Rinn v. Holmstrom

243 S.W.2d 862, 1951 Tex. App. LEXIS 1750
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedNovember 7, 1951
DocketNo. 9978
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 243 S.W.2d 862 (Rinn v. Holmstrom) 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
Rinn v. Holmstrom, 243 S.W.2d 862, 1951 Tex. App. LEXIS 1750 (Tex. Ct. App. 1951).

Opinion

GRAY, Justice.

Appellant sued appellees to recover for personal injuries and for damages to his automobile sustained in a collision with a station wagon in t'he intersection of Talbot Street and Tenth Street in the City of Taylor, Texas.

Talbot Street runs north and south and Tenth Street runs east and west. On the morning of November 11, 1949, appellant was traveling south on Talbot Street in a red Ford Sedan automobile and at the same time Raymond Holmstrom was traveling east on Tenth Street in a Chevrolet station wagon owned by Thomas Holm-strom, Jr. These vehicles collided in the intersection of these streets at a point approximately two feet south and two feet west of the center of the intersection.

Appellant alleged that Raymond Holm-strom was negligent in various respects and that each act of negligence was a proximate cause of his injuries and damage. Appellees answered that appellant was negligent in various ways which acts of negligence were each a proximate cause of the collision. By their cross action, appellee T. W. Holmstrom, Sr. sued as next friend of Raymond Holmstrom, a minor, for personal injuries sustained by Raymond Holmstrom, and, individually, for medical and hospital expenses incurred. T. W. Holmstrom, Jr., sued to recover for damages sustained to the station wagon. They alleged appellant was negligent in various respects and that each alleged act of negligence on the part of appellant was a proximate cause of the alleged injuries and damages.

Upon a non-jury trial all parties were denied any recovery for damages and the costs were assessed against appellant who has appealed.

The trial court filed findings of fact and conclusions of law. He found that Raymond Holmstrom failed to keep a proper lookout, that such failure was negligence and a proximate cause of the accident. His findings of facts fifteen and sixteen are the only ones material here. These are:

“15. That just before and at the time of the accident, Walter E. Rinn failed to keep a proper lookout, which failure on his part was negligence and which negligence was a proximate cause of the accident.
“16. That just before and at the time of the accident, Walter E. Rinn failed to yield the right of way to Raymond Holm-strom (who was approaching from the right of Walter E. Rinn) which was negligence on the part of Walter E. Rinn, and which negligence was a proximate cause of the accident.”

By his conclusions of law number one, the trial court concluded that appellant was not entitled to recover any amount from any of the appellees, and by his conclusion of law number three that appellant should pay all costs.

Appellant’s points one to four, both inclusive, are directed to findings of fact 15 and 16, supra, and are to the effect that such findings are not supported by any competent proof, are contrary to the undisputed proof and the overwhelming preponderance of the competent proof. Points five and six are directed to conclusions of law one and three, supra.

It is well-settled that the findings by a trial court, a jury being waived, will be upheld unless such findings are manifestly erroneous, and a reversal is not authorized even though the evidence may admit a different finding from that made by the trial court. Biggs v. Hinds, Tex.Civ.App., [864]*864177 S.W.2d 288, error ref., w. o. m. Necessarily, the credibility of the witness and the weight to be given to the testimony was for the trial court.

The record before us shows that Talbot Was a graveled street and that Tenth was paved. At the intersection, the pavement extends north into Talbot a distance of twenty-one and one-half feet from the inside of the north curb of Tenth Street. The pavement on Tenth Street extends from curb to curb, a distance of 24 feet. At the intersection of these streets, the block immediately west of Talbot and immediately north of Tenth is 270 feet. On the northwest corner of the intersection there was a frame house 34 feet west of Talbot and north of Tenth Street. Between this 'house and Tenth Street there was a pecan tree which was 41 feet west of Tal'bot and 12 feet north of Tenth Street. Also, there was a house on each of the other corners of the intersection. There were no traffic signals at either the north or west entrances to the intersection. The damage to the station wagon was on its left side and principally toward its front, the front points of its frame were bent to the right approximately four indies. The damage to the Ford was on its right side and approximately at its right front wheel. After the collision the Ford traveled east down Tenth Street approximately 100 feet, went over the north curb and came to rest on an adjoining lawn. The station wagon came to rest at the southeast corner of the intersection with one rear wheel in the gutter and the rest of the car over the curb in a yard. There were slight skid marks made by the front wheels of the station wagon “leading right into the point of .impact” and appeared to have been made immediately prior to the collision. No other skid marks were visible. Appellant had approached the intersection traveling in the center of Talbot Street. Tenth Street slopes to the east and Talbot slopes to the north.

At the time of the accident" there was one car going south on Talbot Street, it had crossed the intersection and was approximately one-half block south of it at the tipie. The occupants of this car did not see the accident but knew it happened. Mr. Martin Zschiesche and his small daughter were riding bicycles on Tenth Street and were stopped on the east side of the intersection where the accident occurred. . Mrs. Challeriner was in her yard at the southwest corner of the intersection and saw the two vehicles approaching and saw the collision. The drivers of the two vehicles were each alone. These named parties (except the daughter of Martin Zschiesche who did not testify) were the only witnesses to testify to the actual happening of the collision.

The police officer who investigated the accident testified that a person traveling south on Talbot Street at approximately 48 feet north from the north curb of Tenth Street could get a clear view of the next intersection of Tenth Street to the west. Appellant testified:

“Q. What would you estimate, as accurately as you can, your speed as you proceeded up this -incline'on Talbot Street going south ? A. About 20 miles an hour.
“Q. What, if anything, did you do as you approached the intersection of Tenth Street and Talbot Street? A. When I got' close to Tenth Street, I slowed up; I looked to my right and I looked over to my left, and I did not see no cars coming, and so I proceeded across the street.”

And further:

“Q. Now, what, in distance, would you estimate your position when you looked to your right and to your left to see whether or not there was any approaching traffic, your distance back from the north curb line of Tenth Street. A. Well, I would say about 40 feet.
“Q. About 40 feet? A. Yes, sir.
“Q. Was that your distance when you looked to your right or when you looked to your left? A. When I looked.to my right.
“Q. Were you stopped or were you still moving at the time you were lookr ing? A. I was still moving.
“Q.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
243 S.W.2d 862, 1951 Tex. App. LEXIS 1750, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/rinn-v-holmstrom-texapp-1951.