Sponable v. Thomas

33 P.2d 721, 139 Kan. 710, 1934 Kan. LEXIS 130
CourtSupreme Court of Kansas
DecidedJune 9, 1934
DocketNo. 31,518
StatusPublished
Cited by54 cases

This text of 33 P.2d 721 (Sponable v. Thomas) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Kansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Sponable v. Thomas, 33 P.2d 721, 139 Kan. 710, 1934 Kan. LEXIS 130 (kan 1934).

Opinion

The opinion of the court was delivered by

Thiele, J.:

The above action was for damages for injuries sustained in an automobile accident. Plaintiff’s wife was injured in the same accident, and an appeal from the judgment rendered in her case is also here for consideration. The facts applicable to both cases will be here stated.

The plaintiff and his wife reside at Paola, where the husband is a banker. On the night of February 3, 1932, about 7:30 p. m., they left Paola to go to Kansas City. It had been misting, raining, sleeting and at times snowing, and they drove slowly in a model A Ford coupé equipped with standard lights and brakes which were in good condition. Chains were on the rear wheels. The husband drove the car, and was using a mixture of alcohol and glycerine to soften the snow and ice which accumulated on the windshield. The car had an automatic windshield wiper on the driver’s side. Between 10 and 10:30 p. m. they approached Overland Park from the south on highway 73E. Overland Park is about thirty-one or thirty-two miles from Paola. At that time it was snowing and sleeting; the windshield wiper kept that space of the windshield clean, but occasionally it would get coated and the husband would stop and clean it. About one mile south of Overland Park he stopped and cleaned all of the windshield. Highway 73E runs along the east side of Overland Park. Highway 58 runs east and west through that place and connects with highway 73E. Just before highway 58 reaches highway 73E it divides so that a portion goes straight east to 73E and a curve turns to the north and'meets 73E about 200 feet north of the rectangular intersection. At a point east of highway 73E, almost directly east of where the curve on highway 58 enters 73E, stands Long’s tourist camp and filling station. The paving on 73E is of brick, the edges of which are bordered by concrete headers. There is a concrete curb about six and one-half feet east of the east header and the space between is filled with broken rock. There are driveways leading from highway 73E into Long’s station so that a car may leave the pavement, drive into the station and proceed ahead and again enter the highway. As the plaintiff came north he observed a building to the west, south of highway 58, and an automobile coming toward them on that highway. At the time [712]*712plaintiff was driving about fifteen miles per hour, as found by the jury in answer to a special question propounded in the wife’s case. In the husband’s case no special questions were submitted. The testimony warranted a finding that his speed was from ten to fifteen miles per hour. As plaintiff and his wife approached the northern intersection, the husband noticed an obstruction ten to twelve feet ahead, he applied the brakes and swerved to the left, but did not avoid it. It was a truck, the rear of which stood about forty-eight inches above the ground. The front of the Ford went under the truck sufficiently that the lower part of the truck struck along the hood of the car, and the impact drove the front of the Ford back, breaking the windshield and front of the car and pinning the wife in the seat. The husband immediately got out and, with the assistance of defendant Warnicke (also spelled Warnecke or Warecke or Warn eke), removed the wife, who was unconscious. In a few minutes the wife was taken into a neighboring dwelling, Warnicke and the husband returned to the Ford and got some luggage and then returned to the dwelling, where shortly thereafter, in answer to an inquiry, Warnicke stated that he had stopped to fix his lights.

While contradicted by the testimony of Warnicke in certain particulars, it was shown that the truck was stopped in highway 73E so that the rear wheels were on the pavement and the rear end projected to the south and west so that the extreme corner of it was about six inches west of the middle of the highway, and that there were no rear lights of any kind showing, and that no flares had been placed to warn of the unlighted truck. The driver of the car approaching from the west heard the crash and drove on highway 58 to the north of the truck and stopped. He and his wife stated there were then no headlights burning on the truck. There was no dispute that defendant Thomas owned the truck and that defendant Warnicke was driving it for him in transporting live stock to Kansas City. Other testimony as to the accident and as to injuries received will not be set out here, but will be referred to in discussing appellant’s contentions.

From a judgment in favor of plaintiff, defendants appeal, assigning twenty-two specifications of error, which are argued under twelve heads. These will be considered.

1. The first error complained of is that two medical witnesses were permitted to testify as to matters claimed not to be within the issues and that the evidence was incompetent because based upon [713]*713mere conjecture and speculation. The petition alleged that the glass in the windshield and top of the car was crashed and knocked into plaintiff’s face; that his right cheek was cut so his tongue could protrude through the opening caused by the cut; pieces of glass were driven into the maxillary bone, and there was an opening in said bone to the orbital cavity; that his facial nerves were cut and the right outer corner of his mouth damaged so that it causes his mouth to droop; that his jaw was fractured and his teeth were battered, jammed and broken so that even with all efforts dental science could furnish malocclusion resulted; that his face has been disfigured and his speech affected; that he had various cuts and bruises on his body. There was evidence to support all of the allegations.

The evidence complained of went first to the question asked medical witnesses whether there was danger of infection from the puncturing of the malar bone, and whether the malocclusion affected digestion, and second to the plaintiff’s statements as to his humiliation on account of his disfigurement.

It is said by appellant that there was no pleading of special damages, and that as to the medical witnesses there was no basis in the evidence to support the inquiries as to infection and digestion, nor was humiliation on account of disfigurement pleaded, and Railroad Co. v. Willey, 57 Kan. 764, 48 Pac. 25, is cited in support. In that case there were allegations that plaintiff’s leg and arm were broken and that he suffered wounds and gashes which confined him to his bed and caused great pain. Under such allegations he was permitted to prove impaired mental condition, and that was held to be error. In that opinion, however, it was said:

“A party is entitled to recover for all consequences which are the natural and probable result of injuries negligently inflicted upon him by another— that is, for those consequences which the common experience of men justify us in believing will result from an injury, the extent and character of which are known — without specially alleging them as grounds of recovery. Any result following an injury, but beyond the usual and natural consequences flowing therefrom, must be specially alleged, so as to apprise the opposing party of an intention to claim damages therefor. We may well conclude that, in consequence of the severe injuries which plaintiff received, he would suffer much physical pain, would be lamed, and disfigured in person; but it is not according to the common experience of men that such injuries result in mental infirmities.” (p. 766.)

The rule there laid down justified the evidence complained of. There may have been a time when it was not generally known that [714]

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Waits v. St. Louis-San Francisco Railway Co.
531 P.2d 22 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 1975)
Diaz v. Duke
482 P.2d 48 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 1971)
Holecek v. Janke
171 N.W.2d 94 (North Dakota Supreme Court, 1969)
Newman v. Case
413 P.2d 1013 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 1966)
Canfield v. Oberzan
410 P.2d 339 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 1966)
Deemer v. Reichart
404 P.2d 174 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 1965)
Grisamore v. Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Co.
403 P.2d 93 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 1965)
Carpenter v. Strimple
372 P.2d 571 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 1962)
Albin v. Munsell
369 P.2d 323 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 1962)
Caylor v. Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Co.
368 P.2d 281 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 1962)
Drake v. Moore
336 P.2d 807 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 1959)
Haga v. Moss, Administrator
311 P.2d 281 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 1957)
Winfough v. Tri-State Insurance Co.
297 P.2d 159 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 1956)
Whittington v. Mayberry. Thomason v. Mayberry
190 F.2d 703 (Tenth Circuit, 1951)
Bailey v. Slentz
189 F.2d 406 (Tenth Circuit, 1951)
Hill v. Hill
228 P.2d 713 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 1951)
Flaharty v. Reed
225 P.2d 98 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 1950)
Hukle v. Kimble
219 P.2d 434 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 1950)
Tuttle v. Uhl
195 P.2d 585 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 1948)
Colin v. Decoursey Cream Co.
178 P.2d 690 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 1947)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
33 P.2d 721, 139 Kan. 710, 1934 Kan. LEXIS 130, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/sponable-v-thomas-kan-1934.