McLaughlin v. Griffin

135 N.W. 1107, 155 Iowa 302
CourtSupreme Court of Iowa
DecidedMay 10, 1912
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 135 N.W. 1107 (McLaughlin v. Griffin) 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
McLaughlin v. Griffin, 135 N.W. 1107, 155 Iowa 302 (iowa 1912).

Opinion

Deemer, J.

Plaintiff is a blind man fifty-six years of ' age. He bad been blind some five or six years prior to tbe time of tbe accident in question; bui before that bad driven an express and delivery wagon upon tbe streets of Storm Lake, bis home town, and was perfectly familiar therewith. He was so well acquainted with tbe city that be could, after bis affliction, go unassisted to any bouse or store therein. He lived in the south part of tbe town, and used one of tbe principal thoroughfares in going to and from bis home. On tbe day in question be was returning from tbe business section of tbe city down one of the main streets, and, when be reached what is known as Third, be walked east to tbe corner of what is known as Seneca Street. ' Here be stopped and waited for a buggy, which was coming from tbe west, to pass, and, after it bad gone by, be listened to bear if any other vehicle was approaching, and, bearing none, be' pursued bis way across Third Street, until struck by an automobile which was being driven by tbe defendant. Tbe side of tbe machine struck him, caught something on bis wrist, and dragged him from eight to thirteen feet, causing severe [305]*305bruises upon his face and breast. The automobile was on the left-hand side of the street, 'and it is claimed that it was running at high rate of speed, that the defendant made no attempt'to stop it, failed to give any warning signals, or to sound his horn.' As a result plaintiff claims that in addition to his injuries he was rendered sick and nervous, and that his maladies are permanent. Such are the facts stated most strongly for appellee. Defendant had an entirely different version of the affair, which we do not set out because the jury evidently believed plaintiff’s testimony, and, as the verdict has sufficient. support, we need not do more ■ than state the plaintiff’s claim, except in so far as it may be necessary to understand some of the errors assigned. These alleged errors are sixteen in number, but the argument is confined to less, and we shall not consider all of those which are argued for the rulings were either correct, or are not regarded as of controlling importance.

i. Evidence: conclusions. I. First we shall take up some of the rulings on the admission and rejection of testimony. Plaintiff was permitted to state, over objection, that since the accident he had n°t keen able to sleep, and that as a result of his injuries he had been troubled with nervousness. Whilst this latter statement was in the nature of a conclusion, it was nevertheless a fact which we think the witness competent to state. Again, an expert gave testimony to the effect that such an injury would likely cause nervousness. Another witness, over objections, was permitted to testify that the automobile was going pretty fast. This is said to have been a conclusion oí the witness, who had no expert knowledge. Such objections have heretofore been held untenable. Payne v. Waterloo Ry. Co., 153 Iowa, 445. Plaintiff was permitted to testify that the place where. the accident occurred was in the thickly populated part of Stoim Lake. This, too, while in the nature of a conclusion was also a fact to which a witness having knowledge of the situa[306]*306tion might testify. It was not a legal conclusion as. appellant’s counsel would have us believe. But, however this may be, a city plat was introduced in evidence, and other testimony was adduced showing all the improvements, in the vicinity of the place of accident, and no possible prejudice resulted from the witness’ testimony.

2. Same: admission of evidence: harmless A doctor who was the driver of an automobile was. asked how quickly a five-passenger automobile equipped with proper brakes, running at from six to ten miles an. hour, might be stopped. In answer he said perhaps in twenty feet or a little more. This was objected to because incompetent,, and because it was not shown that the witness was speaking of such a machine as the one being" operated by defendant. The point now made is that the witness said he did not know, and that his answer is shown to have been a mere guess. If that be the fact, then no prejudice resulted. Moreover, there is no showing that defendant made any attempt to stop his car, and he makes no contention that he tried to do so, or that he could not have stopped had he been so minded. No prejudice resulted from the ruling in any event.

Again, one of the defendant’s own witnesses testified, without objection, that defendant could have stopped his car running at a speed from six to ten miles an hour within a distance of fifteen feet.

II. The instructions given by the trial court were-rather meager, and those excepted to read as follows:

(7) The law requires that the driver of an automobile upon the public streets and highways must use reasonable-care and caution for the safety of others, and what is reasonable care in this case is to be determined by the circumstances as shown by the evidence.

(8) Negligence, or what is the same thing, the absence of reasonable care, is the foundation of this action, and it is to be determined by what you find an ordinary, [307]*307prudent, and careful man would have done under the particular circumstances of this case.

(9) If you find that' the defendant was not guilty of the negligence which produced the injury complained of, you should find for the defendant. On the other hand, if you find the defendant was negligent in the management of the automobile, and that such negligence produced the injuries complained of, you should find for the plaintiff, unless you find that the plaintiff was guilty of contributory negligence.

(10) The burden of proof is on the plaintiff to establish by a preponderance of the evidence that he was not guilty of contributory negligence. By contributory negligence is meant such negligence on the part of the plaintiff as helped to produce the injuries complained of, and if you find from the evidence that plaintiff was guilty of any degree of carelessness which co-operated in producing the injury complained of, or that the plaintiff has not established by a preponderance of the evidence his freedom from contributory negligence, you should find for the defendant.

(11) If you find by a preponderance of the evidence that the defendant was negligent in operating his automobile at the time and place stated" in the plaintiff’s petition, and that the plaintiff was injured on account of such negligence, and that the plaintiff was not guilty of contributory negligence on his part, then'you should find for the plaintiff.

(13) A blind person has the same rights on the public, street as any other person, and it is not ordinarily negligence for a blind person to go upon the streets unattended, if such person use ordinary care as defined in these instructions ; but, if - you believe from the evidence that the plaintiff was blind, that fact would not excuse him from his obligation to use due care. He was nevertheless bound to exercise that degree of care that an ordinary prudent person would have exercised under the circumstances as shown by the evidence, and the fact that he was blind not only did not excuse him from the exercise of ordinary care, but required of him the greater use of his other senses to discover, if possible, whether any vehicle was approaching the street over which he was crossing, and if he failed to exercise such care, he can not recover; but if you find that he did exercise [308]

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Bluebook (online)
135 N.W. 1107, 155 Iowa 302, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mclaughlin-v-griffin-iowa-1912.