McGoorty v. Benhart

27 N.E.2d 289, 305 Ill. App. 458, 1940 Ill. App. LEXIS 1109
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedMay 15, 1940
DocketGen. No. 9,515
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 27 N.E.2d 289 (McGoorty v. Benhart) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Court of Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
McGoorty v. Benhart, 27 N.E.2d 289, 305 Ill. App. 458, 1940 Ill. App. LEXIS 1109 (Ill. Ct. App. 1940).

Opinion

Mr. Presiding Justice Wolfe

delivered the opinion of the court.

On the evening of June 25, 1938, Peter MeGoorty, the plaintiff in this suit, together with a number of others, met at the home of Mrs. Bousser at 2448 North Dakin street in the city of Chicago with the intention of attending a sorority dance at the Itasca Country Club. Mr. MeGoorty and five others left the Bousser home at about 9 P. M. in Mr. Clarence H. Paeglow’s car. It was raining at the time, and Mr. Paeglow was driving. The party drove west on Irving Park boulevard until they had crossed an intersecting road known as Medinah corners. Mr. Paeglow drove the car a short distance west of this intersection and off of the pavement of Irving Park boulevard, intending to turn and go east, and then north on Medinah road. In making the turn, while his car was facing in a general southerly direction, the engine died, and the car came to a complete stop. Mr. Paeglow, in attempting to start the engine, stepped on the starter, but got no response. Mr. Paeglow, Arnold Dahlman and Peter McGoorty got out to push the car in order to get the engine started. Mrs. Paeglow got behind the driver’s wheel and guided the car. The three men pushed the car onto the pavement into the eastbound lane of traffic on Irving Park boulevard, and on the south side of the center line, proceeding eastward. The Paeglow car was equipped with headlights and taillights, which it is claimed were burning at the time. As the car was being pushed in an easterly direction on Irving Park boulevard, a car driven by Harold C. Benhart approached the same from the west and ran into and collided with the Paeglow car, slightly damaging the car and injuring Peter MeG-oorty.

Peter MeG-oorty started suit in the circuit court of Du Page county, to recover damages he claims he sustained because of the negligence and the wilful and wanton misconduct of the defendant, which caused this accident.

The complaint contained two counts. The first one charges that the defendant carelessly and negligently did all of the following acts, and as a direct and proximate result of which plaintiff, who was then and there in the exercise of due care and caution for his own safety, sustained damages, “(a) Drove his automobile along and upon Irving Park Boulevard without lights in violation of the Motor Vehicle Law of the State of Illinois, (b) Drove his automobile upon said public highway at a speed greater than was reasonable and proper, having regard to the traffic and the use of the way in violation of the Motor Vehicle Laws of the State of Illinois, (c) Upon approaching the plaintiff who was then and there walking upon said highway, failed to give a reasonable warning of his approach in violation of the Motor Vehicle Laws of the State of Hlinois. (d) While overtaking and passing another vehicle proceeding in the same direction failed to pass to the left thereof at a safe distance, thereby striking the plaintiff, (e) Drove his automobile upon said public highway without keeping a proper lookout for plaintiff or for other pedestrians or vehicles lawfully upon said highway.”

The second count is based on the wilful, wanton and malicious conduct of the defendant, which caused the injuries to the plaintiff. The acts of negligence, as charged in, the first count of the complaint, are the same in the second count, but charge the same were done wilfully and wantonly. Both counts set forth that the plaintiff was severely injured and asks damages in the amount of $50,000.

The defendant filed his answer in which he denies any negligence on his part was the proximate cause of the plaintiff’s injuries. He denies that the plaintiff was in the exercise of ordinary care and caution for his own safety. He denies that he was guilty of any wilful and wanton misconduct that was the proximate cause of the plaintiff’s injuries. He charges in his answer that the plaintiff was guilty of wilful and wanton misconduct which was the proximate cause of his injuries, and therefore he cannot recover in this suit.

The case was submitted to a jury. In addition to the general instructions read by the court to the jury, the plaintiff presented a special interrogatory for the jury to answer, which is as follows: “Was the defendant, Harold G. Benhart, guilty of wilful and wanton driving at and immediately before the time of the collision of his car with the plaintiff, Peter McG-oorty?” The jury answered this interrogatory, “No.” They found the issues in favor of the defendant. The plaintiff entered a motion for a judgment notwithstanding the verdict, which was overruled by the court, and then entered a motion for a new trial, which was also overruled by the court. Judgment was entered on the verdict in favor of the defendant, and the suit dismissed at the costs of the plaintiff. It is from this judgment that the appeal is prosecuted.

It is first insisted that the verdict of the jury is contrary to the weight of the evidence, and therefore, the verdict should be set aside. It is undisputed that the plaintiff and two other men were pushing the Paeglow car on the pavement of a hard-surfaced road on a much traveled public highway; that the defendant, Harold G-. Benhart, was driving his car in the same direction, ■ and did not see the Paeglow car or the plaintiff, until he was within a short distance from them; that as the defendant approached the car, he attempted to stop; that he saw he couldn’t stop his car, and then turned to the right towards the ditch in an effort to avoid striking the people pushing the car; that as he turned to the south, the plaintiff also saw the car approaching and started in the same direction; that the defendant attempted to turn his car back in order to avoid striking the plaintiff, and his car skidded and turned around; that the two cars came together, but neither car was seriously damaged, but the plaintiff was injured. The plaintiff was found lying at the rear of the defendant’s car.

The speed at which the defendant was driving and whether the headlights of his car were burning, were disputed questions of fact. Some of the plaintiff’s witnesses claimed the car was coming at an excessive rate of speed, and that the headlights were not burning. The defendant’s evidence tended to show that his headlights were burning, and that he was not driving at an excessive rate of speed; that it was a very dark night with a misty rain falling; that he could see no lights on the Paeglow car and did not see the car until he was a short distance from it, and after he discovered the car, he did all that he could to avoid the accident.

In a jury trial, controverted questions of fact are for the jury to decide, and after they have decided such facts, a court of review will not set aside their verdict, unless they can say that the verdict of the jury is against the manifest weight of the evidence. From a review of the evidence in this case, it is our conclusion that the verdict of the jury is not against the weight of the evidence, but is sustained by it.

The appellant contends that the trial court erred in submitting to the jury the question, as to whether or not the plaintiff was guilty of wilful and wanton misconduct. The case was tried on the theory that the defendant was guilty of wilful and wanton misconduct, as charged in the second count of plaintiff’s petition, which was the cause of the plaintiff’s injuries. If the plaintiff was guilty of wilful and wanton misconduct that proximately caused his injuries, this would be a bar to his recovery.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
27 N.E.2d 289, 305 Ill. App. 458, 1940 Ill. App. LEXIS 1109, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mcgoorty-v-benhart-illappct-1940.