Wagoner v. Rose

193 N.E. 108, 100 Ind. App. 192, 1934 Ind. App. LEXIS 55
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedDecember 14, 1934
DocketNo. 14,573.
StatusPublished

This text of 193 N.E. 108 (Wagoner v. Rose) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Wagoner v. Rose, 193 N.E. 108, 100 Ind. App. 192, 1934 Ind. App. LEXIS 55 (Ind. Ct. App. 1934).

Opinion

Curtis, J.

This is an appeal from a judgment for damages in favor of Marie Rose, now deceased, on account of personal injuries sustained by her during her lifetime while she was a pássenger in an automobile owned and operated by one Fred Marshall, which automobile collided with a curb and telephone pole near the intersection of West Main and Lafayette Streets in *193 the city of Peru, Indiana. In the action in the court below, the plaintiff, Marie Rose, charged that this appellant failed 'to stop his automobile before entering West Main Street from Lafayette Street, and thereafter stopped his automobile in the intersection of said streets and directly in' the path of the automobile in which she was a passenger, thereby causing said automobile to be turned so as to strike said curb and telephone pole.

After the rendition of the judgment on September 28, 1931, the death of the plaintiff, Marie Rose, was suggested, and the trial court ordered appellee, George Rose, administrator of the estate of Marie Rose, deceased, to be substituted as plaintiff. George Rose, administrator of the estate of Marie Rose, deceased, was made a party to this appeal as shown by the assignment of error.

Appellee’s complaint was in one paragraph, to which appellant filed an answer in general denial.

Upon the issues thus formed the cause was tried to a jury, resulting in a verdict against appellant for $2,000.00. Thereupon appellant filed a motion for a new trial which motion was overruled with an exception to appellant. The court rendered judgment on the verdict for $2000.00 and costs in favor of appellee and against appellant and this appeal was prayed and perfected.

The overruling of appellant’s motion for a new trial is the only error assigned and relied upon for reversal. It contains 52 causes or grounds, the first three being, respectively, that the verdict of the jury is not sustained by sufficient evidence, is contrary to law, and is excessive. Causes 4 to 17, inclusive, allege error in the giving of each of appellee’s tendered instructions numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, and 19, respectively; causes 18 to 22, inclusive, base error on the refusal to give each of instructions num *194 bered 2, 3, 4, 11, and 15, tendered by the appellant; causes 23 to 52, inclusive, relate respectively to various rulings of the court upon questions of evidence. In his brief under the heading of propositions, points and authorities the appellant, insofar as the instructions are concerned, discusses alleged error as to the giving of each of appellees’ tendered instructions numbered 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, 16, and 19, and alleged error in the refusal to give each of appellant’s tendered instructions 2, 3, and 4 only, and, therefore, alleged errors as to other instructions as set out in the assignment of error are waived. Causes 23, 24,-25, 28, 29, 36, 37, 40, and 41 of the motion each base error upon rulings of the court in admitting evidence over the appellant’s objection that Main Street in the city of Peru was a State Highway numbered 24 and 31. Causes numbered 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 38, 39, 42, and 43 each base error upon rulings of the court in admitting in evidence over the objection of the appellant that there was a stop sign on LaFayette Street at the intersection of Main Street. Causes 48, 49, 50, 51, and 52 each base error upon ruling of the court in admitting in evidence over the objection of the appellant the record of the Metropolitan Police Board showing the adoption of a penal ordinance or regulation which provided for the designation of West Main Street in the city of Peru as a preferential street and the erection of stop signs at street intersections. The question of excessive damages is raised by cause number 3 of the motion and by the objection to appellee’s instruction number 16.

In determining the questions presented we have deemed it advisable to set out the complaint, omitting the formal parts and prayer, as follows: “The plaintiff, Marie Rose, complains of the defendant, William H. Wagoner, and for cause of action says: That on the 27th day of February, 1930, this plaintiff was riding as *195 an invited guest in an automobile which was being driven to the west on West Main Street in the city of Peru, Miami County, Indiana, at about the hour of two-thirty o’clock P. M. That at approximately the same time, the defendant was operating his automobile to the northward on LaFayette Street, at and near the intersection of Main and LaFayette Streets in the said city of Peru, Miami County, Indiana, which said intersection of said streets is in the residential district of the city of Peru, Indiana, and that West Main Street, at said point was, at said time a State Highway and was a preferential street and that at’said time it was so designated as a preferential street by two stop signs which were placed near the said intersection.

“Plaintiff further avers that the said defendant, in the operation of his said automobile, did not stop at said intersection before coming in to Main Street and did not give the right of way to automobiles, and especially the automobile in which this plaintiff was approaching from the left hand side of said defendant on a preferential street, but carelessly and negligently failed and neglected to stop before entering upon said intersection, and carelessly and negligently entered into and upon said intersection without having first stopped his said automobile and without first having looked carefully to ascertain the traffic on West Main Street and as a result thereof, the said defendant, after having proceeded partially across said intersection, saw a car coming from the west and also the car in which this plaintiff was riding, coming from the east. That the said defendant then carelessly and negligently stopped his automobile near the middle of said intersection, thus and thereby compelling the driver of the automobile in which plaintiff was riding to either run into the said defendant or else turn his said car to the north into the street curb and thus attempt to avoid collision. *196 Plaintiff further avers that the automobile in which she was riding was turned to the north and to the curb and as a result of the collision of said automobile with the curb, this plaintiff was thrown into the top of said automobile and she was thereby injured in the following manner to-wit: Her face and head were severely cut, torn and lacerated; her body was severely bruised and her nervous system was severely shocked and by reason of such injury she required medical care and attention, for which she has expended $50.00; she was confined to her bed with said injuries for two weeks and she has received cuts and scars which disfigure her face and which said disfigurement is permanent and her nervous system has been so impaired as to permanently injure her good health in such a manner as to cause her to suffer from nervous ailments during the rest of her life. That all of said injuries were direct and -proximate result of the carelessness and negligence of the defendant as hereinabove set out and that by reason thereof, she has been damaged in the sum of $5000.00.”

The appellant has presented an able brief in support of his contentions.

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

Related

Southern Indiana Gas & Electric Co. v. Winstead
175 N.E. 281 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1931)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
193 N.E. 108, 100 Ind. App. 192, 1934 Ind. App. LEXIS 55, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wagoner-v-rose-indctapp-1934.