Solomon v. Mote

49 N.E.2d 703, 38 Ohio Law. Abs. 169, 1942 Ohio App. LEXIS 804
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedSeptember 24, 1942
DocketNo. 417
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 49 N.E.2d 703 (Solomon v. Mote) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Solomon v. Mote, 49 N.E.2d 703, 38 Ohio Law. Abs. 169, 1942 Ohio App. LEXIS 804 (Ohio Ct. App. 1942).

Opinion

OPINION

By BARNES, J.

The above entitled cause is now being determined as an error proceeding by reason of plaintiff’s appeal on questions of law from the judgment of the Court of Common Pleas of Miami County, Ohio.

Plaintiff’s action was one for personal injuries and property damages by reason of a collision of two motor vehicles at or near the intersection of Emerick Pike and Shilo Pike, both located within the bounds of Miami County, Ohio. The accident happened on August 3, 1937, about 4:30 P. M.

Emerick Pike was a gravelled road, running in a general easterly and westerly direction, and Shilo Pike was also a gravelled road, running generally in a northerly and southerly direction. They crossed each other in Union Township, Miami County, Ohio. Neither was a highway of such a character that preference was [171]*171given to traffic on one over the other. The right-of-way was controlled by the section of the Code which provides that the operator of motor vehicles on such highways shall yield the right-of-way to the one approaching from the right.

At the time of the accident the plaintiff was operating his Chevrolet automobile on Emerick Pike in a westerly direction and towards his home, located about one mile distant therefrom. The defendant’s 1% ton International truck, operated, by an employee and loaded with about 1% tons of feed, was moving in a southerly direction on Shilo Pike. Under this situation the defendant ha'd the right-of-way, provided his truck was being operated in a lawful manner.

At the northeast corner of the intersection and inside the road fences on each highway, was a field upon which were growing corn and cane. This farm crop was of such height that it interfered with plaintiff’s view as he approached the Shilo Pike intersection.

The plaintiff testified that before he reached the intersection he looked to themorth, but by reason of the standing corn and cane he could not see northwardly on Shilo Pike more than 20 or 25 feet. He further testified that he did not look again and did not know of defendant’s approaching truck until he was struck by the truck at or near the back end of his right front fender.

Immediately west of the intersection and on Emerick Pike was a culvert. On either side of the culvert were abutments about one foot in height, on the top of which was a metal guard. The east end of this culvert was 1.2 feet west of the west edge of Shilo Pike, ascertained by an imaginary extension of the fence lines. The travelled portion of Shilo Pike was approximately 15 feet in width. Prom the west edge of the travelled portion of Shilo Pike to the east edge of the culvert was 3.2 feet.

At the close of plaintiff’s testimony counsel for defendant interposed a motion for a directed verdict on two grounds:

“1. That plaintiff’s own evidence failed to show any negligence on the part of the defendant.

“2. That plaintiff’s own evidence shows that plaintiff himself was guilty of contributory negligence and proximately contributed to said accident and injuries.”

The trial court overruled as to the first ground and sustained as to the second. In so doing the court determined that there was sufficient evidence to submit to the jury on the question of defendant’s negligence, but determined that plaintiff’s own testimony disclosed that he was guilty of negligence as a matter of .law, which, was a proximate cause of the accident and therefore could not recover.

The jury returned its verdict in accordance with the instructions of the court. Plaintiff duly filed a motion for new trial, which [172]*172was overuled and judgment entered on the verdict, dismissing plaintiff’s action. Within due time, plaintiff gave notice of appeal on questions of law and thereby lodged the case in our court.

Counsel for plaintiff present five separately stated and numbered assignments of error. Assignments Nos. 1, 2 and 3 are closely related and all go to the claimed error of the trial court in directing a verdict.

Assignment No. 4 claims that the trial court erred in the exclusion of testimony, and assignment No. 5 is an omnibus statement that the court was in error in granting final judgment for the defendant against the plaintiff.

The specific claim under assignment No. 4 related to the trial court’s rejection of exhibits Nos. 7, 8 and 9 proffered by the plaintiff. These exhibits were photographs taken at the scene of the accident shortly thereafter and before either vehicle had been moved. The person taking the photographs was not availabie as a witness, but others who saw them taken did identify them and testified that they were a fair representation of the condition existing immediately after the accident, except that one witness said that the photographs were slightly misleading in that exhibits 8 and 9 showed the cars to be against each other, whereas that was not the fact.

We have no difficulty in determining that it is not necessary for photographs and exhibits to be identified by the person taking same in order to make them admissible in evidence, although this is usually the custom. We further think that it is proper practice where photographs are to be introduced in evidence, that the person ■ identifying them, either the photographer or another witness, should indicate where the camera was sitting with relation to the objects to be photographed, the height of the camera above the ground, and other conditions that would present to the jury a comprehensible understanding of the photograph. This was not done in the instant case.

Even if it should be determined that the photographs were adequately identified, we hold that their rejection was not prejudicial for two reasons:

1. Other photographs presented in evidence as exhibits 1 to 6, inclusive, sufficiently demonstrated the wreckage of plaintiff’s car, which really was the point sought to be shown.

2. The rejected photographs would have no substantial bearing in determining the correctness or incorrectness of the court’s action in directing a verdict.

We now go to the main question presented under assignments 1, 2, 3 and 5.

In determining these assignments we consider not only the question of contributory negligence on the part of the plaintiff, but also the question as to whether or not there was any evidence of [173]*173negligence on the part of the defendant. In other words, we look to the question of the correctness or incorrectness of the court’s action rather than his reasoning.

Counsel for defendant argue that there was absolutely no testimony as to the speed at which defendant’s motor truck was Being operated at the time of the accident. The speed at which defendant’s motor truck was being operated would be controlled by £¡7249 GC. Under this section and at this particular location, a speed of more than 25 miles per hour would be presumptively in excess of what would be reasonable and proper. One witness testified that he saw the truck on Shilo Pike about a quarter of, a mile north of the scene of the accident, and at that time it was being driven southwardly at a speed of approximately 45 miles per hour. The courts have held that such evidence is competent but not necessarily binding on the question of speed at the time of the accident. The only other witness on the question of speed of the truck was the plaintiff. He says that, immediately before the crash the truck was moving at 35 miles per hour.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
49 N.E.2d 703, 38 Ohio Law. Abs. 169, 1942 Ohio App. LEXIS 804, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/solomon-v-mote-ohioctapp-1942.