Metcalf v. Peerless Laundry & Dye Co.

184 N.W. 482, 215 Mich. 601, 1921 Mich. LEXIS 798
CourtMichigan Supreme Court
DecidedOctober 3, 1921
DocketDocket No. 36
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 184 N.W. 482 (Metcalf v. Peerless Laundry & Dye Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Michigan Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Metcalf v. Peerless Laundry & Dye Co., 184 N.W. 482, 215 Mich. 601, 1921 Mich. LEXIS 798 (Mich. 1921).

Opinion

Stone, J.

This case is here upon writ of error sued out by the defendant to review a judgment of $2,000 for the plaintiff for personal injury to plaintiff by reason of the claimed negligence of the defendant. The plaintiff, a man 72 years of age, was injured on April 25, 1919, by being struck by an automobile delivery truck owned by the defendant, and being driven by an employee of the defendant, near the intersection of Bristol street and Washington avenue, in the city of Saginaw, as plaintiff was in the act of going from the south curb towards the street car track in Bristol street. South Washington avenue at Bristol street runs north and south, and contains two street car tracks. Bristol street runs east and west, and ends at Washington avenue. It contains a double street car track, which turns north into South Washington avenue. At the time of the injury there was parked on the south side of Bristol street at the curb about 40 feet west of the intersection of South Washington avenue, a Maxwell touring car with the top and hind curtain up, which somewhat obstructed the view to the west along Bristol street of persons stepping from the south sidewalk into the street to take the car going easterly on Bristol street. At the time the weather was clear, and there was nothing to obstruct the view of a person looking west from South Washington avenue on Bristol street, except the parked automobile above referred to, but any object that might be directly in the rear of the approaching street car might not be seen. A little over a block on Bristol street west from South Washington avenue is the Bristol street bridge which spans the Saginaw river, and over which the line of street cars which operates in Bristol street runs. All street [604]*604cars approaching from the west on Bristol street stop for a railroad track at the east approach of the bridge, and there is a slight up-grade from the bridge to Washington avenue. The city hall is located on the southwest corner of Bristol street and South Washington avenue.

The plaintiff claims that on the day mentioned he was at the city hall, and about 10:30 o’clock in the morning he came down the sidewalk leading from the easterly front doors of the city hall, and when he reached the sidewalk at the corner, he saw a street car approaching from the west on, Bristol street, and that he intended to get on this car at the regular stopping place on the south side of Bristol street near the corner of Washington avenue; that he walked west towards the street car, which had stopped, or was about to stop at the place on Bristol street where cars take on and let off passengers, and that while-walking upon Bristol street, upon the south sidewalk in the direction from which the car was coming, he looked to the- west to ascertain whether there were any motor or other vehicles upon Bristol street coming in an easterly direction; that, while-he saw the street car coming toward him, he neither saw nor heard any motor vehicle approaching him; that after he had left the curb, and was in the act of crossing the south side of Bristol street, which at this point was of the width of 17 feet or thereabouts, and without any warning being given by the driver of the automobile truck, he was suddenly struck, knocked down and injured by said truck coming from the west; that at the time he left the curb- and started for the street car his vision of the street to the west was somewhat obstructed by the parked automobile, and that he was prevented from having a clear view west, until he passed beyond the width of the parked automobile, into the traveled part of [605]*605the street, when the motor truck of the defendant came suddenly from the west upon him, without giving him warning of any kind; and that he looked west upon Bristol street to ascertain whether any automobiles were coming towards him just before he left the curb, and it is not clear whether he looked again when he reached the traveled portion of the road, or whether he was struck immediately. He claimed to have no recollection of seeing the truck of defendant, and did not remember being struck. He claimed that he was not himself negligent in attempting to cross the south side of Bristol street for the purpose of entering the street car, then about to stop at the corner, as that was a regular stop. He claimed that the employee of defendant was negligent in the manner in which he operated the truck in that he sounded no horn, gave no signal of any kind, and that the truck was being operated at a dangerous rate of speed, in view of the surroundings and conditions at the time and place; that defendant was negligent in driving too near the street car when it was about to stop, or had stopped, for the purpose of receiving and discharging passengers. The plaintiff further claimed that the parked automobile was opposite the place where the street car stopped, which he claimed under the ordinance of the city constituted a “safety zone,” to the extent of at least the distance of 6 feet to the south of the rear entrance to the street car; that the distance of this place on Bristol street where the car stopped to take on and let off passengers, and between the south rail of the street car track and the curb, was but 17 feet, and that the distance from the curb to the outside of the parked car was about 7 feet, leaving a distance from the south rail of the car tracks to the line parallel with the north side of the parked automobile of but 10 or 12 feet; that the body of the street car, and the entrance step to the [606]*606car occupied .about 1% feet, leaving but 8% feet between the street car and a line parallel with the north side of the parked car; that 6- feet of this latter space was declared under the ordinance to constitute a safety zone for passengers alighting from or boarding the street car at this point; that there being only a remaining space of 2i/2 feet, the defendant’s truck could not pass through said space without driving into the safety zone, and that, by reason thereof, it was and became the driver’s duty to stop his truck at least 6 feet from the rear entrance of the street car; that at the time the street car stopped at least two persons were about to get on this street car, and that the plaintiff, looking west to ascertain whether there were any automobiles approaching the car, and seeing none, had a right to pass over the street to the safety zone, and was not obliged to continuously look to ascertain whether automobiles were approaching, as he proceeded to the car, but had the right to assume that defendant’s employee operating said car would obey the ordinance and stop his truck before entering the safety zone, and would use ordinary care in the operating of the vehicle, in approaching the street car, for the safety of pedestrians upon the street; and that defendant’s employee failed in the performance of his duty, and that by reason of his driving said truck through such space and safety zone the plaintiff w:as struck and permanently injured. There was evidence tending to support these claims.

The defendant, on the other hand, claimed that its driver of said truck was an experienced and capable driver; that while said employee was on his way to the Bancroft House with a load of laundry he drove on Bristol street and across said bridge, and that when upon the bridge he was in the rear of said street car which also was proceeding east and that when the street car reached the railroad crossing it stopped and [607]

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
184 N.W. 482, 215 Mich. 601, 1921 Mich. LEXIS 798, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/metcalf-v-peerless-laundry-dye-co-mich-1921.