McQuiston v. Shreveport Rys. Co.

124 So. 706, 12 La. App. 277, 1929 La. App. LEXIS 710
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedNovember 18, 1929
DocketNo. 3506
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 124 So. 706 (McQuiston v. Shreveport Rys. Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
McQuiston v. Shreveport Rys. Co., 124 So. 706, 12 La. App. 277, 1929 La. App. LEXIS 710 (La. Ct. App. 1929).

Opinion

REYNOLDS, J.

Plaintiff, Ellis Mc-Quiston, sued the defendant, Shreveport Railways Company, for judgment in the amount of $8,103, as damages for personal injuries alleged to have been sustained by him in a collision between a motortr.uck on which he was riding and a street car owned and operated by defendant. And, by supplemental petition, he increased his demand to $18,103. He alleged that the motorman of the street car negligently drove it into the truck on which he was riding.

The defendant denied the negligence charged, averred that its motorman was without fault in the premises, and alleged that the sole cause of the collision was the negligence of the plaintiff and the driver of the truck on which he was riding, in that they failed to maintain a lookout for street cars approaching on the track before attempting to drive the truck across the track, and in driving it across the track in such close proximity to the street car for it to be impossible for the motorman to stop the car before striking the truck, and in crossing the street at a place other than an intersection of streets, in violation of an ordinance of the city of Shreveport. In the alternative it alleged that, if it was guilty of any negligence and such negligence contributed to cause the accident, plaintiff was negligent in that he failed to maintain a proper lookout for his own safety, was in a dangerous and careless [279]*279position on the truck, and failed to observe the approach of the street car and to warn the driver of the truck thereof in time to enable him to avoid placing the truck in front of the street car, and that such negligence contributed to cause the accident.

On these issues the case was tried to a jury, prayed for by plaintiff, and a verdict having been returned in his favor and judgment entered in accordance therewith, defendant appealed.

OPINION

The " accident happened in the city of Shreveport, La., on Texas avenue, between Cotton and Crockett streets, at about 10 o’clock at night of June 23, 1927.

Texas avenue, at the place where the accident happened, runs practically north and south, and is 54 feet wide between the curbs. It has double street car tracks extending down its center, and between the outside rail and the curb on each side of the street there is a space 20 feet wide. These spaces constitute one-way roads on each side of the street.

Plaintiff was riding on a “Ford” truck which was being driven, by one Langford south on Texas avenue.

Defendant’s street car was moving north on Texas avenue on the east pair of rails.

When the truck on which plaintiff was riding had traversed about three-fifths of the distance between Crockett and Cotton streets and had reached a point approximately on a line with the place of business of Bauman Brake Service, which is situated on the east side of Texas avenue, the driver of the truck turned it to his left for the purpose of crossing the street car tracks and entering the warehouse of Bauman Brake Service, and as it was crossing the tracks it collided with the street car.

The record contains more than 500 pages of testimony, but the able briefs of counsel for plaintiff and counsel for defendant reduce the questions to be decided by us to three, namely:

1. Was the motorman on defendant’s car negligent?

2. Were plaintiff and the driver of the truck negligent?

3. Had the motorman on defendant’s car the last chance to avoid the accident, and did he fail to avail himself of it?

The plaintiff testified:

“Q. What part of the street was that truck running on?

“A. It was running on the outside rail on the side of the street.

“Q. How came it to be hit by the street car?

“A. Well, went there to make a left turn, left hand turn, and stopped on that side of the street and let some cars go by, car coming behind us and one coming in front of us, and we let them go by.

“Q. Then what did you do?

“A. Made a left hand turn. The driver held out his hand to make the turn.

“Q. Jus.t where was the. truck when t was hit?

“A. The front wheels were sitting on the outside of the left hand rail of the street car track coming' in. * * *

“Q. You mean the side over toward the ‘Bauman Service' Station’?

“A. Yes, sir. * * *

“Q. Now the ‘Ford’ truck had a cab on it?

“Q. You say your feet were hanging out?

“Q. About how fast were you all driving out Texas avenue, Mr. McQuiston?

“A. About fifteen miles an hour. * * *

“Q. Now, as he came to turn, in making that turn, did he turn straight across 'the street, or diagonally?

[280]*280“A. We stopped before we made tbe turn.

“Q. But when be made tbe turn, how did he make it, straight across the street, ór at right angles, or a . little circular turn ?

“A. He continued out Texas avenue, and stopped, and then he made the turn.

■ “Q. Now, Mr. McQuiston, what part of the truck was it that struck the street car, do you know?

“A. The street car struck the truck right behind the front fender; hit the cab. * * *

“Q. That is just about where your legs were?

“Q. Where was the street car, when you first saw it, Mr. McQuiston?

“A. It was right at us.

“Q. You could see down that street— you say that you had been watching out for the street car?

“A. Yes, sir.

“Q. You were not depending on Mr. Langford’s observation but you were looking out for yourself?

“A. He looked when he stopped; looked both ways.

“Q. And you did too?

“A. Yes, sir, I looked both ways before he made the turn. I looked again and I did not see anything.

“Q. You looked for yourself to see if a street car was coming?

”Q. Of course you knew that street cars come on that track?

“Q. You knew that automobiles come along there?

“Q. And you were watching out for your own protection?

“Q. If you had seen a street car or an automobile or a truck coming past, you would have reminded Mr. Langford not to go on the track — would have warned him?

“Q. But you saw none?

“A. I did not see any. * * *

“Q. Here is what I mean. After Mr. Langford started the truck up, started moving across the street, how quickly could that truck have been stopped, that is, while he was moving along there, by putting on the emergency brake, within what distance could it have been stopped? A foot, or six feet?

“A. It could have been stopped at once.

“Q. Almost instantly?

“Q. It would not have gone six inches?

“A. No, sir.

“Q. Now, Mr. McQuiston, looking down Texas avenue in the direction in which you had been going, after this automobile passed you coming towards town, there was nothing in the way of you out there to keep you from seeing up Texas avenue? „

“A. No, sir; not that I seen.

“Q. Then why didn’t you see the street car as it was coming down there?

“A. Because I did not see it.”

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Related

Jack v. Kansas City Southern Railway Co.
392 So. 2d 499 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1980)
Link v. Shreveport Rys. Co.
153 So. 77 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1934)
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135 So. 253 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1931)
Williams v. Lenfant
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131 So. 756 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1931)

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Bluebook (online)
124 So. 706, 12 La. App. 277, 1929 La. App. LEXIS 710, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mcquiston-v-shreveport-rys-co-lactapp-1929.