Nelson v. Mooneyhan

426 S.W.2d 519, 58 Tenn. App. 103, 1967 Tenn. App. LEXIS 214
CourtCourt of Appeals of Tennessee
DecidedSeptember 18, 1967
StatusPublished

This text of 426 S.W.2d 519 (Nelson v. Mooneyhan) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Tennessee primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Nelson v. Mooneyhan, 426 S.W.2d 519, 58 Tenn. App. 103, 1967 Tenn. App. LEXIS 214 (Tenn. Ct. App. 1967).

Opinions

AVERY, P.J. (W.S.).

This is an action for personal injury brought by Dorothy Nelson, who was plaintiff in trial.'-.Court, .against Etta Mae Mooneyhan, driver, and J.'W.-Mooneyhan, owner of car in which she was riding as a,guest j on the right side of the rear seat. Pearly [106]*106Walton is the guest not involved as a litigant in this cause, who was on the right side of the front seat, which car was struck in the rear by a car driven by Minerva Clark and which Clark car was struck by a car driven by defendant, Ellis G. Boxx and owned by defendant, Leonard Boxx. There was another car in front of plaintiff’s car, which was not directly involved and which left the scene, the driver and owner of which seems to be unknown.

This accident or collision occurred on Highway 61 south at a time when that which we will refer to as the “unknown car” was the forward car, the Mooneyhan car was the first following car, the Clark car was the second following car and the Boxx car was the third following car.

It appears that at the time and place of the accident the said highway was being repaired or was under construction and that there was only one lane of traffic in each direction. The driver, Minerva Clark, was the owner of the car she was driving. The defendants in the case are Etta Mae Mooneyhan, J. W. Mooneyhan, Ellis G. Boxx and E. Leonard Boxx.

The case was tried in Division 1 of the Circuit Court of Shelby County, Honorable W. Edward Quick, Judge, to a jury. At the conclusion of the plaintiff’s proof and renewed at the conclusion of all the proof, defendants Mooneyhan and Boxx moved for a directed verdict in their behalf. These motions were overruled and the jury charged by the Court.

After deliberation there was a verdict favorable to all defendants, Mooneyhans and Boxxes, and plaintiff's case dismissed with cost. Plaintiff saved exception to [107]*107tbe verdict and judgment of the Court, prayed an appeal, which was granted, perfected and the case was heard in this Court on June 27, 1967, taken under advisement and is now disposed of by this opinion.

In view of the results and errors assigned in this court by appellants and certain defendants, it seems proper to quote here a short statement of the negligence charged in the declaration. After setting out in Count I the residences and names of the parties and the fact the plaintiff is suing for $60,000 damages for personal injury, that count merely states in its last sentence the following:

“The cause of action in this case arose in Shelby County, Tennessee, on the 14th day of December, 1963, as a result of an automobile collision.”

This count does not allege any negligence against any person. Immediately following that statement of the declaration is Count “II”, followed by counts designated “III, IV, V and VI”. In Count II the factual situation is averred after there is set out in the first paragraph thereof the name of defendant with whom the plaintiff was riding; the direction in which the cars were moving; the order in which they appeared on the highway at the time. With reference to the car designated in this opinion as the “Unknown car”, this Count II states:

“Plaintiff avers that the defendant, Etta Mae Mooney-han, was driving the vehicle in which she was riding as a guest passenger and that the said Etta Mae Mooneyhan was, at the moment, talking to Pearly Walton, who was also a guest passenger riding in the right front seat. Plaintiff avers that someone in the automobile hollared ‘look out’ and the said defendant, Etta Mae Mooneyhan, hit her brakes violently to avoid [108]*108'hitting the rear of an automobile in front ef her, which had slowed down to a slow rate of speed;'
“Plaintiff avers that when the said defendant, Etta Mae Mooneyhan, did suddenly and violently without warning hit her brakes, that the sudden braking threw the plaintiff, Dorothy Nelson, forward into the .front seat of the automobile and that before the plaintiff could get settled back in her seat, she was violently struck in the rear of said automobile by an- automobile- which ,,was driven by Minerva P. Clark, 'and that the said . Clark vehicle was knocked into- the rear of the automobile in which plaintiff was riding as a guest passenger by an automobile driven by the co-defendant, Ellis Gr. Boxx, and owned by the co-defendant, E. Leonard Boxx.
“Plaintiff avers that when the defendant, Etta Mae Mooneyhan, came to the sudden and violent stop, that the automobile immediately to the rear of her, driven by Minerva P. Clark, started stopping, but was unable to stop due to the fact that the Clark vehicle was struck in the rear by the automobile driven by the co:defendant, Ellis G-. Boxx, and owned by the co-defendant, E. Leonard Boxx, and that the impaet of the Boxx vehicle into the rear of the Clark vehicle, drove the Clark vehicle into the rear of the'Mooneyhan vehicle.
“Plaintiff avers that as a direct and proximate result of the aforesaid collision, she received severe" and permanent injuries to her back and entire nervous system. Plaintiff avers that' the aforesaid collision caused plaintiff to' suffer a ruptured disc in her lumbar spine and that plaintiff was required to be hospitalized for a long period of time where she incurred large [109]*109..hospital, doctors, drugs, and other medical expenses. '.Plaintiff avers that her treating physician has diagnosed her injury as permanent in nature and plaintiff avers that she is still suffering from her injuries.”

At the bottom of this count she alleges she is entitled to recover $60,000 damages and asks for a jury trial.

In Count III she has stated that the matter set out in Counts I and II are reiterated and for additional cause of action she avers the acts of negligence of “Etta Mae Mooneyhan” which she alleges to be five acts of “common law negligence ’ ’:

“1 — That she failed to keep a proper lookout ahead.
2 — That she did not have her vehicle under proper control.
3 — That she failed to drive at a safe and reasonable speed under the existing traffic conditions.
4 — That she failed to obey the rules of the road.
5 — -That she operated her vehicle in a dangerous and reckless manner considering the circumstances and conditions of the road existing at the time and place of the collision.”

Count IV reiterates plaintiff’s reliance upon the matters set out in Counts I, II and III and in that count she charges a statutory violation on the part of Etta Mae Mooneyhan to be a violation of T.C.A. Section 59-824, - “Following too closely”, also of Section 59-853 which is the statute authorizing towns and cities to establish speed zones and quotes the statute on Beckless driving. T.C.A. Section 59-858.

[110]*110In these counts it is shown the car driven by Mrs. Mooneyhan belonged to J. W. Mooneyhan. In Count V, after relying upon the allegations contained in Counts I and II of the declaration, it is alleged that Ellis G. Boxx was guilty of common law negligence set out:

1 — Failed to keep a proper lookout ahead.
2 — Did not have his vehicle under proper control.

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

Related

Liakas v. State
286 S.W.2d 856 (Tennessee Supreme Court, 1956)
Woods v. Meacham
333 S.W.2d 567 (Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 1959)
Brenizer v. Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railway
3 S.W.2d 1053 (Tennessee Supreme Court, 1928)
Life & Casualty Ins. v. Bradley
160 S.W.2d 410 (Tennessee Supreme Court, 1941)
Wm. J. Oliver Mfg. Co. v. Slimp
139 Tenn. 297 (Tennessee Supreme Court, 1917)
Hammond v. Union Planters Nat. Bank
222 S.W.2d 377 (Tennessee Supreme Court, 1949)
Monday v. Reed
341 S.W.2d 755 (Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 1960)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
426 S.W.2d 519, 58 Tenn. App. 103, 1967 Tenn. App. LEXIS 214, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/nelson-v-mooneyhan-tennctapp-1967.