Tumlinson v. San Antonio Brewing Ass'n

170 S.W.2d 620, 1943 Tex. App. LEXIS 289
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMarch 24, 1943
DocketNo. 11271
StatusPublished
Cited by28 cases

This text of 170 S.W.2d 620 (Tumlinson v. San Antonio Brewing Ass'n) 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
Tumlinson v. San Antonio Brewing Ass'n, 170 S.W.2d 620, 1943 Tex. App. LEXIS 289 (Tex. Ct. App. 1943).

Opinions

NORVELL, Justice.

Joel Tumlinson, plaintiff below, appeals from a judgment that he take nothing of his action against San Antonio Brewing Association and its employee, Gilford E. Dyal. Tumlinson was struck and severely injured by a truck owned by the Brewing Association and driven by Dyal. Appellant’s complaint was founded in negligence. The case was submitted to the jury upon thirty-four special issues, and the jury’s answers support the judgment rendered in that Dyal was absolved of the charge of negligence and Tumlinson was found to have committed a number of negligent acts which proximately caused his injuries.

Appellant first contends that he was entitled to a favorable finding upon the issue of discovered peril as a matter of law. The question of the applicability of the doctrine of discovered peril generally presents fact issues for a jury and the general rule holds good in this case.

Tumlinson was attempting to cross a street in the middle of the block when he was struck by the truck. This act of appellant was negligent according to the jury findings. Apparently Dyal, the driver of the truck, saw Tumlinson prior to the time the truck collided with him. The jury, however, found that Dyal did not discover the perilous position of Tum-linson in time to avoid injuring him by the use of any one of the means at his disposal. The evidence as to Dyal’s actions im[622]*622mediately prior to the collision, as well as to the exact position of .the truck at that moment was conflicting-. Dyal testified that he put on his brakes immediately when he saw Tumlinson in the street ahead of him. He did not sound his horn, but the jury expressly found that his failure to do so was not negligence. In this state of the record we must hold that appellees’ liability to appellant was not established as a matter of law under the doctrine of discovered peril. The jury evidently believed Dyal’s testimony to the effect that he did use one of the means at his disposal in an attempt to avoid the collision, namely his brakes. As to the horn or warning device, the other suggested means of avoidance, the rule applicable may be stated as follows,: A who discovers B in a perilous position as a result of B’s negligence is, nevertheless, under a duty to use ordinary care to avoid injury to B. The standard of conduct required by the phrase, “ordinary care” is that of a person of ordinary prudence acting under the same or similar circumstances. It is not sufficient in itself to establish a party’s liability under the doctrine, to demonstrate that had said party adopted a certain course of action, the injury or collision would not have occurred. Unless it can also be said that a person of ordinary prudence, under the same or similar circumstances, would have taken the action, liability under the doctrine does not attach. Despite various applications of the doctrine of discovered peril and rules similar thereto, the test of ordinary care as the measure of duty seems to be established without dissent. Davis v. Mann, 10 Mas. & W. 548, 152 Eng.Reprint, 19 Eng.Rul.Cas. 190; Surkey v. Smith, Tex.Civ.App., 136 S.W.2d 893, writ refused; annotation, 92 A.L.R. 47.

Upon the record before us, it can not be said as a matter of law that Dyal failed to use ordinary care -in failing to sound his horn.' This was a jury question.

Appellant next contends that the verdict of the jury is against the preponderance of the evidence to such an extent that improper motives, or prejudice on the part of the jury, must necessarily be inferred. In this connection, appellant emphasizes the jury’s answers to the “discovered peril” issues and points out that the jury answered “none” to the issue inquiring as to damages sustained by the appellant, which was unconditionally submitted, and also failed to answer a question inquiring as to the amount of doctor and hospital bills incurred by appellant, although this issue was also unconditionally submitted. We have heretofore discussed the discovered peril issues, and hold that the jury’s answers to said issues are not against the overwhelming preponderance of the evidence. It has also been held that the refusal of a jury to answer an issue inquiring as to the amount of damages sustained, or to answer said issue “none,” is-not reversible error when the jury’s answers’to other issues disclose that no judgment favorable to the injured party could have been entered upon the verdict. This is true even though the amount of damage issues were unconditionally submitted and the evidence shows conclusively that injuries were sustained. We overrule appellant’s second contention. Southern Pine Lumber Company v. Andrade, 132 Tex. 372, 124 S.W.2d 334; Rogers v. Coca Cola Bottling Company, Tex.Civ.App., 156 S.W.2d 325; Harrison v. Missouri, Kansas & Texas Ry. Co., Tex.Civ.App., 89 S.W.2d 455.

Appellant’s remaining points relate to alleged jury misconduct. Rule 327, R.C.P. is applicable to the case. Since this rule makes a change in the practice as developed under the repealed statute, Article 2234, 1925 R.C.S., .we briefly notice the development of the procedure relating to jury misconduct under prior statutes in order to ascertain the extent of the change effected by the rule.

At common law jurors were not allowed to testify as to occurrences in the jury room. “The permitting such evidence cannot be too strongly reprobated * * Mason v. Russel’s Heirs, 1 Tex. 721, 726; Galveston, Harrisburg & San Antonio Ry. Co. v. Roberts, Tex.Civ.App., 91 S.W. 375.

In 1905, the Legislature provided: “Where the ground of the motion is on account of misconduct of the jury or the officer in charge or because of any communication made to the jury, or because the jury received other testimony the court shall hear evidence thereof, and it shall be competent to prove such facts by the jurors or others, by examination in open court; and if the misconduct proven, or the testimony received, or the communication made be material a new trial may in the discretion of the court be granted.” Acts 1905, p. 21, Ch. 18, 29th Leg.

[623]*623The above statutory enactment was carried forward practically unchanged as Article 2021, 1911 R.C.S.

In the Revised Statutes of 1925, the words “a new trial may in the discretion of the court be granted,” were eliminated, although the wording employed seemed to imply that the trial court possessed some discretion in regard to the matter. The provision assumed the following form as Article 2234, 1925 R.C.S.:

“Where the ground of the motion is misconduct of the jury or of the officer in charge of them, or because of any communication made to the jury or that they received other testimony, the court shall hear evidence thereof from the jury or others in open court, and may grant a new trial if such misconduct proved, or the testimony received, or the communication made, be material.”

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Bluebook (online)
170 S.W.2d 620, 1943 Tex. App. LEXIS 289, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/tumlinson-v-san-antonio-brewing-assn-texapp-1943.