Minor v. Maryland Casualty Co.

156 So. 2d 235, 1963 La. App. LEXIS 1914
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedJuly 1, 1963
DocketNo. 1119
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 156 So. 2d 235 (Minor v. Maryland Casualty 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
Minor v. Maryland Casualty Co., 156 So. 2d 235, 1963 La. App. LEXIS 1914 (La. Ct. App. 1963).

Opinion

CHASEZ, Judge.

The plaintiffs herein, Christopher L. Minor, Jr., Cleveland McNeil, Barbara Williams Johnson and Shirley Williams [237]*237Camp, filed suit against the defendants, Maryland Casualty Company and Kelly-Generes Construction Company, for damages as a result of personal injury sustained by them when as guest passengers of one Frederick Marsh, the said Marsh’s car violently crashed into a truck-trailer owned by defendant, Kelly-Generes Construction Company, on which the Maryland Casualty Company was a liability insurer. This accident took place at approximately 5:30 a. m., on March 6, 1962, in the 2900 block of Florida Avenue near Feliciana Street, where the truck-trailer of the defendant, Kelly-Generes Construction Company, was parked, unattended, partially on the traveled portion of the roadway without proper lighting, signals or other safety devices. The trailer was in this position for several days prior to the accident and was used by the Kelly-Generes Construction Company as a tool house and quarters for employees to change wearing apparel. Plaintiffs allege that while being driven uptown on Florida Avenue by Frederick Marsh, the vision of Frederick Marsh became obscured by headlights of oncoming vehicles and he violently crashed into the defendant’s truck-trailer; that the sole and proximate cause of the accident was the negligence of the defendant, Kelly-Generes Construction Company, in permitting its property to obstruct and partially occupy the traveled portion of a roadway at night without proper lighting, warning flares, reflectors or any other safety devices, in violation of the Highway Regulatory Acts and the traffic ordinances of the City of New Orleans; and that this action of the defendant constituted a nuisance and hazard to all vehicular traffic.

Frederick Marsh, the driver of the vehicle in which plaintiffs herein were passengers, intervened in this matter alleging that he was driving his 1951 Plymouth automobile uptown on Florida Avenue and that because his vision was obscured by headlights of oncoming vehicles did smash violently into the rear of the truck-trailer herein-above mentioned, which partially occupied the roadway and traffic lane; that the collision with said truck-trailer was caused by the negligence of the owner thereof, Kelly-Generes Construction Company, in leaving same parked on the roadway and traffic lane, contrary to law, and as a result of said collision he suffered personal injuries and property damage for which he seeks judgment against both defendants, Kelly-Generes Construction Company and Maryland Casualty Company.

The defendant, Kelly-Generes Construction Company answered generally denying all of the allegations of the original plaintiffs herein and averred specially that this accident was not caused by defendant but was caused solely through the recklessness and negligence of Frederick Marsh in operating a vehicle under the influence of intoxicants, at an excessive rate of speed and in failing to see the 3(7 trailer that he ran into; alternatively, said defendant alleges the plaintiffs were contributorily negligent by remaining in the automobile operated by Marsh with full knowledge that the said Marsh was under the influence of intoxicants, was speeding and was generally inattentive to road hazards.

The said defendants filed a general denial to the intervention of Frederick Marsh, and urged the same defenses thereto that they asserted against the suit of the plaintiffs.

A stipulation was entered into the record by all counsel which permitted:

1. The introduction of evidence of plaintiffs’ exhibits, marked P 1-A through K for identification, said exhibits being eleven 35 millimeter color slides taken by Mr. Abraham P. Friedman on March 7, 1962, the day following the accident.
2. Three 35 millimeter color slides, being photographs of Cleveland McNeil, one of the plaintiffs herein, taken by Mr. Felix Salassi, L. S. U. Medical School photographer on March 8, 1962.
[238]*2383. A copy of the traffic ordinance of the City of New Orleans, No. 828 MSC, Code, City of New Orleans, 1956, as amended by Ordinance No. 1434 MSC.
4. Four 8x11 glossy photographs, marked D-l through D-4, on behalf of defendants.
5. Stipulation by all parties that the property damage suffered by inter-venor, Frederick Marsh, to the 1951 Plymouth automobile amounted to the sum of $150.00.

Interrogatories on behalf of petitioners were propounded to the Kelly-Generes Construction Company and Maryland Casualty Company under the provisions of LSA-Code of Civil Procedure Article 1491 and the answers thereto form part of the record.

After trial of the case on the merits, the District Judge rendered a judgment in favor of the plaintiffs and against both the defendants, Kelly-Generes Construction Company and Maryland Casualty Company in solido, primarily for the reason that the defendant, Kelly-Generes Construction Company in parking its truck-trailer partially on the roadway at night without lights or flares or guards of any kind was guilty of negligence and additionally held that the defendants failed to sustain the burden of proving contributory negligence on the part of the plaintiffs herein. The court rendered judgment in favor of the defendants, Maryland Casualty Company and Kelly-Generes Construction Company, dismissing the suit of the intervenor, Frederick Marsh, holding the said Marsh was guilty of contributory negligence in the operation of his Plymouth automobile, primarily because he made no effort to stop his car or apply his brakes when he was partially blinded by the lights of oncoming traffic.

From this judgment of the court the defendants, Kelly-Generes Construction Company and Maryland Casualty Company, and the intervenor, Frederick Marsh, have taken suspensive appeals. The plaintiffs, Christopher Minor, Jr., Cleveland McNeil, Barbara Williams Johnson and Shirley Williams Camp, have answered the appeal of the defendants and prayed that the judgment appealed from be amended by increasing the awards allowed to the several appellees and further that the court award the plaintiffs and appellees damages against said defendants for having taken a frivolous appeal.

This record and the evidence adduced on the trial of this case clearly shows that the defendant, Kelly-Generes Construction Company left the truck-trailer parked in a dangerous manner, partially on the traveled portion of the roadway of Florida Avenue; that this trailer was used by said construction company for housing its tools and permitting personal use by its employees and was in such position for several days prior to the accident, and apparently at all times, but particularly at the time of this accident, said truck-trailer was so parked without proper lighting, flares, warning signs or other safety devices. That the photographic evidence, as well as the oral evidence, in this record indicates clearly that a portion of this trailer did occupy a portion of the traveled roadway contrary to law, both the statutes of the State and the ordinances of the City of New Orleans; that because of this negligence of the said defendant, Kelly-Generes Construction Company, the collision occurred which caused the damage and personal injuries suffered by the four plaintiffs herein, thus making said defendant and its liability insurer liable to said four plaintiffs.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Wilson v. State
577 So. 2d 1300 (Supreme Court of Florida, 1991)
Titard v. Lumbermen's Mutual Casualty Company
291 So. 2d 857 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1974)
Ferrara v. Grain Dealers Mutual Insurance
164 So. 2d 66 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1964)
Minor v. Maryland Casualty Co.
157 So. 2d 231 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1963)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
156 So. 2d 235, 1963 La. App. LEXIS 1914, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/minor-v-maryland-casualty-co-lactapp-1963.