Talley v. Dalton Ex Rel. Dalton

10 Tenn. App. 597, 1928 Tenn. App. LEXIS 13
CourtCourt of Appeals of Tennessee
DecidedJuly 14, 1928
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 10 Tenn. App. 597 (Talley v. Dalton Ex Rel. Dalton) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Tennessee primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Talley v. Dalton Ex Rel. Dalton, 10 Tenn. App. 597, 1928 Tenn. App. LEXIS 13 (Tenn. Ct. App. 1928).

Opinion

SNODGRASS, J.

This is an action for damages for personal injuries resulting to Helen Dalton, a minor, in an automobile collision. She was riding at the time, sitting on the lap of her mother on the front seat of an automobile that was being driven by her father, Oscar M. Dalton, the next friend. It Was in the late afternoon of September 12, 1925, and they were on the Oven Pike road leading northward from the town of Parrotsville, Cocke county. The collision was with the car of Arthur Talley, which at the time was being driven by him southward in the direction of his home beyond Parrotsville. It occurred just over the top of the hill near the residence of a Mr. Radcliff, which was situated on the left of the pike, going northward. There was a garage situated on the right of the pike seemingly opposite the Radcliff residence, or somewhere nearly so. The Dalton car was proceeding under control toward the top of the hill, behind a car being driven by two girls by the name of Carlisle, who were intending to stop at the Radcliff residence, and it seems that just about the time these girls were intending to drive into the garage entrance on the right the Dalton car sought to pass *599 them by driving around them to the left, but on seeing the sign that they were intending to drive in the Dalton car stopped somewhere near the center, but somewhat to the left, while the Carlisle car made its turn to the left preparatory to leaving the road on the right, and, as opportunity offered, the Dalton car' started up again with the object of passing, which it did. In passing the attention of both the driver of the car and 'the plaintiff (the daughter) was momentarily attracted by the salutation that was made to or by the occupants of the Carlisle ear, and thus momentarily they were both slightly looking back or having their attention disengaged from the front. Mr. Dalton’s account of it was as fdlows:

“I was fooling along behind them slow, and when they came there they wanted to' stop — there was a parked car there, and she held out her hand to turn in there and I stopped until she turned in, and when she turned in I started on and I was still in low, and I changed gear, and when I passed there they looked around and I spoke to them that way (indicating) and when I looked back this way I seen Mr. Talley coming in his car, and he was coming at full speed, looked like he was bobbing up and down, and I pulled over to my right side and stopped, and when I got on the side he came right on and pulled in and turned in and hit my front wheel, lefthand wheel, hit the front wheel, and broke my headlight, bent up the left fender, bent the axle and radius rod and tore down my right front wheel, next to the bank. The tire came off of it when he hit it and the door flew open on the right side, and that girl was pitched out head foremost. She first pitched to the front and her head hit something there and raised a great big blue mark, and then she bounced back and pitched out to the front and lit on her face.”
He testified that he had his car under control; that he had his foot on the lefthand pedal, driving in low; that he had not had time to change; when he saw there was no use of it, that he turned into the bank as quick as he made the turn off the road to his right hand as far as he could.

The plaintiff minor testified to the immediate facts of the collision as follows:

“I was sitting on my mother’s lap and looked back at a car we passed, and I heard my mother say cmy God,’ and I looked to see what Was wrong, and that is the last I know about what happened.”

The declaration, to which there was a plea of not guilty, set forth the cause of action to be, that on account of the negligent, careless and illegal operation of his automobile the said defendant Arthur Talley did injure the plaintiff, by breaking her ribs, crippling her in the hip, bruising her about the head and body, and in other re *600 spects greatly hurt, bruised, wounded and put in great peril, and rendered ber sick, sore, lame and disabled for a long space of time, to-wit, from that day until the commencement of this suit; during all of which time it was averred plaintiff suffered great pain and mental anguish, and was thereby obliged to and did necessarily spend and have spent a large sum of money, etc., was permanently injured and her capacity for work, labor, business, enjoyment of life and ability to attend school was greatly and permanently impaired, for which she sued, and laid the damages in the sum of $5000.

There was a trial before the judge and jury at the September term, 1927, the trial taking place about November 1st, when the jury returned a special verdict in favor of the plaintiff, a part of which is as follows:

“Upon their oaths do say that they find the issues involved in favor of the plaintiff, and fixed the sum of her recovery at the sum of $1250 damages, and the sum of $250 expenses. ’ ’

There was a motion for a new trial, which was overruled upon the accepted condition that plaintiff remit $250, and 'judgment was entered in her favor in the sum of $1250, from which the defendant appealed and, as plaintiff in error, has made numerous assignments of error. For convenience thel parties will, be referred to as the cause was styled below. • ■

It is proper to state also that there was an overruled motion in arrest of judgment. Also that an original attachment had been sued out and levied, to which there was filed a plea in abatement. This plea never seems to have been traversed or further notice taken thereof to make any disposition of the same. The defendant having gone to trial upon his plea of not guilty Without having his plea passed upon, must be taken as having abandoned the same; and, if the judgment is supported, it would likewise follow that the property attached was properly directed to be sold and judgment rendered on the forthcoming bond for the debt in lieu of its return to the officer.

The foregoing has the effect of overruling the 13 th assignment, covering alleged error in pronouncing judgment on the replevin bond.

There are twelve assignments of error, the last • one being that the court should have arrested the judgment because it was insisted the verdict was void, and to the same effect are the 4th and 5th assignments. The 4th assignment insists it is void for the reason the jury reported two sums of recovery, either of which it is claimed would be a complete satisfaction of the wrongs and injuries sued for.

The 5th assignment insists it is void because the jury reported $250 as expenses, when in fact there was no proof as to expenses at all. And in the 5th assignment error was predicated as to the charge.

We do not think the verdict was void simply because the jury re *601 turned a special verdict separating the expenses from the other item of damages, and if there was any error as to the expenses by reason of specific proof as to the amount, it was cured by the court in eliminating $250 from the verdict on the motion for a new trial, and it would thus appear that the defendant suffered no injury in relation thereto.

The reference in the charge to the plaintiff as “deceased” should be regarded merely as a clerical error.

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Bluebook (online)
10 Tenn. App. 597, 1928 Tenn. App. LEXIS 13, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/talley-v-dalton-ex-rel-dalton-tennctapp-1928.