Moore v. Rety

22 N.W.2d 68, 314 Mich. 52, 1946 Mich. LEXIS 382
CourtMichigan Supreme Court
DecidedMarch 5, 1946
DocketDocket Nos. 58, 59, Calendar Nos. 43,012, 43,013.
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 22 N.W.2d 68 (Moore v. Rety) 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
Moore v. Rety, 22 N.W.2d 68, 314 Mich. 52, 1946 Mich. LEXIS 382 (Mich. 1946).

Opinion

Reid, J.

These two cases, consolidated for the purposes of trial, grow out of a collision which occurred about 4:55 p. m. on November 18,1941, at the intersection of Evergreen road and Plymouth road in the western portion of the city of Detroit. In each case a verdict for the defendants was directed by the trial judge. Plaintiffs appeal.

The only question involved is the question of the contributory negligence of plaintiff Clarence L. Moore, driver of*the car in which he and his wife, the other plaintiff, were riding at the time of the accident.

Plaintiff Clarence L. Moore, who is hereinafter designated solely as plaintiff, testified that he was returning from Chemung Lake, driving his Packard coupe automobile, to which was attached an empty boat trailer which extended from the rear of his car a distance of about 8 feet and weighed about 600 pounds; that when he came to the intersection of Plymouth road as he was going southerly on Evergreen road he came to a stop; that he looked both ways up and down Plymouth road and there was *54 some traffic; that he waited there for a minute and a half, perhaps two minutes, until the traffic cleared up both ways and until there was only one car, he would say about 400 feet distant on Plymouth road, approaching at 25 or 30 miles per hour; that later he found out that Mr. Emery was driving that car; that he knew the Emery car wasn’t coming fast enough to interfere with his car and that he would have time enough to entirely cross the street ahead of the Emery car.

In his brief plaintiff states the facts as follows:

“Mr. Moore made-¿wo observations before he entered the intersection. The first occurred when he stopped behind the yellow line which was behind the sidewalk line and waited for traffic to clear. At this point he observed Emery at a distance of 400 feet and other traffic as he estimated, ‘I would say 1,000 feet or so. ’ Emery was traveling 25 to 30 miles per hour. Prom the time Moore was standing at the yellow line 400 feet from Emery, until the panel truck passed Emery, the latter traveled 100 to 150 feet. If Emery was going 25 miles per hour and the truck 70 miles per hour then the truck traveled as far as 2.8 times 150 feet or 450 feet. Thus by adding the two distances the panel truck was 850 feet from Moore at the time he was at the yellow line. This is the distance the truck was to the west when Moore was making his first observation based upon the testimony of Emery and Moore.
“Moore then stated that when he ‘got to the curb line’ — he ‘looked again both ways,’ as the second observation. During this time Emery had traveled between 50 and 70 feet. By computation on the same basis of relative speeds the panel truck must have been 2.8 times 50 feet closer, which would bring it to a distance of 710 feet from the intersection at the time Moore was at the curb line and in motion. This was the situation when he entered the intersection.
*55 “In making these computations we adopt the version of the testimony most favorable to plaintiffs, as we are entitled to do.
“When counsel sought to pin Mr. Moore down as to whether or not he saw the car that struck him he says, ‘ I didn’t say I didn’t see it. I may have seen it. There were 3 or 4 cars coming.’
“When he looked the third time it was m the middle of the intersection and defendants’ car was almost upon him.
“So it seems to us that while it may not be clear that Mr. Moore distinguished the vehicle that struck him, before he entered the intersection, we are entitled to. the direct testimony that he did see the traffic of which it was a part and that he exercised his judgment that he could safely cross. It is absolutely certain under the testimony that defendants ’ car was at least 200 to 250 feet from the intersection at the time Moore was one-third of the distance across, for the witness Emery testified that it passed him at that point going 60 to 70 miles per hour astride the medial line of the highway. And while Mr. Moore’s estimate that ‘it was about 1,000 feet’ when he Moore, made his first observation before he started into the intersection, it clearly was at that time under Emery’s testimony 850 feet distant, because Emery’s car was fixed at 400 feet distance at that time and it was not until some seconds afterwards, while Emery was traveling 150 to 200 feet at 25 to 30 miles per hour that he was overtaken by it. Simple computation shows it to have been 850 feet distant.
“The question then presents itself as to whether or not one entering an intersection, after making full and adequate observation, from a point several feet from the intersection and observing traffic 850 feet away, and deciding in his own mind and in the exercise of his own judgment that he may safely cross, then starting and making a further observation at the curb line, when it was 710 feet distant, he was *56 guilty of contributory negligence in so essaying to cross as a matter of law.”

Plaintiff further testified that at no time while he was progressing in the intersection was he going at a speed so great as to prevent his stopping his car within three feet, and that his car was struck just back of the front wheel between the door and the front wheel; that after he had seen the Emery car about 400 feet distant, the Emery car traveled per‘haps 50 to 70 feet; that after noting that progress of the Emery car plaintiff paid no further attention to any traffic that was approaching from his right and proceeded through the northerly half of the Plymouth road pavement, which pavement is 40 feet wide. After having progressed so far that the front part of his Packard coupe had gone into the southerly part of the street and his rear wheels either practically approaching or onto the median line of the pavement of Plymouth road, he, for the first time after entering the intersection, noted the approach of the truck driven by defendant Rety and owned by defendant Alexander. Plaintiff further testified that his car traveled only a few inches after he noticed'defendants’ truck before the impact.

It is fairly to be inferred that each driver made some effort to avoid.the collision, plaintiff by endeavoring to turn to his left and Rety, the driver of the other vehicle, by endeavoring somewhat to turn to his right. The testimony indicates a very great speed on the part of defendants’ truck, estimated at 60 or more miles per hour. The witness Emery says defendants’ truck was going 60 miles an hour at least, 60 to 70. Defendants’ truck had passed the Emery car and Emery was situated where he could see the two vehicles up to the moment of collision but could not see the parts of the two cars that immediately came in contact with' each other.

*57 Many cases are cited by defendants in their brief. Particularly emphasized is the case of Nelson v. Linderman, 288 Mich.

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Bluebook (online)
22 N.W.2d 68, 314 Mich. 52, 1946 Mich. LEXIS 382, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/moore-v-rety-mich-1946.