Powell Bros. Truck Lines, Inc. v. Barnett

121 S.W.2d 116, 196 Ark. 1082, 1938 Ark. LEXIS 329
CourtSupreme Court of Arkansas
DecidedNovember 7, 1938
Docket4-5218
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 121 S.W.2d 116 (Powell Bros. Truck Lines, Inc. v. Barnett) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Arkansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Powell Bros. Truck Lines, Inc. v. Barnett, 121 S.W.2d 116, 196 Ark. 1082, 1938 Ark. LEXIS 329 (Ark. 1938).

Opinion

Mehaffy, J.

This suit was brought in the Boone circuit court and there was a judgment for appellee. An appeal was prosecuted to this court and the judgment was reversed because this court held that the lower court erred in not permitting the physician to testify. There was no other question decided. Powell Brothers Truck Lines, Inc., v. Barnett, 194 Ark. 769, 109 S. W. 2d 673.

After the case was reversed and remanded, there was another trial in the Boone circuit court and a verdict and judgment for $8,000. This appeal is prosecuted to reverse this judgment.

When the case ivas here on former appeal, as we have already said, it was reversed and remanded for new trial solely on the g-ronnd that the court erred in not permitting a witness to testify. We said in that case: “We carefully refrain from the expression of any opinion or impression as to the alleged negligence of appellant or its driver, as well as the alleged negligence of Barnett. This last statement is made so that parties will understand that we are not determining the sufficiency or insufficiency of proof upon any phase or issue of the case. A new trial may present new developments, and such consideration at this time would be out of place. ’ ’

The evidence shows that the appellee, Barnett, had gone to sleep upon a bandstand or platform erected upon an automobile frame and wheels, placed several feet from the highway, on the night of September 5th, and early next morning, perhaps, about daylight, the truck driven by one of the drivers of appellant corporation was permitted to run into this platform upon which appellee was asleep and cause the injury for which he has sued. The truck left Springfield, Missouri, according to the testimony of the driver, about midnight, driving toward Seligman. He reached Seligman about five o’clock the morning of September 6th. It is 90 miles from Springfield to Seligman and the road is blacktop except two detours. The truck he was driving was a trailer-tractor and he testified that it was in good condition, nothing wrong with it. There is an S-curve upon the highway as one drives into Seligman from the north, and it was down grade to the place of the accident. The truck was loaded with about 10,000 pounds of freight. The truck and trailer left the hig'hway after passing the curve and continued on down about 75 feet and hit the bandstand on which appellee was sleeping’. The driver testified that coming down toward the bandstand the truck pulled to the right. He tried to guide it, but it went off the highway about the width of the trailer-tractor. It began pulling to the right, according to the driver’s testimony, and off the highway about 50 feet north of .the bandstand. When he struck the bandstand he stopped short. The brake on the right rear tractor wheel hung and locked the wheel. The bandstand was several feet off the highway and the truck left the highway something like 75 feet north of the bandstand and ran into the bandstand injuring- the appellee.

The driver testified that the truck and trailer were in good condition and they found nothing wrong when they examined them immediately after the accident, except the wheel on the trailer was locked. Of course, this would not prevent him from stopping but would assist in stopping the truck. The driver does not say he could not stop it, but he says it ran to the right and he could not guide it.

The testimony is in conflict as to the extent of the injuries, but there is no dispute about the fact that he actually was injured in the manner above set ont; that is, by the truck leaving the road and running into the bandstand. It was purely a question of fact for the jury as to whether the driver of the truck was guilty of negligence causing the injury, and it was also a jury question as to whether the appellee was guilty of contributory negligence.

Appellant contends that the court should have directed a verdict for it because, it alleged, the evidence does not show that the negligence, if any, was the proximate cause of the injury, and calls attention to numerous cases. There is no dispute about the law on this proposition. One might be negligent, still unless his negligence was the proximate cause of the injury, there would be no liability. When this case was here on former appeal, while we did not decide on the negligence or contributory negligence of the parties, if there had been no evidence of negligence; the case would not have been remanded for a new trial, but would have been dismissed.

The undisputed evidence shows that the bandstand was several feet off the highway, and that the truck left the highway and ran into it'. Whether the truck driver was guilty of negligence was a question of fact for the jury. In this case there is very little dispute about the principal facts; but no matter what the conflict might be in the evidence, the jury, under our system, passes on the credibility of the witnesses and the weight to be given their testimony, and if there is any substantial evidence to support their verdict, it will not he disturbed by this court.

We think the appellee had a right to assume that no truck would leave the highway and run into the bandstand.

It is next contended by appellant that the court permitted the introduction of incompetent testimony. The driver was asked if he did not say to appellee, when they returned from the doctor’s office: “I guess I ivas driving too fast is what caused the injury.”- The appellee was permitted to testify that the driver said that he was driving too fast. This evidence was competent.

Section 5197 of Pope’s Digest provides: “A witness may be impeached by the party against whom he is produced, by contradictory evidence by showing that he has made statements different from his present testimony, or by evidence that his general reputation for truth or morality renders him unworthy of belief, but not by evidence of particular wrongful act, except that it may be shown, by the examination of a witness, or record of a judgment, that he had been convicted of a felony.”

Appellant cites numerous cases to the effect that an employee is not permitted to say who was responsible for an injury if the statement is made after its occurrence, but in this case the court held that the part that did not occur immediately is not a part of the transaction and that the jury should not consider anything said by the driver. It is not a part of the transaction. It was after this testimony, however,. that the driver stated that he did not make a statement of this kind, and then the appellee was permitted to contradict him.. This was permissible under the section of Pope’s Digest set out.

One of the attorneys for the appellee stated that this evidence was offered solely for the purpose of impeaching the driver’s testimony. It would not have been admissible for any other purpose. There was no error in admitting this testimony.

Pictures were introduced in evidence showing the conditions at the place of the accident. Objection was made to the introduction of these pictures and other evidence, because it was said that it was not a part of the res gestae.

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Bluebook (online)
121 S.W.2d 116, 196 Ark. 1082, 1938 Ark. LEXIS 329, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/powell-bros-truck-lines-inc-v-barnett-ark-1938.