I couldn’t.”

The foregoing evidence would indicate that plaintiff, at the time of crossing Salmon street, was in the regular pedestrian crosswalk. That, however, was not all the testimony on the subject. A map of the intersection of Third avenue and Southwest Salmon street, the intersection in which the accident occurred, was received in evidence without objection. The following *623 testimony was then given. (We assume that the witness was shown the map). The plaintiff further testified:

“Q. Now this is north, and this is south (referring to map), over here is the park Mock, and here, this is north, this is the park?
A. Yes.
Q. You were coming along about here?
A. Yes, right in here.
Q. And you say you stepped out about here somewhere ?
A. No, right here (indicating).
Q. About how far did you get out?
A. Oh, about three steps.
Q. And then you saw the lights down here?
A. Yes, right here (indicating).
Q. Eight here you saw the lights (indicating) ?
A. Yes, right here I saw the lights.”

There is nothing on the map nor is there any testimony showing what part of the intersection “here” is, nor is there anything to show where plaintiff “indicated” on the map. So far as this court knows, the testimony in connection with the map might show that plaintiff was entirely outside the regular pedestrian crosswalk.

The court instructed the jury in reference to the allegation as to who had the right of way:

“It is charged that the plaintiff did not cross at the regular pedestrian crossing, and therefore the defendant had the right of way.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
54 P.2d 287, 152 Or. 619, 1936 Ore. LEXIS 182, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/maneff-v-lamer-or-1936.