Shipman v. Tardo

304 So. 2d 381
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedNovember 8, 1974
Docket6317-6319
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 304 So. 2d 381 (Shipman v. Tardo) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Shipman v. Tardo, 304 So. 2d 381 (La. Ct. App. 1974).

Opinion

304 So.2d 381 (1974)

Aubrey N. SHIPMAN, Individually, and on Behalf of his minor children, Aubrey Glenn Shipman et al.
v.
Salvador TARDO, Individually and as Administrator of the Estate of his minor son, Russell Tardo, and their insurer, Security Insurance Company et al.
Timothy T. ODOM
v.
Salvador TARDO et al.
James R. DEAN
v.
Salvador TARDO et al.

Nos. 6317-6319.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Fourth Circuit.

August 1, 1974.
Order On Application for Rehearing September 10, 1974.
On Rehearing October 9, 1974.
Writs Refused November 8, 1974.

*382 Occhipinti, Tamberella & Grace, Christopher T. Grace, Jr., New Orleans, for plaintiffs-appellants, Aubrey N. Shipman and others.

Jackson & Hess, Leonard A. Washofsky, New Orleans, for plaintiff-appellee, Timothy T. Odom.

Pitard, Pitard & Porobil, Robert F. Pitard, New Orleans, for appellees, James R. Dean, Liberty Bell Cab Co. and Manchester Ins. & Indem. Co.

Bienvenu & Culver, Ernest L. O'Bannon, New Orleans, for defendants-appellants, Salvador Tardo, etc. and Russell Tardo and Security Ins. Co.

Before GULOTTA, BOUTALL and SCHOTT, JJ.

*383 SCHOTT, Judge.

These consolidated cases arose out of an accident which took place at about 8:15 in the morning of September 11, 1970, at the intersection of Common and Carondelet Streets in the City of New Orleans.

This intersection, in the heart of the business district, is controlled by electric semaphore signal lights which combine the normal control for vehicular traffic with signs commonly known as "Winky Lights" to control pedestrian movement. Carondelet Street is a one-way street for traffic moving east and measures over 40 feet in width. Common Street is a one-way street for traffic proceeding north and measures almost 26 feet wide. The collision occurred when a cab, operated by James R. Dean, on Carondelet Street struck an automobile, operated by Russell Tardo on Common Street, whereupon both vehicles went out of control with the result that Mrs. Aubrey N. Shipman and Timothy T. Odom, both pedestrians on the northeast corner of the intersection, were struck and injured. Mrs. Shipman died as a result of her injuries two days later.

The surviving spouse and three children of the deceased Mrs. Shipman brought suit against Tardo, his father, and their liability insurer, Security Insurance Company, along with Dean, the Liberty Bell Cab Company, with whom he was associated in the operation of his cab, and their insurer, Manchester Insurance and Indemnity Company. Likewise, Odom brought suit against the same two sets of defendants for his injuries. Each set denied liability and alternatively claimed contribution from the other set in the event that the negligence of both drivers were found to have caused the accident. Dean brought suit against the Tardos and their insurer for his damages and was met with a denial and a plea of contributory negligence.

In reasons for judgment, the trial judge found that the negligence of Russell Tardo was the sole cause of the accident and that his negligence consisted of traveling at an excessive rate of speed and running a red light at the intersection. After noting that the evidence and the testimony were conflicting with respect to speed and the condition of the lights, the trial judge said:

"The preponderance of credible evidence supports the finding that Mr. Russell Tardo was greatly exceeding the 25 miles per hour speed limit for Common Street, City Ordinance 828 MCS as amended, and that he ran the red light. The weight of the evidence supports the findings that Mr. Dean started up slowly after the light had turned green for driver and after looking for traffic approaching from Common Street, and finding the area clear."

The original judgments included awards in favor of Aubrey N. Shipman for $75,000, each one of decedent's three children for $17,500, Odom for $37,044.97, and Dean for $3,500, all against the Tardos and their insurer. After argument on motions for a new trial the award in favor of Aubrey N. Shipman was reduced to $60,000 and the total liability of Security Insurance Company to the Shipman group of plaintiffs was reduced to $50,000, the limit of its liability for injury to one person under its policy of insurance issued to Tardo.

From this judgment the Tardos and their insurer have appealed specifying error with respect to the court's findings on liability and on the basis that the amounts awarded to the Shipmans were excessive. Odom has appealed contending that his award was inadequate and that Dean, Liberty Bell and their insurer should have been held liable, and the Shipmans have appealed contending also that Dean, Liberty Bell and their insurer should have been held liable.

LIABILITY

Russell Tardo initially testified that he had been proceeding along Common approaching Carondelet at 25 miles per hour (although on cross examination he admitted that he could have been going as much as 33 *384 miles per hour) with a green light facing him; upon reaching the pedestrian crosswalk a few feet before the intersection the light changed from green to yellow; he proceeded across, and upon reaching the middle of the intersection Dean's cab struck his automobile; at the time of impact he was in the middle of Common Street and while there were many pedestrians in the area there were no vehicles immediately in front, behind or on the side of him; the impact on his automobile was from the driver's door to a point over the left rear wheel, or about in the middle of his car.

Dean testified that as he approached the intersection on Carondelet the light facing him at Common was red, whereupon he came to a stop in the right-hand lane with his front bumper just behind the pedestrian crosswalk; the light changed to green, he looked to his right and saw nothing coming so he proceeded into the intersection, whereupon he "seen this blur out of the corner of my eye, and my natural reaction, I just jerked back and went for the brake and about the same time we collided;" he had not seen the Tardo automobile before it appeared as a blur in his peripheral vision; he had been stopped about 15 feet back from the line of the Common Street curb, and because of the presence of the American Bank Office Building on the southwest corner located along and extending to the corner of the sidewalks of the two streets his view of traffic approaching from Common Street was limited to only one car length beyond the crosswalk at Carondelet Street and traversing Common Street.

Julian Richards testified that prior to the accident he was in his automobile on Carondelet, stopped for the red light at Common with Dean's cab on his right and a Volkswagon automobile on his left; he heard the noise of and observed the approaching Tardo vehicle about a quarter of a block from the intersection; when his light changed to green he did not move because he had no doubt that the Tardo car was going to continue across the intersection; but immediately upon the light changing Dean's cab moved forward with the result that the cab ran into the left side of Tardo's automobile in the middle of the intersection; while not certain where the Tardo car was when the light changed he was certain that Tardo ran the red light.

Jamie Wetzel, the driver of the Volkswagon on Carondelet, testified that she was stopped at the red light on Common Street to the left of Richards and Dean, that Dean ran the red light striking the Tardo car which she did not see until the accident.

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Bluebook (online)
304 So. 2d 381, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/shipman-v-tardo-lactapp-1974.