Schweitzer v. Good

380 S.W.2d 809, 1964 Ky. LEXIS 317
CourtCourt of Appeals of Kentucky
DecidedJune 5, 1964
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 380 S.W.2d 809 (Schweitzer v. Good) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Kentucky primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Schweitzer v. Good, 380 S.W.2d 809, 1964 Ky. LEXIS 317 (Ky. Ct. App. 1964).

Opinion

MELVIN T. STUBBS, Special Commissioner.

This is an appeal from a judgment in favor of Shirley B. Good in the amount of $7500. Motions of appellant for a new trial, or, in the alternative, for judgment [810]*810notwithstanding the verdict, were overruled. Appellant contends that the trial court erred in failing to give appellant’s offered instructions, and further contends that the appellee was contributorily negligent as a matter of law and that the trial court erred in failing to direct a verdict in favor of appellant.

This litigation involves an interscctional collision of motor vehicles occurring in the City of Louisville. On June 13, 1959, an automobile, owned and operated by appellant, John C. Schweitzer, northwardly on Jackson Street, collided with an automobile being driven by appellee, Shirley B. Good, westwardly on Breckinridge Street. Jackson is a one-way street for northbound traffic and Breckinridge one-way for westbound traffic. Both are foui'-lane streets and the movement of traffic, at the intersection, is. controlled by an electrical traffic signal, which overhangs the center of the intersection. Situated in the front seat with appellee were her husband, who was seated next to the right door, appellee’s aunt, seated next to appellee, and appellee’s three-year-old cousin, who was standing on the front seat between appellee and her aunt. An adult and two children occupied the rear seat of appellee’s vehicle. The only passenger in appellant’s automobile was his mother.

■ Appellee testified that when her automobile reached Hancock, which is one square east of Jackson, she noticed that the traffic light at the intersection of Jackson and Breckinridge was red for traffic moving west on Breckinridge. At this time she was traveling at approximately 30 miles per hour and, as she traveled west, toward the. intersection, she started slowing down. She testified that when her automobile reached a point about 45 to 60 feet from the intersection the traffic light changed from red to green, at which time she accelerated the speed of her vehicle to about 25 or 30 miles per hour and entered the intersection on the green light. Appellee testified that she neither observed, appellant’s automobile enter the intersection, nor did she expect traffic to be approaching from her left as she entered the intersection, because the light was green in her favor; further, that she did look for traffic approaching north on Jackson when she was two or three car lengths from the intersection, but that she did not see appellant’s automobile before the impact.

At the trial, it was stipulated that there is situated at the southeast corner of Jackson and Breckinridge, a three-story building, with neither front nor side yard, and that the building extends out to the sidewalk. Appellee testified that such building would prevent her from seeing traffic traveling north on Jackson, and approaching the intersection, until such time as her vehicle, traveling west on Breckinridge, would reach a point approximately two car lengths from the intersection. She estimated, a car length to be about 15 feet,

The three adult passengers in appellee’s vehicle were called as witnesses, but none could testify as to the color of the light at the time appellee’s automobile entered the intersection. Maggie Ruth Love, appellee’s aunt, seated in the front seat of the vehicle, testified that she observed the traffic light to be red for westbound traffic on Breckin-ridge when their vehicle was about half a block from the intersection. She testified that she did not observe the traffic light thereafter. Hobard Love, who was seated on the rear seat of appellee’s vehicle, testified that the traffic light was green for westbound traffic on Breckinridge when the vehicle was 35 feet east of the intersection, and that he did not observe any northbound vehicles on Jackson. Fred P. Good, husband of appellee, a passenger in the front seat, and seated next to the right door, testified that at the time of the impact, and immediately prior thereto, he was looking to the north and that he had not observed the color of the traffic light governing westbound traffic on Breckinridge.

Appellant, Schweitzer, testified that he first observed the traffic light at Jackson and Breckinridge just after his vehicle had [811]*811crossed Kentucky Street, which is two squares south of Breckinridge, and, that at the time, the traffic light was red for northbound traffic on Jackson; that when his vehicle reached a point on Jackson, approximately 80 to 100 feet south of its intersection with Breckinridge, the traffic light changed to green in his favor and he entered the intersection on the green light. Appellant testified that an automobile, approximately four car lengths in front of his vehicle, preceded him into the intersection, and that there was a vehicle, being operated northwardly on Jackson, to his left rear as he entered the intersection. The automobile to appellant’s left rear was being driven by Edward P. Brown. Appellant testified that he first observed appellee’s vehicle when it was 15 to 20 feet east of the intersection on Breckinridge, at which time his own vehicle was at the south crosswalk at Breckinridge, and that he immediately applied his brakes. The collision occurred in the intersection with the left front of appellee’s vehicle colliding with the right front of appellant’s automobile. As a result of the impact, appellant’s vehicle was caused to collide with the Brown vehicle traveling to its left. Catherine M. Schweitzer, mother of appellant, was a passenger in his automobile at the time of the collision. She testified that her son’s vehicle entered the intersection on the green light. Edward P. Brown, operator of the vehicle to the left of appellant’s automobile, testified that both his vehicle and appellant’s vehicle entered the intersection with the green light in their favor. Edna, wife of Brown, and a passenger in his automobile, testified that the Brown vehicle entered the intersection when the light was green for northbound traffic on Jackson.

Both appellee and appellant sought recovery for personal injuries sustained in the accident. In addition, Fred P. Good, a plaintiff below, owner of the vehicle being operated by appellee, sought recovery for damage occasioned to his vehicle. In his counterclaim, Schweitzer also sought recovery for the damage occasioned to his vehicle. The jury awarded appellee $7500, and awarded to her husband, Fred P. Good, $228, and found for the Goods on the counterclaim of Schweitzer.

The first two grounds assigned as error by appellant relate to the failure of the trial court to give appellant’s offered instructions. It is contended that such failure was prejudicial to appellant so as to entitle him to a new trial. One of appellant’s offered instructions, refused by the trial court, was similar to that appearing in Stanley’s Instructions to Juries, Section 323, and to the effect that appellee could not recover for injuries “caused at some other time, or by some other means.” Appellant contends that he was entitled to this instruction since the testimony revealed that appellee had been involved in automobile accidents both prior and subsequent to the accident out of which this action arose. There is nothing contained in the record to indicate what injuries, if any, appellee sustained in the prior accident. She testified that in the subsequent accident, which occurred in November, 1959, her knees were bruised and she was shaken up. There is no evidence of any further injury resulting to her from that accident.

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Bluebook (online)
380 S.W.2d 809, 1964 Ky. LEXIS 317, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/schweitzer-v-good-kyctapp-1964.