Neman v. Knight

227 S.W.2d 606, 1950 Tex. App. LEXIS 1911
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedFebruary 8, 1950
DocketNo. 9827
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 227 S.W.2d 606 (Neman v. Knight) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Neman v. Knight, 227 S.W.2d 606, 1950 Tex. App. LEXIS 1911 (Tex. Ct. App. 1950).

Opinion

ARCHER, Chief Justice.

This is a damage suit based upon the alleged negligence of a truck driver in the employment of the defendant. Plaintiff brought suit as surviving parent of his minor son, who -was 'hanging onto defendant’s truck while riding a bicycle, subsequently falling under the rear wheel of the truck and receiving fatal injuries. The case was tried before the court without a jury, and the judgment rendered for plaintiff for $1,480.20.

This appeal is predicated on five points assigned as error, as follows:

By the first point appellant.complains of the action of the court in not rendering a judgment in his favor; and by the second, the error of the court in holding the defendant liable under the doctrine of discovered peril; and in holding that the deceased was not negligent in holding on to the truck; and in holding that the deceased, Robert Knight, 13 years old, could not have realized the -danger in which he had placed himself; and finally, .of the court’s holding that the driver, R, C. Williams, was-acting within.the scope of his employment when he invited guests to ride with him.

This suit was for $35,510, for loss of service of the son, funeral bill, and tombstone in connection with the burial of Robert Knight, the deceased.

Plaintiff alleged that his son was killed by being run over by one of appellant’s, trucks on June 28, 1946, and further that the son was holding onto the truck while-riding a bicycle, with the consent of defendant’s agent and employee; that defendant’s agent after being advised that he was driving too fast over rough' gravel,, and having full knowledge of the perilous condition of Robert Knight, failed and refused to use the means, within his power to relieve the said Robert Knight from his-[608]*608perilous condition; that the said agent discovered and had knowledge of the perilous condition of Robert Knight in sufficient time to have prevented injury to the said Robert Knight by the use and exercise of ordinary care in the use of all means at hand with due regard of the safety of himself and of others. That despite this knowledge and the means at hand said agent continued to operate the truck at an excessive and dangerous rate of speed, and continued to increase the speed of said truck, and that this was the proximate cause of the injury and death of the said Robert Knight. Other acts of negligence were pleaded also.

The defendant answered by a plea of contributory negligence; that Robert Knight was a guest, or at most a licensee; that Robert Knight was a trespasser.

The trial court filed his findings of fact and conclusions of law; all of which we believe are supported by the record and in accordance with law, and the judgment should be affirmed.

Donald West, a boy 15 years old, testified:

“Q. You say Robert: was holding on to the side of the truck after you got out of the dump ground? A. Yes, sir.
“Q. About how fast was R. C. driving at that time? A. Right after.we got out of the dump ground he was driving about thirty miles an hour.
“Q. That was right after you came out ? A. Yes, sir, he slowed down then to make the turn.
“Q. When Robert caught hold of the truck you said that R. C. was driving about thirty miles an hour? A. Yes, sir.
“Q. Did Robert ever tell him to slow down? A. Yes, sir, Robert told me to tell him to slow down because he wanted to turn loose.
“Q. About how far had you gotten from the gate to the dump ground when Robert told you to tell him to slow down ? A. About fifty yards.
“Q. Did you tell R. C. to slow down? A. Yes, sir.
“Q. ' What' did R. C. do when you told him to slow down? A. He looked over and smiled and put his foot on the accelerator.
“Q. Did he slow down? A. No, sir.
“Q. What, if anything, did he do when you told him to slow down ? A. He looked around and smiled.
“Q. Did he increase the speed of his car? A. Yes, sir, he put his foot on the accelerator and speeded up.
“Q. When he put his foot on the accelerator and speeded up do you mean that he started to drive faster? A. Yes, sir.
“Q. About how far did he drive after you told him to slow down in order that Robert could turn loose before Robert was run over? A. About how far did he go?
“Q. Yes, about how far did he go? A. He went about, let’s see, it was about fifty yards.
“Q. He went about fifty yards after you told him to slow down so that Robert could turn loose? A. Yes, sir.
“Q. Did you tell him why you wanted him to slow down? A. Yes, sir, I told him to slow down because the gravel was too thick.
“Q. Because the gravel was too thick for Robert to hold on and you wanted him to slow down? A." Yes, sir.
“Q. But he increased his speed? A. Yes, sir.
“Q. And he drove at this increased rate of speed for about fifty yards before Robert was run over? A. .Yes, sir.
“Q. About how fast would you say he was driving at the time Robert was run over? A. Between thirty-five and forty.
. “Q. Between thirty five and forty miles an hour? ,A- Yes, sir.
' “Q.. Now, did you notice Robert Joe shortly after .he was run over? A. Yes, sir, I looked back.
“Q. Did R. C. stop the automobile?- A. After I looked back I told him to stop and then he stopped.
“Q. Did he stop the automobile? A. Yes, sir. ,
“Q. When you told him to stop the automobile did you tell him in any louder tone of voice than you did when you told him to [609]*609slow it down? A. No, sir, it was about the same.
“Q. You told him in about the same tone of voice when he stopped as you did at the time when you asked him to slow down? A. Yes, sir.

The court found, and we believe he was justified from the record, that R. C. Williams, the driver of the truck, had knowledge of and permitted the deceased, Robert Knight, to hold on to the truck; that the truck was being operated at an excessive and dangerous rate of speed under the circumstances then existing, and that due to the speed and the graveled condition of the road the said Robert Knight was then and there in danger of receiving injury, and was in a position of peril; that the driver was requested to reduce his speed, and that at that time the deceased was in danger and in peril; that the driver had such knowledge in time to have prevented the injury by the use of all means at his hand, with due regard for the safety of himself and others.

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Bluebook (online)
227 S.W.2d 606, 1950 Tex. App. LEXIS 1911, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/neman-v-knight-texapp-1950.