Pool v. Gilbert

199 S.W.2d 798, 1947 Tex. App. LEXIS 1105
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJanuary 29, 1947
DocketNo. 11671
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 199 S.W.2d 798 (Pool v. Gilbert) 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
Pool v. Gilbert, 199 S.W.2d 798, 1947 Tex. App. LEXIS 1105 (Tex. Ct. App. 1947).

Opinion

MURRAY, Justice.

This suit was instituted by Walter C. Pool, a Warrant Officer in the United States Army, against Joe L. Gilbert, who was the operator of a truck line between the City of Laredo and the City of San Antonio, Texas, seeking to recover damages sustained by him as the result of a collision between an automobile driven by plaintiff and a trailer-truck driven by one Garland B. Tennery as agent for Joe L. Gilbert. The collision was between the left side of the automobile and the left side [799]*799of the trailer of the truck. In other words,' it was a side-swiping collision. Pool sustained injuries to his left elbow, which was evidently protruding from his car at the time of the collision. Woodrow W. Curtis, an attorney, was made a party to the suit, but all matters between him and plaintiff were settled by agreement and he will not be mentioned hereafter.

The case was submitted to a jury on special issues which were all answered favorably to defendant, Gilbert, and judgment was accordingly entered to the effect that plaintiff take nothing, from which judgment Walter C. Pool has prosecuted this appeal.

Appellant first contends that the findings of the jury to the effect that the driver of appellee’s truck was not guilty of negligence in any of the particulars submitted to them was contrary to the evidence. We overrule this contention. The evidence shows that the collision occurred about two miles north of Dilley, on the main San Antonio — Laredo Highway, about 7:15 a. m., August 27, 1945. Appellant was headed north, while appellee’s truck> was headed south. He was driving his car in a northerly direction, going from Laredo to San Antonio, when he met a truck belonging to appellee; he passed this truck safely, but a very short distance behind this truck was another ■ truck, belonging to appellee, which, according to appellant’s contention, pulled over to its left-hand side of the highway, in an apparent effort to pass the first truck, and when the driver of the second truck discovered appellant’s car he pulled back to his right and applied his brakes, causing the rear end of the trailer to swing to the left and strike the left side of appellant’s automobile and crush his elbow. After the collision, appellant’s wife, who was with him at the time, drove the car to Pearsall, where he could receive medical aid and where the officers could be notified of the collision.

The Sheriff of LaSalle County received word of the collision and intercepted the truck at Cotulla, which was approximately the same distance south of the place of the collision as was Pearsall north of such place. The truck driver did not know there had been a collision, but went with Sheriff Wildenthal of Cotulla to examine his truck, and they found red paint on the back tires and a piece of flesh on the body of the truck, establishing beyond all doubt that the truck, owned by Joe L. Gilbert and operated by Garland B. Tennery, was the one which had collided with appellant’s automobile.

Tennery testified that he had been driving at all times on his right-hand side of the highway, about 150 feet back of the lead truck operated by one Charles Lee Marshall, and also owned by Joe L. Gilbert. Pictures of Pool’s car were introduced in evidence, showing a rather slight dent or mashed place on the left-hand side of the left front fender, and no dent whatever in the left rear fender. From the nature of the injury to appellant’s automobile and arm, it is difficult to picture how the collision could have occurred in the manner appellant testified it did. To say the least, the jury were justified in concluding that the collision occurred without negligence on the part of Tennery, the driver of the truck. If Tennery’s testimony was true, he committed no act of negligence near the place where the collision occurred, although he did not realize there had been a collision. The jury had a right to believe Tennery’s testimony, and the physical facts seemed to be more in his favor than in favor of appellant’s version of the matter. El Paso Electric Co. v. Whitenack, Tex.Com.App., 1 S.W.2d 594; Lewis v. Martin, Tex.Civ.App., 120 S.W.2d 910.

Regardless, however, of all questions of original negligence, it seems inescapable that the jury were justified in finding that appellant was guilty of contributory negligence in allowing his elbow to protrude through the window of his automobile while he was passing these two trucks. The contact between the automobile and the truck was slight, only causing a very small indentation in the side of the front fender, and no marks on the rear fender. It is thus clear that if appellant’s elbow had not been protruding some distance out of the window of appellant’s automobile he would have received no personal injury whatever.

[800]*800Appellant next contends that “the argument of appellee’s counsel, persisted in and reiterated over timely objections by appellant, and in disregard of the rulings of the court, to the effect that, ‘any army pension that might be received by appellant upon retirement would constitute payment in full for the injuries received by him at the hands of appellee/ a stranger to such pension, thus arguing that such pension inured to appellee’s benefit, was so harmful and prejudicial as to require a reversal.”

Appellant alleged, in his First Amended Original Petition, as follows: “He alleges that such injuries are permanent and will remain with him throughout life, and that because thereof he will be discharged or retired from the service, in which he is now engaged, because of his inability to fully use his arm at such employment, and that by reason thereof his future earning capacity is lessened to not more than one-half of that which he could have earned in the future, or has been reduced to the extent of not less than $150 per month, or $1,800 per year.”

Appellant testified that as a Warrant Officer in the United States Army he was receiving a salary of $172.50, together with $60 a month for quarter allowance and $42 a month for food, making a total of $274.50. It was also agreed that if he was disabled more than 30% he would be retired, in which event he would receive $129 per month as retirement pay. Counsel for appellant, in his opening argument, had argued to the jury that appellant’s loss was the difference between his active pay and his retirement pay.

The record shows that while W. M. Lew-right, Esq., one of the attorneys for ap-pellee, was addressing the jury, the following occurred:

“Mr. Lewright (to the jury) : I am going to show you in a minute, he is going to get some money regardless. Pool is going to get paid anyway for his arm, and why? I will say they proved — it by himself.
“Mr. Hall: We object to that. There is no evidence that Pool is going to get paid for the arm. Pool is going to be retired.
“The Court: Counsel, that is immaterial legally as to whether Mr. Gilbert is liable for damages.
“Mr. Lewright: Your Honor sustains the objection?
“The Court: The Court sustains the obj ection.
“Mr. Lewright: I will prove that under the testimony, that even though this man himself may have caused his own injury himself, the Army will retire him for the rest of his days and pay him $129.00 a month.
“The Court: The point Mr.

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Bluebook (online)
199 S.W.2d 798, 1947 Tex. App. LEXIS 1105, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/pool-v-gilbert-texapp-1947.