Naccarato v. Village of Priest River

195 P.2d 370, 68 Idaho 368, 1948 Ida. LEXIS 136
CourtIdaho Supreme Court
DecidedJune 23, 1948
DocketNo. 7413.
StatusPublished
Cited by27 cases

This text of 195 P.2d 370 (Naccarato v. Village of Priest River) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Idaho Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Naccarato v. Village of Priest River, 195 P.2d 370, 68 Idaho 368, 1948 Ida. LEXIS 136 (Idaho 1948).

Opinion

*371 HYATT, Justice.

Respondent sued for personal injuries sustained as the result of an automobile, in which he was riding as a passenger, striking a hole and ditch in the street of appellant Village and thereby colliding with a tree at the side of the street. The court, trying the case without a jury, made findings and entered judgment for plaintiff.

Plaintiff by his complaint alleged (Italics ours) :

“* * * That at a point on said Highway No. 10 where First Street crosses said highway within the Village of Priest River, the said Village of Priest River, through its water system employees, dug a ditch extending completely across said highway; said ditch being approximately eight (8) inches in depth cmd approximately five (5) inches in width, for the purpose of draining a hole caused by the breaking of a water main owned and operated by the Village of Priest River, Idaho. That said hole was approximately two and one-half (2i/2) feet wide and approximately eight (8) inches in depth.
“That the said Village of Priest River, Idaho through its water system employees negligently failed to place any warning signs, warning lights, or barricades at the scene of said hole and ditch. That the automobile in which this plaintiff was a passenger was proceeding in an easterly direction on said Highway No. 10 within the corporate limits of the Village of Priest River, Idaho, on the date heretofore set up at a speed of not to exceed twenty (20) miles per hour. That said automobile struck said hole and ditch with the result thereof causing said automobile to be thrown to the North across a ditch and into a tree ‡

The evidence substanially showed, and the court found (Italics ours) :

“* * * That at a point on said highway No. 10 where First Street crosses said highway within the Village of Priest River, the said Village of Priest River, through its water system employees, permitted a water main to remain broken for a period of more than three days, with the result that water from said main was permitted to flow over and across said highway, with the result that said water floiving created an icy condition upon said highway. That as said water attempted to flow across said highway it caused a natural ditch approximately eight (8) inches in depth and approximately five (5) inches in width upon said highway. That in addition thereto the water flowing from said broken main caused a hole approximately two and one-half feet (2%'J wide, and approximately eight (8) inches in depth to form in said highway.
“That the said Village of Priest River, Idaho through its water system employees negligently failed to place any warning signs, warning lights, or barricades at the scene of said hole and ditch. That the au *372 tomobile in which this plaintiff was a passenger was proceeding in an easterly direction on said Highway No. 10 within the corporate limits of the Village of Priest River, Idaho, on the date heretofore set up at a speed of not to exceed twenty (20) miles per hour. That said automobile struck said hole and ditch with the result thereof causing said automobile to be thrown to the North across a ditch and into a tree * *

Appellant Village assigns as errors:

(1) The entry of Judgment for plaintiff;

(2) The overruling of its objection to the introduction of evidence that the ditch was formed by water flowing from a broken main;

(3) The making of the first paragraph of the finding above set forth;

(4) The failure to find plaintiff guilty of contributory negligence proximately causing his injuries.

As to assignments (2) and (3), appellant contends the allegation of the complaint that defendant dug a ditch across the highway was so fatally at variance from the proof and finding that the ditch was created by water flowing across the ice in the street, as not to permit the admission of such proof and the making of such finding.

Appellant objected to certain evidence that the water flowing from a broken main formed the hole in the street, the icy condition upon the highway, and the ditch therein, but only after several witnesses, called by plaintiff, had previously testified without objection to such broken water main, the flow of water, the resulting conditions and hazards created thereby, and substantially all the same matters subsequently objected to.

A party who fails to object to the admission of evidence waives an objection to the subsequent admission of the same or similar evidence. 64 C.J. 171; Denver & R. G. R. Co. v. Morrison, 3 Colo.App. 194, 32 P. 859; Stutsman v. Des Moines City R. Co., 180 Iowa 524, 163 N.W. 580; Cull v. McMillan Contracting Co., Mo.App., 178 S.W. 868.

Error, if any, in admitting irrelevant or improper testimony is harmless where the fact which is intended to be proved thereby is fully shown by other evidence which was introduced proviously or subsequently without objection. State v. Reding, 52 Idaho 260, 266, 13 P.2d 253, 255. See also Eastern Idaho Loan & Trust Co. v. Blomberg, 62 Idaho 497, at page 505, 113 P.2d 406, holding a failure to object to evidence when introduced is a waiver of objection that it is inadmissible under the pleadings. Evidence introduced without objection stands as evidence in the case for all purposes. Angelus Securities Corp. v. Chester, 128 Cal.App. 437, 17 P.2d 1016; Hamlin v. University of Idaho, 61 Idaho 570, 574, 104 P.2d 625. And the same is sufficient to *373 support a finding. Powers v. Board of Public Works, 216 Cal. 546, 15 P.2d 156.

A failure to object to the evidence waives an obj ection that there is a variance between the evidence and the pleadings. 64 C.J. 169; Boyce v. California Stage Co., 25 Cal. 460; Bowles v. Eisenmayer, Mo.App., 22 S.W.2d 884; Smith v. Long, 183 Okl. 441, 83 P.2d 167. And in Gaffny v. Michaels, 73 Cal.App. 151, 238 P. 746, at page 747, it was said: “* * * The failure of a party to object to evidence upon the ground of variance between it and the allegations of his adversary’s pleading is a tacit admission that he is not misled by it to his prejudice in maintaining his action or defense on the merits. Indeed, his failure so to object affords the best possible evidence that the the variance has not misled him to his prejudice.”

See also 49 C.J. 812.

Appellant by permitting the introduction of the evidence above referred to without objection, cannot on appeal take advantage of any variance between the pleading and proof, nor the finding based on the latter. See 49 C.J. page 826, Sec. 1225.

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

Related

Mager v. Garrett Freightlines, Inc.
600 P.2d 773 (Idaho Supreme Court, 1979)
State v. Pardock
215 N.W.2d 344 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1974)
Thorson v. Studer
510 P.2d 483 (Idaho Supreme Court, 1973)
Quayle v. MacKert
447 P.2d 679 (Idaho Supreme Court, 1968)
Rogers v. Hendrix
438 P.2d 653 (Idaho Supreme Court, 1968)
McKenney v. Anselmo
416 P.2d 509 (Idaho Supreme Court, 1966)
Hessing v. Drake
408 P.2d 180 (Idaho Supreme Court, 1965)
Dickerson v. Brewster
399 P.2d 407 (Idaho Supreme Court, 1965)
Dohrman v. Tomlinson
399 P.2d 255 (Idaho Supreme Court, 1965)
Walker v. St. Vincent dePaul
396 P.2d 898 (Oregon Supreme Court, 1964)
Janinda v. Lanning
390 P.2d 826 (Idaho Supreme Court, 1964)
Gayhart Ex Rel. Gayhart v. Schwabe
330 P.2d 327 (Idaho Supreme Court, 1958)
Emerson v. Quinn
317 P.2d 344 (Idaho Supreme Court, 1957)
Chresst v. Chresst
295 P.2d 704 (Idaho Supreme Court, 1956)
Watkins v. Watkins
281 P.2d 1057 (Idaho Supreme Court, 1955)
Sanford v. Luce
60 N.W.2d 885 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1953)
McDowell v. Geokan
252 P.2d 1056 (Idaho Supreme Court, 1953)
Williams v. Idaho Potato Starch Co.
245 P.2d 1045 (Idaho Supreme Court, 1952)
In Re Heazle's Estate
240 P.2d 821 (Idaho Supreme Court, 1952)
Cazier v. Economy Cash Stores, Inc.
228 P.2d 436 (Idaho Supreme Court, 1951)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
195 P.2d 370, 68 Idaho 368, 1948 Ida. LEXIS 136, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/naccarato-v-village-of-priest-river-idaho-1948.