Martin v. Cafer

138 N.W.2d 71, 258 Iowa 176, 1965 Iowa Sup. LEXIS 721
CourtSupreme Court of Iowa
DecidedNovember 16, 1965
Docket51775
StatusPublished
Cited by24 cases

This text of 138 N.W.2d 71 (Martin v. Cafer) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Martin v. Cafer, 138 N.W.2d 71, 258 Iowa 176, 1965 Iowa Sup. LEXIS 721 (iowa 1965).

Opinions

Thornton, J.-

This is a guest case, brought by plaintiff-passenger to recover for injuries received when the car turned over. The trial court directed a verdict against plaintiff at the close of his evidence because of tbe insufficiency of the evidence to show recklessness. He appeals.

Plaintiff complains of rulings on evidence and the direction of the verdict.

I. Tbe trial court sustained objections to plaintiff’s offer of a portion of defendant’s discovery depositions taken pursuant to rule 144(b), Rules of Civil.Procedure. Defendant now concedes this was error, White v. Walstrom, 254 Iowa 646, 650, 118 N.W.2d 578, but argues it was not prejudicial as the evidence contained in the deposition coupled with other evideuce in the record would not make a prima facie case of recklessness.

II, Plaintiff’s case is based on reckless operation by the [179]*179defendant-owner and driver of a Triumph hardtop in which plaintiff was riding as a guest. Section 321.494, Code, 1962. He is entitled to have his evidence viewed in the light most favorable to him, rule 344(f) 2, Rules of Civil Procedure. We need consider only the evidence favorable to plaintiff, whether or not it was contradicted. Lewis v. Baker, 251 Iowa 1173, 1177, 104 N.W.2d 575. To entitle plaintiff to have his case considered by a jury there must be facts from which the inference of recklessness may be fairly drawn.

The parties have cited all of the pertinent eases under the guest statute in Iowa. They agree on the definition of reckless operation and the elements of recklessness. They have often been stated as follows:

Reckless operation of a motor vehicle as used in section 321.494, Code, 1962, means more than negligence, more than want of ordinary care. It means, proceeding with no care coupled with disregard for consequences, the acts must manifest a heedless disregard for or indifference to the rights of others in the face of apparent danger or danger so obvious the operator should be cognizant of it, when the consequences of such actions are such an injury is a probability rather than a possibility. Recklessness may include willfulness or wantonness, but if the conduct is more than negligent it may be reckless without being willful and wanton. The elements of recklessness are: (1) No care coupled with disregard for consequences. (2) There must be evidence of defendant’s knowledge, actual or chargeable, of danger and proceeding without any heed of or concern for consequences. And (3)The consequences of the actions of the driver are such that the occurrence of injury is a probability rather than a possibility. We have required evidence of a persistent course of conduct to show no care coupled with disregard of consequences. If it were not so required we would be allowing an inference of recklessness from every negligent act.

The difficulty in each case is, from the facts shown may the> inference of recklessness be fairly drawn? Our duty is not to determine whether the facts constitute recklessness, but only are they such a jury may properly do so.

Plaintiff’s evidence shows defendant and he were friends [180]*180and neighbors, defendant offered plaintiff a ride to cheek on future employment. After plaintiff had called at the employers he met defendant* again at a club where they played cards and drank four bottles of beer each from about 1 p.m. to between 4 and 5 p.m. when they started their return trip. Defendant drove onto Highway No. 61, West River Drive, a four-lane divided highway in Davenport, without stopping. He shifted his Triumph through-four speeds and by that time was driving 60 miles per hour in fairly heavy five o’clock traffic. As they approached the intersection of Concord Street and West River Drive at the same speed there were other vehicles occupying the intersection and turning both left and right; defendant drove in between the turning ears, saying, “That’s pretty good driving, isn’t it?” Plaintiff then said to defendant, “If you are going to drive like this, I would just as leave you would let me out.” Defendant continued to drive between 60 and 70 miles per hour. Plaintiff again said to defendant that “if he' was going to drive like that I would just as leave he would let me out, because I didn’t like-to ride like this, as fast' as he was driving, I thought he ought to slow down.” Defendant did not answer. Defendant continued to- so drive to Fairmount Street about one quarter of a mile west of Concord Street and turned right into Fairmount Street without applying his brakes or slowing down. After making the turn the Triumph turned over on Fairmount Street at a point from a half a car length to 80 or 100 feet from the intersection. The jury could properly find no attempt was- made by defendant to-apply the brakes-, that the car had made a complete turnaround, then rolled completely over onto its wheels again and defendant attempted to drive away but got no farther than 200 feet from the intersection. Fairmount -Street forms a T intersection with West River Drive. Fairmount Street is the trunk of the T. The speed limit on West River Drive was 45 miles per hour. Plaintiff and a young lady driving on West River Drive testified to defendant’s speed, failure to apply brakes, turn and rolling over. Two police officers testified to- the tire marks and debris- made by defendant’s car in turning and rolling over. The evidence shows defendant lived within five blocks- of the corner and was acquainted with it. It could be properly inferred from their tes[181]*181timony defendant did not at anytime apply the brakes. In his deposition defendant testified he knew he was going to turn at Fairmount Street and he did not apply his brakes before making the turn and the brakes on the right front wheel “grabbed and turned us over.” He testified he knew of this grabbing condition since he had the car. The distance from the club to Concord Street is one-half mile, from Concord Street to Fairmount one-fourth mile.

We have this question, Does driving between 60 to 70 miles per hour for three quarters of a mile in a 45-mile-per-hour zone through fairly heavy five o’clock traffic and making a right-angle turn from the arm to the trunk of a known T intersection without in any manner slowing down constitute evidence from which an inference of recklessness may be drawn?

The evidence clearly shows excessive speed from the club to the T intersection, plaintiff’s requests to slow down or let him out, a right-angle turn at between 60 to 70 miles per hour, and defendant’s knowledge of the corner and his intent to turn there. The cause of the accident was the sharp turn at high speed. If the defendant had continued west or decreased his speed the accident would not have happened. The facts here are somewhat similar to those in Allbee v. Berry, 254 Iowa 712, 119 N.W.2d 230, where the defendant was driving between 80 and 100 miles per hour downhill on the trunk of a known T intersection outside of a city or town; after requests to apply his brakes he did not do so until he was within 200 to 250 feet of the intersection but was unable to stop. We there held reckless operation was a jury question.

In the Allbee ease and this one defendants knew of impending danger; the speed was not decreased. Injury was a probability rather than a possibility.

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Martin v. Cafer
138 N.W.2d 71 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1965)

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Bluebook (online)
138 N.W.2d 71, 258 Iowa 176, 1965 Iowa Sup. LEXIS 721, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/martin-v-cafer-iowa-1965.