Prince v. Kennemer

291 So. 2d 146, 52 Ala. App. 214, 1973 Ala. Civ. App. LEXIS 382
CourtCourt of Civil Appeals of Alabama
DecidedFebruary 14, 1973
DocketCiv. 25
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 291 So. 2d 146 (Prince v. Kennemer) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Civil Appeals of Alabama primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Prince v. Kennemer, 291 So. 2d 146, 52 Ala. App. 214, 1973 Ala. Civ. App. LEXIS 382 (Ala. Ct. App. 1973).

Opinions

HOLMES, Judge.

This is an appeal by the plaintiff below from a jury verdict and judgment in favor of the defendant-appellee.

The appellant filed suit in the Circuit Court of Madison County, Alabama, the complaint, claiming damages of $10,000, consisted of two counts. Count One claimed damages for personal injuries received by the plaintiff while a passenger in an automobile driven by plaintiff’s husband, based on the defendant’s alleged negligent operation of a motor vehicle. Count Two, to which the affirmative charge without hypothesis was given, alleged wanton conduct by defendant in the operation of the motor vehicle.

Issue was ultimately joined on a plea of the general issue.

Plaintiff filed a motion for new trial, which motion was overruled by the trial court and plaintiff has assigned this ruling as error.

The collision occurred about 8:00 P.M., on April 29, 1968, in Huntsville, Alabama, near the intersection of Warren Avenue on a part of Governors Drive, running generally east and west. There was a turning lane dividing the two eastbound lanes from the two westbound lanes.

The appellant, Mrs. Prince, was a passenger in a vehicle being driven by her husband. The appellee, driver of the other vehicle involved, and a passenger with him, were proceeding west in the inside lane, preceded 150 to 200 feet by another westbound vehicle in the outside lane. Appellee’s vehicle was without its driving lights on. Both vehicles were damaged on the left side; appellee’s vehicle left rear striking the vehicle of appellant’s husband on its front left fender and side near the front door.

The primary dispute in the evidence relating to fault, which is in sharp conflict, concerned the location of the vehicles just prior to the impact. Appellant’s husband testified that after stopping at intersection of Warren and Governors, and observing two vehicles, one with lights and one without lights, approaching from the east approximately 350 feet away in the westbound lanes, he pulled out across the westbound lanes of Governors Drive into the middle turn lane headed east with right turn blinker on waiting for an oncoming eastbound vehicle to clear, allowing him to enter eastbound lanes. Mr. Prince contends that the vehicle, in which appellant was a passenger, was so situated at the time of impact and that the appellee’s vehicle, trav[217]*217eling west, approximately 50 to 55 miles per hour, without lights, in the inside lane, was crowded into the center lane by the vehicle in the outside lane just prior to collision, and that appellee applied brakes, swerved right, skidded, and hit Mr. Prince’s vehicle, throwing appellant out of her seat into the dash.

Two other witnesses for appellant substantially uphold this contention concerning the location of Mr. Prince’s vehicle at the time of collision, though neither saw the accident happen. One witness traveling east on Governors Drive first observed the appellant’s vehicle 200 to 300 feet away and the appellee’s approaching from 500 to 600 feet in the opposite lane and that he heard the impact when he had approached so as to be about even with Mr. Prince’s vehicle. He, however, estimated appellee’s speed at 35 miles per hour and did not see appellee move into center lane. The other witness, whose residence was near the intersection, upon hearing the collision, looked out a window and was able to observe Mr. Prince’s vehicle stopped in the center lane of Governors Drive and another vehicle going slowly across westbound lane and stop at the curb.

Appellee contends the evidence shows that he was proceeding west at 35 to 40 miles per hour in the inside lane of Governors Drive preceded 150 to 200 feet by another vehicle in the outside lane and that he was confronted with Mr. Prince’s vehicle directly to his front 25 to 30 feet, moving across in his lane, that he applied brakes, turned sharply to the right, causing the rear of his car to swing left, and that the left rear of his vehicle struck Mr. Prince’s vehicle on the left side near the front door. Appellee’s contention is corroborated by his passenger who saw Mr. Prince’s vehicle stop on Warren Avenue at the intersection of Warren and Governors Drive and then move across the westbound lane in front of appellee’s vehicle. Further corroboration came from the investigating officer who remembered no skid marks, but found debris from the wreck in the center of the inside westbound lane of Governors Drive, and from the accident report turned in by Mr. Prince stating that when he, Mr. Prince, started to make his left turn, a car came up in the second lane without any lights on and the collision occurred.

Plaintiff’s motion for a new trial consisted of several grounds, all relating to the trial court’s giving or refusing certain requested written charges.

As noted above, the trial court gave the affirmative charge without hypothesis as to Count Two, the wanton count. Plaintiff contends this was error.

For this court to find the trial court erred to reversal in giving the affirmative charge without hypothesis as to the wanton count, the evidence must show a scintilla of evidence that the defendantappellee with reckless indifference to the consequences consciously and intentionally did a wrongful act or omitted a known duty which produced the plaintiff-appellant’s injury. Griffin Lumber Co. v. Harper, 247 Ala. 616, 25 So.2d 505; Zemczonek v. McElroy, 264 Ala. 258, 86 So.2d 824. It must further be kept in mind that a conclusion as to liability which rests upon speculation, pure and simple, is not the proper basis for a verdict. Rota v. Combs, 267 Ala. 50, 99 So.2d 692.

Furthermore, in this instance, in assessing the sufficiency of the evidence, the law requires this court to give appellant the benefit of every reasonable inference taken in the most favorable light. Gladwell v. Scarbrough, 47 Ala.App. 208, 252 So.2d 325; Griffin Lumber Co. v. Harper, supra.

Closely examining the evidence upon which appellant relies to justify a reasonable inference of wanton conduct and giving appellant the benefit of every inference taken in the most favorable light, we are unable, in this matter, to find anything which does more than to engender speculation.

[218]*218The only evidence tending to substantiate plaintiff’s charge of wantonness is the testimony from plaintiff’s husband, who was driving the automobile in which plaintiff was a passenger. His testimony was that he smelled alcohol on defendant’s breath; that defendant was exceeding the speed limit; and that defendant had no lights on.

To the contrary was the testimony of appellee denying he had been drinking and the investigating police officer who neither smelled nor saw any indication that appellee had been drinking. As to the excessive speed, the limited physical damage to the automobile body shell, the police report, other physical facts and testimony, are all to the conclusion that defendant was not speeding. Testimony, including that of plaintiff’s husband, inferring the sufficiency of light for visibility negates the fact of defendant driving without his headlights as a factor of wantonness. Testimony of plaintiff’s husband was that prior to entering the intersection he saw appellee’s vehicle some 350 feet down the street.

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Related

Prince v. Kennemer
291 So. 2d 155 (Court of Civil Appeals of Alabama, 1974)
Prince v. Kennemer
291 So. 2d 152 (Supreme Court of Alabama, 1974)

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Bluebook (online)
291 So. 2d 146, 52 Ala. App. 214, 1973 Ala. Civ. App. LEXIS 382, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/prince-v-kennemer-alacivapp-1973.