Murray v. Wilson

35 N.W.2d 521, 227 Minn. 365, 1949 Minn. LEXIS 491
CourtSupreme Court of Minnesota
DecidedJanuary 7, 1949
DocketNo. 34,730.
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 35 N.W.2d 521 (Murray v. Wilson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Minnesota primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Murray v. Wilson, 35 N.W.2d 521, 227 Minn. 365, 1949 Minn. LEXIS 491 (Mich. 1949).

Opinions

Thomas Gallagher, Justice.

Action for personal injuries sustained by plaintiff, a pedestrian, on December 19,1946, when struck by defendant’s car at the intersection of Lake avenue south and Eighth street in Duluth. The jury returned a verdict of $4,700 for plaintiff. From an order denying defendant’s motion for a new trial, this appeal is taken.

Plaintiff had been a passenger on a bus traveling south on Lake avenue south and had been discharged therefrom at the northwest corner of said intersection, near her home. While attempting to cross Lake avenue south from the west to the east side thereof, she was struck by defendant’s car traveling south on Lake avenue south as it passed to the left of the bus at the intersection. It is undisputed that in passing the bus defendant drove some four or five feet to the left thereof and to the left of the center of Lake avenue south.

Plaintiff testified that in crossing over Lake avenue south she walked on the extension of the northerly crosswalk of Eighth street. *367 The evidence disclosed that defendant’s car skidded a distance of some 20 feet before coming to a stop after the accident, finally coming to rest two feet west of the east curb of Lake avenue south and two feet north of the south line of Eighth street.

As a result of the accident, plaintiff was confined to the hospital for approximately six weeks, and to her home for an additional five weeks. She sustained injuries to her head, a slight concussion with some laceration of the scalp, swelling, and inflammation, and a compression fracture of the first lumbar vertebra. Medical testimony presented by her indicated that she would “always know that she has had a fractured vertebra because there are times when she will have more pain than others. She * * * may even have to resort to the brace at times.” She was over 65 years of age and unemployed at the time of the accident.

On appeal, defendant charges that the trial court erred in giving the following instructions:

“Except on a one-way roadway (and this was not a one-way roadway; traffic in both directions was provided for), no vehicle shall in overtaking and passing another vehicle or at any other time, be driven to the left side of the roadway under the following conditions: ‘When approaching within 100 feet of or traversing any intersection.’
“The driver of any vehicle traveling at an unlawful speed shall forfeit any right of way which he might otherwise have hereunder.
“If you find from the evidence that the plaintiff was walking across a portion of the intersection of Lake Avenue South and Eighth Street at the time she was struck and injured at a place clearly marked by pedestrian use as a crosswalk, then she would have the right of way over the approaching automobile of the defendant and she would have the right to assume that the defendant would yield to her such right of way until the contrary became apparent or until, in the exercise of ordinary care and prudence, she should have seen that the contrary was apparent.”

*368 Defendant further claims error in the trial court’s refusal to give defendant’s requested instructions as follows:

“There is no evidence in this case that plaintiff has sustained any permanent disability as a result of the accident involved herein.
“There is no evidence that plaintiff has sustained any loss of earnings by reason of the accident involved herein.”

We do not find error in the instructions as above outlined. Defendant admits that he was driving to the left side of Lake avenue south at the time of the accident. He attempts to justify this by his contention that the width of the bus and the position in which it was parked made this route necessary. This would not absolve him from M. S. A. 169.18, subd. 3, which provides:

“The following rules shall govern the overtaking and passing of vehicles proceeding in the same direction, subject to those limitations, exceptions, and special rules hereinafter stated:
“(6) * * * no vehicle shall, in overtaking and passing another vehicle or at any other time, be driven to the left half of the roadway under the following conditions:
“(b) * * * when approaching within 100 feet of or traversing any intersection * * *

Neither would it absolve him from what the jury might find was negligence at common law in attempting to pass immediately to the left of a parked bus discharging its passengers at a time when the pavement upon which he was driving was in a slippery condition.

Defendant argues that the statute has no application here because the bus had come to a stop, while the statute refers to overtaking a vehicle “proceeding in the same directionIt is to be noted that § 169.18 not only applies when passing a vehicle proceeding in the same direction, but, by its terms, “or at any other time.” Further, the same argument was advanced in Geisen v. Luce, 185 Minn. 479, 242 N. W. 8, where a car likewise passed to the left of *369 a parked car. In that case there was involved Mason St. 1927, § 2720-13(a), which provided:

“The driver of a vehicle shall not drive to the left side of the center line of a highway in overtaking and, passing another vehiele proceeding in the same direction unless such left side is clearly visible and is free of oncoming traffic for a sufficient distance ahead to permit such overtaking and passing to be made in safety.” (Italics supplied.)

There we stated (185 Minn. 482, 242 N. W. 10):

“* * * It is the contention that this statute was not applicable because Ferris’ car was standing and not moving. We are of the opinion that the contention is unsound, and we construe the statute as applicable to a standing car headed in the same direction the same as if it were moving.”

In view of its explicit language and our construction in the Geisen case, we find no error in the instruction given with reference to M. S. A. 169.18, subd. 3.

Defendant contends that the trial court erred in its instruction as above quoted relative to plaintiff’s rights at the crosswalk. Defendant contends there was no crosswalk from the west to the east side of Lake avenue south extending from the north crosswalk of Eighth street, as defined under the statute. No claim was made to such effect at the trial. No exception was taken to the court’s charge with respect thereto. It was not assigned as error in defendant’s motion for new trial. Under such circumstances, the issue is not before us for consideration. Cappis v. Wiedemann, 86 Minn. 156, 90 N. W. 368; Olson v. Berg, 87 Minn. 277, 91 N. W. 1103.

Defendant asserts that the court erred in instructing the jury that a vehicle traveling at an unlawful rate of speed shall forfeit its right of way. No exception was taken to this instruction, nor was it assigned as error in defendant’s motion for new trial. There was evidence that the street was slippery at the time, and that the car skidded some 20 feet before stopping.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
35 N.W.2d 521, 227 Minn. 365, 1949 Minn. LEXIS 491, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/murray-v-wilson-minn-1949.