McKamey v. Andrews

289 S.W.2d 704, 40 Tenn. App. 112, 1955 Tenn. App. LEXIS 102
CourtCourt of Appeals of Tennessee
DecidedMarch 15, 1955
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 289 S.W.2d 704 (McKamey v. Andrews) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Tennessee primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
McKamey v. Andrews, 289 S.W.2d 704, 40 Tenn. App. 112, 1955 Tenn. App. LEXIS 102 (Tenn. Ct. App. 1955).

Opinion

HOWARD, J.

These five tort actions grew out of a collision between two automobiles which occurred on the Lee Highway outside the corporate limits of the City of Chattanooga, on the afternoon of December 20, 1952, at about 4- o’clock. Lee Highway, a heavily traveled thoroughfare, runs east from Chattanooga to Cleveland, Athens and other points east, including the City of Knoxville. It had been raining, was misty at the time, and the 36 foot asphalt pavement was wet and slippery. One of the cars involved was driven by Ray W. Andrews, and was owned by his wife, Bessie Andrews, who was riding in the car at the time. The other car involved was owned by Mountain City Motors, a partnership consisting of W. L. McKamey, Sr., and his son, W. L. McKamey, Jr. The driver of this car was Anna McKamey, wife of W. L. McKamey, Sr., who was on her way to a nearby grocery store located on the north side of the highway. The Andrews car was traveling east on Lee highway, and the accident occurred when the McKamey car, which was traveling north, drove out of a private driveway or side street onto the highway immediately in front of the Andrews’ approaching car. The estimated speed of the Andrews car was 25 miles, per hour and that of the McKamey car 10 miles per hour. The highway at the *117 point of the accident was straight, and .the McKamey car had first stopped before palling oat onto the highway.

Both Mrs. Andrews and Mrs. McKamey were injured in the collision and both cars were damaged. Mrs. Andrews sastained a fractnred left ankle and other injuries aboat which there was no dispute, and Mrs. McKamey sastained braises on her left hip, left shoulder and left side of her head. At the time Mrs. McKamey was suffering from hypertension arteriosclerosis : and high blood pressure, and she died three, months later-from a cerebral hemorrhage.

In her amended declaration the plaintiff Bessie Andrews saed the two McKameys as partners doing bnsiness as Moantain City Motors, and W.'L. McKamey, Sr., individnally and as administrator of his deceased wife’s estate, for her personal injaries and property damages. Likewise, her hasband, Kay W. Andrews, saed said defendants for damages for loss of his wife’s services and for her medical bills. ...

In separate counter-actions W. L. McKamey,' Sr., individually and as administrator of his wife’s estáte, saed the Andrews (1) for the loss of his wife’s services, medical bills, etc., and (2) for her death, and the Moan-tain City Motors, a partnership, saed the,Andrews for damages to its aatomobile driven by Mrs. McKamey.

Both declarations filed by the Andrews allege in snbstance that Mrs. McKamey was operating her aato-mobile in a negligent manner without having it under control, withont keeping a proper lookont ahead, and in violation of certain state statates, and that she' drove said aatomobile oat of a “cat-off” leading from the *118 Chickamauga Road onto the Lee Highway in a sndden and abrupt manner, directly in front of their automobile; that at the time Mrs. McKamey was driving as the agent of the said W. L. McKamey, Sr., and Jr., and said Mountain City Motors.

To the Andrews’ declarations the McKameys filed pleas of not guilty and numerous special pleas in which they denied that Mrs. McKamey was guilty of the acts of negligence alleged. They averred that the car driven by Mrs; McKamey was the property of the Mountain City Motors, a partnership, and that it had been purchased for re-sale and only loaned to her at the time, and that the car was not being used by her on business for the partnership or for either of the McKameys; that Ray W. Andrews was guilty of contributory negligence in that he was driving* at a reckless rate of speed, did not have his car under control, and they likewise plead violation of certain state statutes as to speed, manner of driving, etc.

The three declarations filed by McKamey, Sr., et al., alleged facts substantially similar to the special pleas filed in their behalf, and to the declarations the Andrews filed pleas of not guilty, no special pleas having been demanded.

At the conclusion of all the evidence the McKameys’ motion for directed verdicts was overruled, except as to the Mountain City Motors and W. L. McKamey, Jr., which was sustained, and the trial resulted in the following jury verdicts: For Bessie Andrews against W. L. McKamey, Sr., individually and ás administrator, etc., $3,480.00; for Ray W. Andrews against said defendants, $1,000.00. In the three cases of McKamey, Sr., et al., *119 against the Andrews, the jury returned verdicts for the Andrews. Thereafter, the motions for a new trial filed by McKamey, Sr., et al., in all five cases were overruled, followed by this appeal, and errors have been assigned which will hereinafter he considered.

No question is made here that the verdicts were excessive or that there was no evidence to support the verdicts. There was credible evidence from which the jury could find that Mrs. McKamey, after stopping, drove onto the highway in front of the Andrews car when it was only 25 feet away, and the jury apparently found that her negligence in so doing was the proximate cause of the accident.

The first assignment filed in behalf of W. L. McKamey, Sr., urging that the Andrews failed to prove that Mrs. McKamey was acting as her husband’s agent, must be overruled. The record shows that W. L. Mc-Kamey, Sr., testified that his wife, at the time of the accident, was on her way to McKenzie’s Grocery Store where they traded regularly, to buy groceries for his family, and that the car had been turned over to her by him for this purpose and for use in visiting “some of her friends.” The applicable rule is stated in 60 G. J.. S., Motor Yehicles, sec. 434, p. 1080, as follows:

'“Where the owner’s wife is operating the motor vehicle as his servant or agent, he is liable for her negligence or wrongful conduct. In determining whether an agency relationship exists, the ordinary rules of agency apply, and the relationship of agency of the wife for her husband may be shown by express creation or may be implied from proof of conduct or circumstances reasonably creating the agency.”

*120 ■Assignment two complains because the trial court, over McKamey’s objections, peiunitted four doctors to answer a hypothetical question asked them by attorneys for the Andrews as to whether the injuries received by Mrs. McKamey in the accident could have subsequently caused or contributed to causing her death three months later. It is argued' that the hypothetical question was improper because it did not contain a correct statement of all the facts; that there was no evidence to support the assumption that rest, cold applications to the bruised areas and sedatives relieved Mrs. McKamey’s headaches after the ■ accident, but that the evidence showed that her headaches continued after she was discharged' from' the hospital and until her death. Answering the hypothetical question, it was the. opinion of the four doctors that there was no.causal connection between the head injury received by Mrs.

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Bluebook (online)
289 S.W.2d 704, 40 Tenn. App. 112, 1955 Tenn. App. LEXIS 102, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mckamey-v-andrews-tennctapp-1955.