State v. Gish

371 S.W.2d 654, 1963 Mo. App. LEXIS 449
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedOctober 15, 1963
DocketNo. 31109
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 371 S.W.2d 654 (State v. Gish) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Missouri Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Gish, 371 S.W.2d 654, 1963 Mo. App. LEXIS 449 (Mo. Ct. App. 1963).

Opinion

ANDERSON, Judge.

Defendant was tried on an information charging him with careless and reckless driving in violation of § 304.016, subd. 4 (1) RSMo 1959. He was found guilty and a fine of $50.00 was assessed against him. From the judgment on the verdict defendant has appealed.

The information alleged that “Edward Rutledge Gish, on the 18th day of September, 1960, in the County of St. Charles, State of Missouri, did then and there wil-fully and unlawfully drive and operate a motor vehicle, to wit: a 1957 Oldsmobile Sedan over and upon U. S. Highway #40, a public highway of the State of Missouri, in a careless and reckless manner, and in a manner so as to endanger the life and limb of the public, in that he did drive said motor vehicle to the left side of the roadway when approaching the crest of a grade of the highway, when his view was obstructed within such distance as to create a hazard in the event another vehicle might approach from the opposite direction, contrary to the form of the statute in such cases made and provided and against the peace and dignity of the State.”

The statute involved [§ 304.016, subd. 4 (1) RSMo 1959] reads as follows:

“4. No vehicle shall at any time be driven to the left side of the roadway under the following conditions:
“(1) When approaching the crest of a grade or upon a curve of the highway where the driver’s view is obstructed within such distance as to create a hazard in the event another vehicle might approach from the opposite direction.”

Appellant’s first contention is that the evidence was insufficient to support the conviction. It will, therefore, be necessary to review the evidence offered by the State in support of the charge.

Plaintiff’s only witness was the arresting officer Donald J. Medley, who was an officer of the Highway Patrol. He testified that on September 18, 1960, he was on Highway 40-61 in the vicinity of the Daniel Boone Bridge, which spans the Missouri River between St. Louis County and St. Charles County. The highway runs in an east and west direction. Daniel Boone Bridge is about twenty miles east of Wentzville, Missouri. The highway has a concrete surface approximately twenty-one feet wide.

At about 11:30 P.M., on the date in question, the witness was traveling west on the highway in a line of traffic going in that direction. Heading this line of traffic was a tractor trailer, next in line was the car of defendant Gish, then another automobile, [656]*656and directly behind this other vehicle was Officer Medley. Defendant Gish was driving an Oldsmobile. Medley further testified that the alleged violation occurred on a hill immediately east of a location on the highway known as the Dardenne Flats. To the west of the crest of this hill, there is a level stretch, then a slight dip in the road, followed by another level stretch, and another dip in the road into the Dardenne Valley. According to the testimony of Officer Medley, defendant pulled out of the line of traffic and entered the left (south) lane of the highway to pass the trailer tractor near the crest of the hill. At the point where defendant turned out, there are double yellow lines painted on the highway. These yellow lines run all the way to this Dardenne Valley, or a distance of approximately 1500 feet. It took about 1000 feet for defendant to complete the pass.

Medley further testified that he and the prosecuting attorney visited the scene of the alleged violation and checked the traffic traveling from west to east. They stood on the north side of the highway, opposite the point where defendant had crossed over into the left lane of the highway at the time in question. He stated that at that point, an automobile traveling east in the first dip over the crest of the hill would not be visible; that “You lose sight of the automobile * * * for approximately six seconds”. He further testified that, standing at the same place, “we lose sight of automobiles in the Dardenne Valley for approximately sixteen seconds”.

On cross-examination Medley testified in effect that, the time a car would not be visible at the points in question would depend upon the speed of the car; that the test was made during daylight hours.

Medley traveled this portion of the highway about fifty times a week.

On redirect examination, Medley testified that the pavement in the two “dips” was not visible from the point of passing on the night in question.

The defendant testified that he passed the truck on a different hill, east of the hill referred to by Medley in his testimony. He further testified that if he was driving his car at the point where Medley said the pass began, he would assume he could not see a car beyond the crest of the hill because there was a yellow line there, which he saw that night.

Defendant contends there was insufficient evidence to support the conviction because the state failed to prove that defendant’s view was so obstructed that his pass constituted a hazard to oncoming traffic.

The first point made under this assignment is, that the court should not, in passing on the question, consider the testimony that defendant crossed the yellow line for the reason that such testimony did not tend to show a violation of § 304.016, subd. 4(1) RSMo 1959, the section of the statute under which defendant was prosecuted. A number of reasons are advanced in the argument in support of this point which are very interesting. However, we will refrain from ruling on the point for the reason that, in our judgment, the state made a case independent of this testimony.

As heretofore stated there was testimony that subsequent to the date of his arrest, Officer Medley and the Prosecuting Attorney went to the scene of the alleged violation. While standing on the shoulder of the highway, they observed that traffic coming from the west was, at certain points, not visible over the crest of the hill where defendant crossed to the left lane, nor in the Dardenne Valley, which was over the crest of the second hill. His testimony was, that in the first dip the approaching automobile would not be visible for approximately six seconds, and not visible in the Dardenne Valley for approximately sixteen seconds. It will be remembered that the evidence further shows that defendant remained on the left side of the highway while going over the first crest, then into the dip in the roadway, and up and over [657]*657the second hill, a total distance of 1000 feet.

Defendant contends that the foregoing evidence has no evidentiary value because (1) the test took place during the daylight hours, (2) the speed of none of the cars observed was shown, (3) the condition of visibility and the weather on said occasion was not shown, and (4) the experimenters were not standing on the highway.

In determining the relevancy and sufficiency of experimental evidence, the rule seems to be that substantial similarity in essential particulars is all that is required, and any such differences in conditions are for the jury in evaluating the weight to be given such evidence. Faught v. Washam, Mo., 329 S.W.2d 588, l. c. 598.

We believe that the differences in the conditions at the time of the alleged violation and at the time of the experiment were not so great as to require a holding that the testimony with reference to the latter was not substantial evidence.

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Related

State v. Starr
676 S.W.2d 311 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1984)
State v. Dickerson
588 S.W.2d 190 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1979)
State v. Lee
556 S.W.2d 25 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1977)
State v. Jackson
425 S.W.2d 126 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1968)
State v. Meller
382 S.W.2d 671 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1964)
State v. Gish
376 S.W.2d 618 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1964)

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Bluebook (online)
371 S.W.2d 654, 1963 Mo. App. LEXIS 449, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-gish-moctapp-1963.