Tripp v. Watson

235 S.W.2d 677, 1950 Tex. App. LEXIS 2434
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedDecember 22, 1950
Docket15204
StatusPublished
Cited by22 cases

This text of 235 S.W.2d 677 (Tripp v. Watson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Tripp v. Watson, 235 S.W.2d 677, 1950 Tex. App. LEXIS 2434 (Tex. Ct. App. 1950).

Opinion

MCDONALD, Chief Justice.

A small panel truck operated by plaintiff Watson collided on the highway with a large van type truck owned by defendant Tripp. The chief contention of each of the parties is that the other was on the wrong side of the road. Various other grounds of negligence and contributory negligence were pleaded and submitted to the jury. The verdict was favorable to the piaintiff, and defendant 'has appealed, presenting sixteen points of error.

The jury found that defendant’s truck was being operated while a portion of it extended over defendant’s left hand side of the center of the highway, that such was negligence and a proximate cause of the collision; that the driver of defendant’s truck failed to di-m his lights as the two vehicles approached each other, that such was negligence and a proximate cause of the collision; that defendant’s truck was traveling at fifty-five miles per hour, that such was negligence and a proximate cause of the collision.

*680 Defendant argues at length in his hrief that the physical facts and circumstances conclusively show that the collision could not have occurred in the manner claimed by plaintiff. Defendant’s theory is based largely on the fact that plaintiff’s truck, when it came to rest after the collision, was on plaintiff’s left side of the road, which was the east side, that plaintiff’s hand, which was cut off, was picked up on the east side of the road, and that most of the dehris resulting from the collision was on the east side of the road. The contention is without merit. Considering the evidence favorable to the verdict, it showed that the left front wheel of plaintiff’s truck was knocked off in the collision and that plaintiff’s truck careened across the highway after the collision. There was evidence that plaintiff’s hand was picked up in almost the center of the highway. Defendant’s evidence was in conflict in some respects with that offered by plaintiff, but it was the function of the jury to resolve these conflicts. Although defendant argues that plaintiff’s testimony and that of a man who was riding in the ca-r with him was incredible in view of the physical facts, it seems to us that there is nothing unusual about an automobile careening across the highway after being struck. Plaintiff’s truck came to rest some forty or fifty feet from the point where defendant’s truck came to rest. The latter truck turned over onto its left side, and came to rest with its cab facing east, and with the rear part of the truck extending over to the west, which was defendant’s left, side of the highway. The testimony in this respect shows that there was some movement of the vehicles after the moment of collision. Under the circumstances shown by the evidence, we find nothing unreasonable about the explanation of plaintiff and his companion that plaintiff’s truck crossed the highway after being struck. Certain other circumstances are pointed out by defendant, but there is no way the evidence can be reasonably construed except as presenting issues of fact for the jury to decide.

The fourth point of error complains of the overruling of defendant’s special exceptions to plaintiff’s petition, referring, we suppose, to all of defendant’s exceptions. There is no statement or argument in the brief relating to this' contention, so it is in order to treat the point of error as waived. However, we have examined the special exceptions and the court’s order overruling them, and find no reversible error in his action.

Defendant claimed that plaintiff was intoxicated, and sought to introduce in evidence a record of plaintiff’s conviction for driving while intoxicated on an occasion several months prior to the date of this collision. The trial court excluded the evidence. It is the general rule, to quote from 17 Tex.Jur. 393, that “testimony as to other similar but disconnected acts of negligence upon similar occasions is inadmissible on an issue as to whether a party 'has been negligent in doing or failing to do a particular act, * * Evidence of intoxication at or near the time of the accident is admissible as a circumstance to be considered with other facts in evidence in determining the question of negligence, but ordinarily it is not permissible to show that the driver was in the habit of drinking intoxicating liquor, or was intoxicated at some time remote from the date of the accident. 61 C.J.S., Motor Vehicles, § 516, p. 250. We do not have the case where a driver has confessed to having been intoxicated on the occasion in question by having pleaded guilty to a criminal charge of driving while intoxicated on the same occasion. Appellant has argued the point of error at some length in his brief, but the proposition of law involved is so well settled as not to require extended discussion. The conviction was not admissible for impeachment purposes on the theory that the offense was one involving moral turpitude. We might also add that there was no competent evidence showing that plaintiff was intoxicated on the occasion in question.

The evidence showed that plaintiff did not have a driver’s license. Defendant endeavored to show the reasons why plaintiff had been refused a driver’s license. During the course of the many objections that were made concerning the matter, and *681 the numerous colloquies between court and counsel, plaintiff’s counsel said, “Your honor, when they prove he didn’t have a driver’s license — we admit that he didn’t have and we admit that they are entitled to prove it, but we don’t admit that you are entitled to cut his arm off because he didn’t have any.” Assuming, without deciding, that the remark was erroneous, it was not of enough consequence to be treated as a reversible error, especially in view of the fact that the court promptly instructed the jury not to consider it.

Under the seventh point of error complaint is made, in general fashion, of alleged inflammatory and prejudicial remarks made by plaintiff’s counsel during the examination of the witness- Foster in the guise of objections to the admission of certain evidence. Appellant does not in his brief point out any particular statements as being objectionable, but invites us to read all of the statement o-f facts showing examination of this witness. Appellant has not complied with elemental rules of briefing in presenting this point of error, and it will not be considered.

While the witness McDuff was testifying, plaintiff’s counsel made an objection, whi-ch the court sustained. Plaintiff’s counsel then said, “Now we object to the witness nodding 'his head if the court please. He don’t have to be led, he is perfectly willing. And to get before the jury and nod when the court has sustained the objection doesn’t set well with us at all.” The court said that he did not observe the nod, and instructed the jury not to consider the nod if they saw it. We can see no reversible error in this trivial happening.

The witness McDuff, a state highway officer, testified concerning a conversation he had had with the man who was riding with plaintiff at the time of the collision. A substantial part of his testimony was a relation of what the passenger had hold the highway officer, at the hospital to which he -had been taken, with reference to whether the plaintiff had been drinking.

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

Related

Soriano v. Medina
648 S.W.2d 426 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1983)
Dutton v. Southern Pacific Transportation
561 S.W.2d 892 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1978)
J. Weingarten, Inc. v. Tripplett
530 S.W.2d 653 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1975)
T & L Lease Service, Inc. v. Biddle
500 S.W.2d 185 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1973)
Barclay v. CC Pitts Sand and Gravel Company
387 S.W.2d 644 (Texas Supreme Court, 1965)
Texas & New Orleans Railroad Company v. Arnold
381 S.W.2d 388 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1964)
Compton v. Jay
379 S.W.2d 933 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1964)
Tripp v. Bloodworth
374 S.W.2d 713 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1964)
Denton County Electric Co-Operative, Inc. v. Burkholder
354 S.W.2d 639 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1962)
RT Herrin Petroleum Transport Co. v. Proctor
338 S.W.2d 422 (Texas Supreme Court, 1960)
Proctor v. R. T. Herrin Petroleum Transport Co.
322 S.W.2d 42 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1959)
J. Weingarten, Inc. v. Gauthier
305 S.W.2d 181 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1957)
McCarty v. Gappelberg
273 S.W.2d 943 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1954)
Hadley v. International-Great Northern R.
268 S.W.2d 738 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1954)
Borho v. Austin Laundry & Dry Cleaning Co.
260 S.W.2d 110 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1953)
San Antonio Hermann Sons Home Ass'n v. Harvey
256 S.W.2d 906 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1953)
Western Cotton Oil Co. v. Mayes
245 S.W.2d 280 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1951)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
235 S.W.2d 677, 1950 Tex. App. LEXIS 2434, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/tripp-v-watson-texapp-1950.