McDermott v. Ida County

186 Iowa 736
CourtSupreme Court of Iowa
DecidedApril 14, 1919
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 186 Iowa 736 (McDermott v. Ida County) 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
McDermott v. Ida County, 186 Iowa 736 (iowa 1919).

Opinion

Salinger, J.

I. On September 5, 1911, the appellee’s intestate came to his death while attempting to cross a bridge maintained by defendant county, with a threshing outfit. To the charge in petition that the bridge was, at this time, in unsafe condition, the answer interposes a general denial. But it is practically without dispute that the bridge was in bad condition and in a negligent state of repair, as early as June preceding, and the real claim of defendant is that it was put into safe condition by some repairs made in June. We think the errors relied upon for reversal may be disposed of without making a full statement of the facts.

ERRont reservaeviaencfradmit-: objection. II. One Ferguson was, at one time, a member of the defendant’s board of supervisors. Witness Brown was permitted to testify that Ferguson had declared to him, in effect, that he (Ferguson) knew this bridge was unsafe. Complaint is made of the reception of this testimony. It seems to have been received without objection, and therefore may not be complained of now.

[739]*7392. Appeal and waived ¿n'01's estoppel6by°urt' requesting instruction [738]*738III. In essence, there were but two fact questions: [739]*739First, whether the county made sufficient repair of the bridge in the spring of 1914; second, whether plaintiff’s intestate exercised ordinary care and prudence in attempting to cross when and as he did. Appellant contends a verdict should have been directed for it. The avoidance is that, if it be assumed the motion for such verdict was well made, error in overruling it is waived because defendant, after the motion was overruled, asked instructions and special interrogatories which recognized there was a jury question as to all of said matters. It remains to determine whether this avoidance is tenable. We find, from an examination of the record, that defendant asked, and the court submitted, two special interrogatories, directed to said two fact questions; that Instruction 3, requested by defendant, recognizes it to be a question of fact whether decedent knew of the defect in the bridge; and that Instruction 9, offered, asked a charge that it was for the jury to determine whether decedent should have discovered the unsafe condition of the bridge. Moreover, the court gave a large number of instructions on its own motion; and all of them, except stock instructions, * declare that the whole controversy is a question of fact. And appellant took no exceptions to any of these instructions, except to a part of Instruction No. 20. That exception itself practically recognizes that the controversy is, in its general aspects, one for the jury. We said, in Cheney v. Stevens, 173 Iowa 288, that a request for instruction on particular issues is virtually an admission that there was sufficient evidence to warrant the submission of such issues, precluding contentions otherwise.

We are of opinion the avoidance is good, and that, therefore, it was not reversible error to deny the motion of the defendant for an instructed verdict.

[740]*7403. bridges : instructions: pairs. IV. In Instruction 20, the court charged that, if the jury find “that such repairs, according to the method of their construction, were temporary, and likely to give way or be removed, and leave the bridge in an unsafe condition, and that the board of supervisors so knew, or, m the exercise of ordinary care, should have known of such character of such repairs, then it was the duty of the board to use diligence, acting as reasonably careful prudent persons, to see that such repairs remained in position.” This was excepted to, first, “because said portion of said instruction places the burden upon the county of seeing that the repairs which it made on said bridge remained in position.” The part of the charge to which this exception is directed does not make it the absolute duty of the board to see that the repairs remain in condition, but that such was its duty if the repairs were of a character which, “according to the method of their construction, were temporary, and likely to give way, or be removed, and leave the place in an unsafe condition, and that the board so knew, or, in the exercise of ordinary care, should have known of such character of such repairs.”' The thought of the exception seems to be that the trial court made it the duty of the county to see that any repairs of any kind which it made on said bridge remained in position. What ivas, in fact, done, was to place that burden upon the defendant as to such repairs as the instruction describes; and as to that character of repairs, it was not error to charge as was done.

4-a

The further exception to Instruction 20 is that it submits to the jury whether the repairs that were made were temporary ones, and it is complained that such charge is not warranted, under any evidence in the case. We think that, in a sense, this is true. Everything indicates that [741]*741the repairs were, in fact, temporary. At the time in question, contract had already been made to put a new concrete bridge in the place of this bridge; and it would seem to be obvious that repairs made in those circumstances were temporary, merely. Now, defendant had a burden, if the repairs were temporary ones. As said, the evidence proves that the repairs were of temporary character. Leaving the jury at liberty to find that defendant did not have the burden that making temporary repairs would impose, errs in favor of the appellant. It made it possible for it to be benefited by a finding that the repairs were not temporary, when plaintiff might well claim that it was established they were. If the verdict had gone against plaintiff, she might well complain of submitting to the jury whether defendant was under burden created by making temporary repairs, when it was shown it was' under such burden. But the converse cannot be maintained. In effect, the appellant complgins that the jury was left free to find whether a certain fact bearing against defendant was established, when it was without dispute that such fact existed.

4' ed insu-ucuonf:’ to^aence*ty objected^.1111 V. It may be conceded that Instruction No. 1, offered and refused, stated a correct proposition of law, not included in any instruction given by the court. The offered instruction required the jury to give no effec* statement made by Ferguson as the condition of the bridge. Since that statement is in the record without objection, defendant was not entitled to have that testimony instructed out of the case.

[742]*7425. Trial : requested instructions matters otherwise covered. (>. Negligence : contributory negligence: doubt as to safety of bridge. [741]*741VI. Assume offered Instruction 3 does state an absolutely correct rule of law: we find that the court correctly covered the same subject in Instructions 6, 10, and [742]*74231, and probably in others. The appellant took no exception to these instructions. VII. Instruction 9, offered, asked the court to charge that, if it was a question in the mind of the decedent whether the bridge would carry the load he was attempting to take across it, it should find for the defendant. Obviously, this is not the law. Such doubt in the mind of McDermott was but one factor bearing on the ultimate question of the presence or absence of contributory negligence.

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Bluebook (online)
186 Iowa 736, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mcdermott-v-ida-county-iowa-1919.