Meredith v. Arkansas Louisiana Gas Co.

185 So. 498
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedNovember 4, 1938
DocketNo. 5746.
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 185 So. 498 (Meredith v. Arkansas Louisiana Gas 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
Meredith v. Arkansas Louisiana Gas Co., 185 So. 498 (La. Ct. App. 1938).

Opinion

DREW, Judge.

This is a suit for personal injuries and property damage alleged to have been sustained by plaintiff due to the fault of the defendant’s agent in a collision between plaintiff’s automobile and a truck owned by the defendant at the intersection of Kings Highway and Barret streets in the city of Shreveport, at approximately 8:15 A. M., April 7, 1937. The lower court rejected the demands of plaintiff and he prosecutes this appeal.

Barret street runs north and south while Kings Highway runs east and west. Plaintiff was traveling north on Barret and defendant’s truck was proceeding east on Kings Highway. Plaintiff was therefore entering the intersection from the right of defendant’s truck driver and, as neither street is a favored one under the law, plaintiff had the right of way, under Act 21 of 1932, Title 2, § 3, Rule 11 (a), if both ve-' hides reached the intersection at approximately the same time.

The two vehicles were traveling at comparatively the same rate of speed *500 and neither was violating the speed limit fixed by law. After the accident, plaintiff's car was jammed against a telephone pole located at the northeast corner of the intersection, and the defendant’s track was turned on its side against the car. There iwere only two eyewitnesses to the accident, namely, the plaintiff and the driver of defendant’s track. The truck driver testified as follows:

“Q. Mr. Scales, you are one of the defendants in this case? A. Yes.
“Q. You were driving the truck at the time of the accident which is the subject of this suit? A. Yes, sir.
“Q. Who came into the intersection first, you or the car which was being driveñ by Mr. Meredith? A. I did.
“Mr. Hall: If the Court please, Mr. Scales is not a defendant in this suit.
“Q. You are not a defendant in this case? I was mistaken. A. That is right.
“Q. How far had you gotten into that intersection before the collision occurred? A. Just a little past the middle of the intersection.
“Q. When did you first see the car driven by Mr. Meredith? A. Just after I entered the intersection of the street.
“Q. Did he see you? A. Not that I know of.
■ “Q. Did you hit his car or did his car hit you? A. His car hit me.
“Q. What happened to your truck? A. I turned the front wheels to the left and his car hit into my front wheels.
“Q. What front wheels? A. Right at the right front wheel.
“Q. What happened to your truck? A. It turned over on its right side. * * *
“Q. How far was Mr. Meredith’s car up the street when you saw it? A. Some twenty or thirty feet.
“Q. Did he make any attempt to stop his car in any manner? A. Not that I saw.
“Q. Would you have seen it? A. I think I would have.
“Q. Did he put on his brakes? A. I could not tell that he did.
“Q. He was driving a 1931 Chevrolet? A. I don’t know what model it was. I noticed it was a Chevrolet, but I did not know what model it was.
“Q. How fast were you driving at the time of the accident? A. From 18 to 20 miles an hour.
“Q. I believe you have stated that you were going east on Kings Highway? A. Yes.
“Q. And he was going north? A. On Barret.
“Q. On Barret Place. What did you say was the point of contact between the truck and the car? A. His front wheel or fender or bumper hit the right front wheel of the truck.
“Q. How fast was he driving down the street, could you estimate it? A. I do not know, sir.
“Q. Did you see Mr. Meredith after the accident? A. Yes.
“Q. Did you look into his car? A. Yes.
“Q. Did you find anything in there? A. I looked in to see if he was pinned in in any way and I saw that he wasn’t and I asked him if he was badly hurt. All he ever said was ‘take me to 2760 Barret Place’.
“Q. Did you find anything in the car? A. I did not.”

When called on cross-examination at the beginning of the trial, he testified as follows :

“Q. All right. Will you tell just how that accident happened? A. I was going east on Kings Highway and the other car was going north on Barret.
“Q. You are speaking of Mr. Meredith’s car? A. Yes, sir.
“Q. He was going north on Barret. Was that toward the downtown part of Shreveport?' A. Yes, sir.
“Q. All right, go ahead. A. I saw him coming up there pretty fast. I don’t know just how fast he was coming up there but it didn’t look like he was going to stop and I threw on my brakes and turned the wheels of my truck to the left to try to give him room to get by.
“Q. Now, wait a minute. In the answer to this case it is set up by the defendant as follows: (reading) ‘Further answering, defendant shows that the truck, being driven by Joe Scales, entered the intersection of Barret street and Kings Highway and had crossed more than one-half the distance of the intersection, while driving on his right hand side of the street, when struck by the car being driven by plaintiff’, that is Mr. Meredith, ‘and if there was any negligence whatsoever on the part of Joe Scales, which is denied by defendant, defendant shows that plaintiff had the last clear *501 chance to avoid the accident.’ In other words, it is set up here in the answer that you were driving on the right hand side of Kings Highway, the way you were going? A. Yes.
“Q. And that Mr. Meredith’s car struck you, is that correct? ■ A. Yes.
“Q. What part of your truck did he strike? A. Right at the front wheel.
“Q. Right at the front wheel, What part of his car struck the truck? A. It was either the front wheel or fender right at the front part of his car.
“Q. Right at the front part of his car? A. Yes.
“Q. His left front wheel? A. Yes, that would be his left front wheel.
“Q. His left front wheel or his left front fender hit your truck? A. Yes.
“Q. What part of your truck did it hit? A. Hit right at the front wheel.
“Q. Hit right at the front wheel. Hit right at your right front wheel? A. Yes, sir.
“Q.t You are positive, as set forth in your answer, that his car hit your truck? A. Yes, sir.
“Q. That is all.”

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Bluebook (online)
185 So. 498, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/meredith-v-arkansas-louisiana-gas-co-lactapp-1938.