Rawley v. Eilermann Transfer Co.

390 S.W.2d 937, 1965 Mo. App. LEXIS 635
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedMay 18, 1965
DocketNos. 31598, 31602
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 390 S.W.2d 937 (Rawley v. Eilermann Transfer Co.) 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
Rawley v. Eilermann Transfer Co., 390 S.W.2d 937, 1965 Mo. App. LEXIS 635 (Mo. Ct. App. 1965).

Opinion

ANDERSON, Judge.

This is an action for damages for personal injuries which occurred when a taxicab in which plaintiff was a passenger collided with a truck within the intersection of Ninth Street and Washington Avenue in the City of St. Louis. The taxicab was owned by defendant Ace Cab Company, and the truck was owned by defendant Eiler-mann Transfer Company. At the time of the collision, the truck was being taken to the garage where it was kept after making deliveries for defendant, Con P. Curran Printing Company. There was a verdict and judgment for $15,000 in plaintiff’s favor against the three defendants. From the judgment, said defendants have appealed.

Ninth Street is a one-way street for North bound traffic. It has four lanes. Washington Avenue runs east and west and is at least four lanes wide, or wider. The intersection is in downtown St. Louis. The Wayco Parking Building is at the southwest corner of the intersection and the Staffer Hotel is at the southeast corner. The Len-nox Hotel is on the northeast corner of said intersection. There were at the time, no stop signs for east and west traffic on Washington Avenue at the intersection. A major stop sign for North bound traffic was located on the east side of Ninth St., ten or fifteen feet south of the Washington Avenue curb line. There were no cars parked at the West curb of Ninth St. Counsel for all parties stipulated that the Wayco Parking Building on the southwest corner of the intersection starts fourteen feet south of the south curb line of Washington. This fourteen feet is sidewalk area. There is a sidewalk running north on the west side of Ninth St. adjacent to the Wayco Building, but the record fails to show its width. There was ice and snow on the ground at the time in question.

Jean S. Martin was driving the truck, which was owned by defendant, Eilermann Transfer Company. He had completed the deliveries for defendant, Con P. Curran Printing Company and was just prior to the collision traveling North on Ninth Street to turn in the truck at the Eilermann Garage. It was about 4 P.M. at the time he [939]*939approached Washington Avenue. William Clarence Gunther was the driver for the Ace Cab Company which was involved in the accident.

Plaintiff personally testified, and also called the cab driver and truck driver as witnesses in plaintiff’s case in chief.

Plaintiff testified that the cab entered the intersection at a speed of fifteen to twenty miles per hour and as it entered the intersection, it began to swerve. She stated she then looked to her right and saw the truck coming at about twenty-five miles per hour. It was twenty-five feet south of the intersection when she first saw it, and traveling in the right hand lane. She further testified that the truck did not stop from the time she first saw it until it collided with the cab. She stated that she did not recall either the truck driver or cab driver sounding a horn, and that the truck did not stop at the stop sign.

Jean S. Martin, the driver of the truck was called as a witness by plaintiff. He testified that as he approached the intersection, he was traveling in the third lane from the west side of the street. He stated that he stopped his truck at a point about even with the stop sign, then started forward in first gear and “nosed” out into Washington Avenue. He further testified that when the truck was started across the pedestrian crossing, he put it in second gear and “eased out” slowly into Washington Avenue; that when he got to the crosswalk, he looked to his left, that being his first opportunity to see what was coming east on Washington and at that time, he first saw the cab which was after he had “nosed” out into Washington Avenue; that the cab was then about 2 car lengths from the intersection; that when he first saw the cab, the speed of the truck was between eight and ten miles per hour; that he could not estimate the speed of the cab, but it was coming too fast for him to stop to avoid a collision; that when he first noticed the cab, he immediately applied the brakes of the truck; that he continued to watch the cab; that the cab driver applied the brakes of the cab when he observed the truck entering Washington Avenue, and “slid” sideways toward the Lennox Hotel; that the right front fender of the cab came in contact with the left front fender of the truck; that the truck was stopped when the collision occurred and the point of contact was on the south side of Washington Avenue. The witness further testified he did not swerve the truck from the time he first observed the cab until the impact; that he was perhaps ten or twelve feet south of the Washington Avenue curb line when he stopped the truck at the stop sign; that he traveled several feet from the pedestrian cross walk to the point of collision; that the truck was partly into Washington Avenue when he first saw the cab, and that he might have traveled two or three feet from the south curb line of Washington Avenue after he saw the cab, that is, the bumper of the truck was two or three feet from said curb line, and he, sitting in the cab was three feet south of the curbline; that under the prevailing weather conditions he going eight to ten miles per hour could stop the truck in about three feet. He further testified when asked if any horns were sounded, “not to my knowledge, I didn’t sound any horn, and I didn’t hear any horns.”

William Clarence Gunther, the cab driver, was also called as a witness for the plaintiff. He testified that as he approached the intersection, he was traveling in the curb lane, and that the collision occurred about the middle of the intersection; that the front part of the truck collided with the right front fender and front door of the cab, at which time his cab was slightly at an angle facing the Lennox Hotel; that the speed of the cab as it approached the intersection was about ten miles per hour; that when he first saw the truck it was moving and was about fifteen feet from the curb to his right, traveling about 10 miles per hour, and to his knowledge the truck was not stopped at the stop sign but kept “rolling toward me” from the time he first saw it until the impact at about the same [940]*940rate of speed; that when he first saw the truck he applied the brakes on the cab and swerved to the left; where its left side was about at the white line in the middle of Washington Avenue; that the impact forcibly pushed his cab farther out into the street; and that the truck got into the intersection about 6 feet.

On cross examination, witness testified he had been traveling fifty miles per hour, but reduced the speed of the cab to ten miles per hour as he approached the Ninth Street intersection; that one going east on Washington Avenue would have to be almost to the building line before the stop sign could be seen; that his cab was just entering the intersection when he first saw the truck which was about 20 feet from the curb line ; that the cab was about halfway through the intersection when it was hit by the truck; that both the truck and the cab were barely moving at the time of impact; that the cab entered the intersection at ten miles per hour; that he swerved to the left and applied the brakes in an effort to get out of the way of the truck and was going about one mile per hour when the cab was halfway into the intersection; that when he first saw the truck it was south of the stop sign and to the best of his knowledge, it was not stopped at the stop sign. On redirect examination, the witness testified that the truck was traveling faster than 10 miles per hour.

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Bluebook (online)
390 S.W.2d 937, 1965 Mo. App. LEXIS 635, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/rawley-v-eilermann-transfer-co-moctapp-1965.