Pankey v. Claywell

417 S.W.2d 9, 1967 Mo. App. LEXIS 664
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedJune 13, 1967
DocketNo. 32706
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 417 S.W.2d 9 (Pankey v. Claywell) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Missouri Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Pankey v. Claywell, 417 S.W.2d 9, 1967 Mo. App. LEXIS 664 (Mo. Ct. App. 1967).

Opinion

THEODORE McMILLIAN, Special Judge.

This is an action for damages arising out of personal injuries that plaintiff, a pedestrian, suffered when she was struck by defendant’s automobile. Verdict and judgment for $2,500.00 was for the plaintiff, and the defendant has appealed. We shall refer to the parties as they were designated in the trial court.

There is but one point raised upon the appeal; that is, that the plaintiff failed to make a submissible case under the humanitarian doctrine of negligent failure to slacken speed, or to swerve the automobile, or to sound a warning of its approach.

The accident occurred on March 27, 1965, on Science Street at its intersection with Main and Rinke Streets in Flat River, Missouri. For our purposes, Main Street runs east and west; however, west of the intersection, it bends northwestwardly. Westbound travel on Main is upgrade. Science Street runs to the north and south and enters Main Street from the south but does not cross it. On the southwest corner of Main and Science Streets is Schramm’s building.

Science Street is 45 feet wide, sidewalk to sidewalk. The traveled portion of the pavement on Science is 22.5 feet wide. On each side of the traveled portion of Science (between the pavement and the sidewalk) is an 11 foot blacktop parking strip. On the west side of Science Street, the sidewalk is 2.5 to 3 feet above the street level. Steps, located on the southwest corner of Main and Science Streets, lead from the sidewalk to the level of Science. All traffic at the intersection is controlled by stop signs.

Plaintiff had been shopping and was walking eastwardly on the south side of Main Street by the side of the Schramm building. She testified that she walked down the steps to the level of Science Street; that she saw some cars stopped at the stop sign on Main Street (eastbound) and some stopped at the stop sign for northbound Science Street travel; however, she did not see any cars at the stop sign for westbound travel on Main Street. Then, testifying further, she said she intended to walk eastwardly across Science and had walked about 12 feet over the blacktop when she looked for cars again, and she saw none at either the Main or Science Street stop signs. Next, she started across Science Street (traveled portion), and had "reached the center of the street “ * * * and done and stepped my right foot across the center * * * line” when she saw a white car for the first time. She testified further that she did not know how far [11]*11it was from her; she saw it was going to hit her; she did not hear the sound of either brakes squealing or a horn; and thereafter, she had no recollection.

Plaintiff’s witness, William E. Brady, testified that he was stopped at the westbound stop sign on Main Street, east of the intersection; that another car, not involved in the accident, was in front of him; that he saw defendant’s right fender strike plaintiff when she was right of the center of defendant’s car; that plaintiff landed near the center of the street; that he saw defendant’s car going- “west” (south) in a parallel position on Science Street; that he estimated the speed of defendant’s car to be between 8 to 12 miles per hour, and plaintiff was about 5 feet from defendant’s car when the witness saw her for the first time. From his vantage point, he placed the accident 30-35 yards away.

Plaintiff’s son, James Pankey, who arrived after the accident, testified (looking at Plaintiff’s Exhibit E, a picture looking westwardly on Main Street) that the stop sign shown in the exhibit had been moved into the position shown thereon after the accident. In his opinion, it was about 45 feet back to the east. He also said that on the scene, he saw skidmarks approximately 13.6 feet long leading up to defendant’s car; and that they began at the crosswalk from Schramm’s building, in the southbound lane on Science and continued southwardly 8-10 inches into the northbound lane. He estimated that the distance from the westbound stop sign on Main, as shown in Exhibit E, to the center line of Science to be about 45 feet.

Defendant, in his own behalf, testified that he was on his way home that afternoon. His route was to go westwardly on Main to Science Street and then to make a left turn on to Science. He said he stopped at the stop sign, which according to him had been placed in the position shown in Plaintiff’s Exhibit E prior to the accident; that he saw plaintiff for the first time when she was perhaps 8-10 feet from his automobile, and that she was about half way into defendant’s lane. She was not in the crosswalk but 15-16 feet south of it; that his speed by then was 10-15 miles per hour, and plaintiff was near the right side of his car; and that as he struck her, he swerved to the left. Defendant further testified that a person walking down the Main Street steps and across the pavement would be visible for about 200-300 feet.

Defendant’s witness, Officer James L. White, testified also that the westbound stop sign on Main Street had been placed as shown in Exhibit E prior to the accident; that the skidmarks found and measured by him were all centered in the southbound lane of Science; that they commenced 7 feet south of the crosswalk across Science. He said further that he found plaintiff lying on the center line 20 feet south of the crosswalk; and that plaintiff’s left shoe was under the left front tire of defendant’s automobile.

In passing upon the sufficiency of the evidence to make a submissible case, we must review the facts and the reasonable inferences to be drawn from them in a light most favorable to the plaintiff’s case. In so doing, we disregard defendant’s evidence unless it aids plaintiff’s case. Brown v. Wooderson, Mo., 362 S.W.2d 525; and Kirks v. Waller, Mo., 341 S.W.2d 860.

Under the humanitarian doctrine, no duty to act is imposed upon, a defendant until a situation of immediate danger arises. At this time only, does the doctrine commence to operate, and the antecedent negligence of either the plaintiff or the defendant is not to be considered. Mayfield v. Kansas City Southern R. Co., 337 Mo. 79; 85 S.W.2d 116; Bafaro v. Pezzani, Mo. App., 376 S.W.2d 631, 633(4). The classic statements of the essential ingredients of a humanitarian case as set forth in Banks v. Morris & Co., 302 Mo. 254, 257 S.W. 482 are: (1) Plaintiff was in a position of peril; (2) defendant had notice thereof [12]*12(if it was the duty of defendant to have been on the lookout, constructive notice suffices); (3) defendant after receiving such notice had the means at hand to have averted the impending injury without injury to himself or others; (4) he failed to exercise ordinary care to avert such impending injury; and (5) by reason thereof, plaintiff was injured.

The application of the doctrine in no way has altered the rule that the burden of proof is upon the plaintiff; Moore v. Ervin, Mo., 374 S.W.2d 142, 149 (3, 4) ; Vietmeier v. Voss, Mo., 246 S.W.2d 785; and the claimed negligence of the defendant cannot be left to speculation, guess, or conjecture. It is stated in Vietmeier v. Voss, supra:

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Bluebook (online)
417 S.W.2d 9, 1967 Mo. App. LEXIS 664, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/pankey-v-claywell-moctapp-1967.