Neessen v. Armstrong

239 N.W. 56, 213 Iowa 378
CourtSupreme Court of Iowa
DecidedNovember 17, 1931
DocketNo. 40911.
StatusPublished
Cited by48 cases

This text of 239 N.W. 56 (Neessen v. Armstrong) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Neessen v. Armstrong, 239 N.W. 56, 213 Iowa 378 (iowa 1931).

Opinion

Wagner, J.

At the close of plaintiff’s evidence, the defendant moved for a directed verdict on grounds which may be epitomized as follows, to wit: (1) that it has not been shown by the plaintiff’s evidence that the decedent was free from contributory negligence; (2) that the evidence fails to show that the defendant was guilty of recklessness within the meaning of the statute; (3) that, under the entire record as made by the *380 plaintiff’s evidence, the court could not allow a verdict in favor of the plaintiff to stand.

Since plaintiff’s action is founded upon recklessness, and not upon negligence, contributory negligence by the decedent is not an element to be considered or dealt with at any stage of the case. Therefore, there is no merit in the first ground of appellee’s motion for a directed verdict. See Siesseger v. Puth, 213 Iowa 164.

For a proper determination of the remaining grounds of appellee’s motion for a directed verdict, we must necessarily refer somewhat ill detail to the evidence, which we will now proceed to do. The accident occurred in the town of Grundy Center in the early evening of April 13, 1930. The defendant, at the time in question, was driving a Ford car, the decedent being seated to.the right of the defendant. As a result of the accident, the decedent received a laceration across the throat, which cut the jugular vein, and also a puncture of the skull under the ear, and because of his injuries he died the following day. A proper conception of the scene of the accident and the environments can be best obtained by an observation of the accompanying, plat, which in enlarged form was introduced in evidence. .

Iowa State Highway No. 90, Main Street, and G Avenue are identical, and this highway runs east and west through the *381 town, as shown by the plat. Fourth Street is a north and south street, which crosses G Avenue, Main Street, or State Highway No. 90, and because of a surveyor’s correction line, said street extending south from Main Street lies a little to the west of a continuation of the same street which runs north from Main Street. Fourth Street, running.north from Main Street, is also a primary highway, known as No. 14. Both ends of Fourth Street are 24.2 feet wide between the curbs. The width of the intersection lying between the two extensions of Fourth Street is 47.5 feet between the curbs. The witness who made the plat for plaintiff testified that the distance from the west line of Fourth Street running north to the east line of Fourth Street running south,is 66 feet. “That 66 feet is a part of the intersection.” There is a stop sign on Highway No. 14, or Fourth Street, running north, which is 28.4 feet north of Main Street, or Iowa State Highway No. 90. This stop sign is properly placed on the right-hand side of Highway No. 14 as one approaches Highway No. 90. At the time in question, the defendant came from the north on Fourth Street and entered the intersection to continue his journey on the same street leading south. A Buick Sedan, driven by Leversee, approached the intersection from the west. It appears from the record that the defendant was first within the intersection. Leversee, as a witness, testified that, as he was traveling east on G Avenue (Highway No. 90) and was past the center of Fourth Street (running south), the Ford Runabout (the car driven by the defendant) approached from the northeast and the right front wheel of the Ford hit the left front wheel of his car at an angle of about 45 degrees; that he did not believe that his car moved a foot as the result of the impact, and while there was some damage done to his car, he was in no way injured; that he did not notice where his car was with reference to the sidewalk running north and south on the east side of Fourth Street, and could not tell how much distance there was between the back of his car and the center of Fourth Street extending south from Main Street;,that the Ford car was about fifteen or twenty feet distant when he first saw it. He marked a cross on the plat, designated by the letter J, as the spot in the intersection where the left front wheel of his car was at the time of the impact, and a cross designated by the letter 0 on the plat was marked by him as a witness, as *382 the location of the defendant’s car when he first saw it. He was asked the question as to the speed at which the Ford automobile was travelling and answered: “I couldn’t judge the speed.” One Alfred Bienfang was operating a filling station at the southwest corner of the intersection between Main Street and Fourth Street, running south, and testified that he saw the defendant’s ear in Fourth Street coming south; that it did not stop for the stop sign; that he did not notice the speed of the Ford car. Elgin Bienfang resided in a house located in the southeast corner of.the intersection of Main Street and Fourth Street, running south. He testified:

“I was in the house putting my boy to bed and was seated at an open window where I could look right up North 4th Street. I saw Armstrong’s car as he came down North 4th Street. It did not come to a complete stop before passing the stop sign, or before coming into G~ Avenue. They were coming south. * * * They just swung to the right and started south again as long as I could see them. * * * As he got to the stop sign, he slowed up, and increased speed after he started again. * * * The last I seen him he was increasing speed. * * :>f Q. When did you first know that an accident had occurred? Á. When I heard the crash. Q. How long after you saw, or after you last saw, the Armstrong car was it before you heard the crash ? A. Just about a couple of minutes. Q. A couple of minutes? A. Yes, I heard the crash and got right out there and saw the position that the cars were in right after the accident happened. The point of contact of the two cars was right in line with the sidewalk running north and south on the west side of my house. The Buick car .was facing east; the Ford car was facing southwest. * * * Q. And you saw him (Armstrong) from the time that he was the other side of the stop sign until he reached the center of the street? A.> Yes, sir. * * * Q. Where was the Armstrong car at the time that it was first turned in the direction where, in which, it was going at the time of the accident? A. In the center of the street. Q. How fast was the Armstrong car traveling at the time of the accident ? A. About 20 miles an hour. * * * Q. In what direction was Armstrong looking at the time of the accident? A. He was looking straight ahead. * * * It wasn’t dark, I could see a man’s eyes across the street. ”

*383 Another witness testified that the accident happened south of the center of Main Street and east of the center of 4th Street, running south from Main Street.

The foregoing constitutes all of the material testimony upon which we must determine whether it is sufficient to support a verdict of a jury that the defendant’s conduct was reckless, within the meaning of the law.

It will be noted that, while there is evidence that the defendant slowed down, yet he failed to make a complete stop at the stop sign before entering the intersection. The place in the intersection where the testimony tends to show that the collision occurred, was five or six rods from the stop sign.

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Bluebook (online)
239 N.W. 56, 213 Iowa 378, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/neessen-v-armstrong-iowa-1931.