Voland v. Conner

258 S.W.2d 423, 1953 Tex. App. LEXIS 1798
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMay 13, 1953
DocketNo. 10120
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 258 S.W.2d 423 (Voland v. Conner) 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
Voland v. Conner, 258 S.W.2d 423, 1953 Tex. App. LEXIS 1798 (Tex. Ct. App. 1953).

Opinion

■ HUGHES, Justice.

;'-Reverend William A. Voland, appellant, sued W. S. Conner, appellee, for damages for personal injuries and for property damages allegedly sustained in a collision between a 1950 Hudson automobile driven by appellant and a 1949 Kaiser automobile owned by appellee but driven by his stepson, Jack Voight, in the City of Austin on or about September 11, 1951.

Trial was to a jury upon whose verdict the trial court, upon appellee’s motion, rendered judgment that appellant take nothing by his suit.

No statement of facts has been filed as part of the record on appeal although the transcript contains a stipulation of the parties to the effect that Jack Voight, the 15-year old stepson of- appellee, was driving appellee’s car at the time of the collision with his permission, at which time Jack Voight had no driver’s license and appellee was aware of this fact at such time.

Appellant assigns ten points of error, two of which relate to the sufficiency of the evidence" to support certain findings 'of the j'ury bearing on his contributory negligence. These two points will not be further noticed as they cannot be appraised without a statement of facts.

" Appellant’s remaining points fall into two general classes (1) that the findings of the jury are in irreconcilable conflict and do not.support the judgment rendered (2) that error is reflected in1 the proceedings had on his- motion - for new trial regarding alleged jury misconduct. . .

We will dispose first of the group of points relating to, the jury verdict and in so doing will analyze the findings of the jury. • The first four issues found that Voight was driving appellee’s car at an excessive rate of speed and that this was a proximate cause of the collision.

Issues Nos. 5, 6, and 7 found that appellant had entered the intersection of Oltorf and Wilson Streets first as Voight approached the intersection on Wilson Street and that Voight failed to yield the right of way to appellant' but that this failure was not negligence.

Issue No. 8 found that such failure was. not a proximate cause of the collision. The jury violated the court’s instruction in answering this issue since it w.as submitted conditionally on the finding of negligence.

Issue No. 9 found that Voight did not fail to have the car under proper control.

Issue No. 10 was not answered.

Issue No. 11 found that Voight did not fail to slow the speed of his car as he approached ■ the intersection.

Issues Nos. 12 and 13 were not answered.

Issues Nos. .14 and 15 found that Voight failed to keep a proper lookout for appellant’s car and that this was a proximate cause of the collision.

Issue No. 16 found that in approaching the intersection Voight did not fail to observe appellant’s car.

Issues Nos. 17 and 18 were unanswered.

. Issues Nos. 19 and 20 found that while Voight failed to steer his car so as-to avoid the collision that this was not negligence.

Issue No. 21 was not answered.

Issue No. 21a found.that Voight did not fail to sound the horn and Issue No. 21b was not answered.

Issues Nos. 22, 23, 24, 25 and 26 related to damages, the jury finding appellant had incurred $200 in doctor and hospital bills and that the damage to his car was $1,500.

Issue No. 27 found that appellant saw ap-pellee’s car approaching the intersection before appellant had entered the intersec[425]*425tion arid by Issues Nos. 28, 29 and 30 the jury found that, under such circumstances, appellant attempted to drive his car across the intersection ahead of appellee’s’ car which was negligence on the part of appellant and a proximate cause of the collision.

Issue No. 31 found that appellant did not fail to observe appellee’s car as it' approached the street intersection and Issues Nos. 32 and 33 were not answered.

Issue No. 34 found that appellant failed to keep a proper, lookout for appellee’s car just prior to the collision and Issue No. 35 found that this was a proximate cause of the collision.

Issue No. 36 found appellant was not driving at an excessive rate of speed at the time and Issue No. 37 was not answered.

Issue No. 38 found that appellant, did. not fail to have his car under proper control and Issue No. -39 was unanswered.

Issue No. 40 found that appellant’s failure to stop his car before entering the intersection was not negligence and Issue No. 41 was not answered.

Issue No. 42 found that appellant did ‘not fail to slow the speed of his car as he approached the street intersection and.Issues Nos. 43 and 44 were not answered.

Issue No. 45 found that the two cars did not enter the intersection at approximately the same time and Issues Nos. 46 and 47 were not answered-.

Issue No. 48 found appellant was not negligent in failing to sound the horn of his car and ■ Issue No. 49 was not answered.

Issue No. 50 found thát the collision was not the result of an unavoidable accident.

It will be observed that the jury found appellant negligent in two respects which were proximate causes of the collision, attempting to drive his car across the intersection ahead of appellee’s car and .in failing to keep a proper lookout for appel-lee’s car just prior to the collision.

These findings, if permitted to stand, constitute an absolute bar to appellant’s recovery herein. 30 Tex.Jur. p. 754.

If these findings are not in irreconcilable conflict with other findings they must stand. Speer Law of Special Issues, Section 431.

Appellant contends that jury findings 27, •28, 29 and'30 are in-conflict with findings 5, 31, 36, 38, 40 and 42. ’ '

The first group made a complete finding against .appellant in attempting to drive his car' across the intersection in front of appellee’s car.

The second group found that appellant entered the intersection first (5), that appellant saw appellee’s car (31) and was not driving at an excessive rate of speed (36), that his car was. under proper control- (38), that appellant was n,ot negligent in not stopping his car befpre entering the intersection (40) and appellant did not fail to.slow his speed as he approached the street- intersection. ,

, . Appellant’ seems to argue that since he entered the intersection first that he had the right of way under section 71, Subd. (a), Art. 6701d, V.A.C.S., ánd since appellee failed to yield him the right of way (this failure was not negligence, Issues 6 and 7) that this should settle the case in his favor.

Without.a statement of facts we are unable to agree with the position taken by appellant and are unable to say that under all conceivable circumstances there is an irreconcilable conflict between these .issues. Some- of the factual possibilities which might affect the right of, way claimed by appellant- are: The presence of a signal light, stop signs or a traffic officer at this intersection. Whether Wilson Street on which Voight traveled was a through highway. Where and how the cars collided and whether each was in its proper lane. Whether, appellant after entering the intersection stopped or in some other manner indicated that he surrendered his right of way.

,. The right of way rules prescribed in paragraphs (a) and (b) of section 71, supra, are not absolute.

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Bluebook (online)
258 S.W.2d 423, 1953 Tex. App. LEXIS 1798, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/voland-v-conner-texapp-1953.