Waring v. Dubuque Electric Co.

192 Iowa 508
CourtSupreme Court of Iowa
DecidedNovember 15, 1921
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 192 Iowa 508 (Waring v. Dubuque Electric Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Waring v. Dubuque Electric Co., 192 Iowa 508 (iowa 1921).

Opinion

Faville, J.

I. Locust Street in the city of Dubuque runs north and south, and is one of the main residential streets of the city. It is intersected by Thirteenth Street. The appellee operates an electric street railway upon the public streets of the city of Dubuque; and at the time of the accident in question, one of the routes of the street cars in said city provided for the movement of a street car southward on Locust Street to Thirteenth Street, where it turned east, and passed along Thirteenth Street to Main Street. There is no street-car track on Locust Street' south of Thirteenth Street. North - of Thirteenth Street the street-car track is in the center of Locust Street, and on Thirteenth Street, the curve is approximately in the center of the intersection of the two streets. The track then passes eastward in the center of Thirteenth Street. Locust Street is comparatively level, from Twelfth Street northward to Sixteenth Street. At the place of intersection, Locust Street is about 38 feet wide between the curbs, and Thirteenth Street is about 40 feet between the curbs.

At the intersection of Thirteenth and Locust Streets there is a street lamp, with frosted globe and shade. The pole from which this light is suspended is located on the northwest corner of the intersection of the streets in question. The lamp was suspended on an arm extending in a general southeasterly direction toward the center of the street. This arm is 12 feet in length, and the lamp was suspended about 221/2 feet from the surface of the street. The lamp is described as a 20-ampere, 15-volt lamp, manufacturer’s rating, 600 candle power. The lamp can be raised and lowered by means of a rope on. a pulley, and its distance from the street would depend on how high it had been [510]*510raised by means of the rope. The street ear in question was a two-truck car, lighted on the inside by 20 incandescent lig'hts. The evidence shows that the car was equipped with what is known as a “Golden Glow” modern, electric street-car headlight.

The accident in question occurred in the evening of November 7, 1918. It was a “dark, cloudy, foggy, drizzly night.” The fog is variously described by the witnesses as from “slight” to “very dense.” The appellant and his wife were in an automobile, which was being driven by the appellant. The automobile was closed with side curtains composed of ordinary isinglass and waterproof material. The car was equipped with a wind shield, which was closed. Appellant and his wife had been driving for some time, attending to various errands in the business part of the city, and started north on Locust Street from Ninth Street. Appellant was driving on the right-hand side of the street, four or five feet from the east curb. As he approached Thirteenth Street, the automobile was moving at about eight or ten miles an hour. The automobile was equipped with ordinary electric headlights, which were turned on at the time. The moisture in the atmosphere had gathered upon the wind shield, so that it interfered with the vision of the occupants of the car. As appellant approached Thirteenth Street, he slackened the speed of the automobile, and took off the power, and permitted the ear to coast toward Thirteenth Street. The pavement of Locust Street is brick, and was wet at the time.

The appellant’s testimony was to the effect that, as he approached Thirteenth Street, he looked straight ahead down Locust Street, and to the right, and that he saw nothing upon or approaching the intersection, and that the crossing appeared to him to be clear. Before he crossed any part of Thirteenth Street, however, he testifies that he saw a single light northward in Locust Street. He testified that the light was dim, and appeared to be standing still. He also testified that, owing to the fog and darkness, he could not see what was behind this light. It appears that there was a curtain in the car, which was drawn down, behind the motorman. Appellant states that he listened, and heard no street-car gong or bell. Thereupon, he proceeded northward on Locust Street, and passed the south line of Thirteenth Street until he reached a point estimated at from three [511]*511to six feet south of the street-car track, when he observed the light of a street car moving toward him on the curve in the intersection of the street. Immediately, he applied the brakes, turned the car to the left, and “.killed” the engine, and the car skidded somewhat and came to a stop, headed northwest, a few feet south of the track. In this position, it was struck by the right front end of the street ear, which collided with the right front end of the automobile, carrying the automobile some distance to the southeast; and the appellant received the injury for which damages are sought in this action.

At the close of all the testimony, the appellee’s motion for a directed verdict was sustained, on the ground of the contributory negligence of the appellant. Under the well recognized rule, we must construe the testimony in the light most favorable to the appellant, in determining whether he should be held guilty of contributory negligence, as a matter of law. Gregg v. Town of Springville, 188 Iowa 239. It is unnecessary for us to cite authorities to the proposition that, unless all reasonable and fair-minded men would agree that the appellant was guilty of contributory negligence, the court should not so hold, as a matter of law, but should submit the question to the determination of the jury.

The testimony of the wife of the appellant, who accompanied him, was of the same general character as that of the appellant.

The southeast corner of the intersection of the two streets is known as the “Lawther corner.” The third house north of Thirteenth Street was occupied by a Mr. Lange. On the night in question, Mrs. Lange came to the doorway of her home, looking for her husband. She says there was a dense fog, and a person could not see very far. She testified that she looked south toward Thirteenth Street, and saw two dim lights coming up Locust Street to Thirteenth Street, not far from the Lawther corner. As she saw those two lights at or about the Lawther corner, she saw the street car going by her house to the south. She noticed the speed of the car, and noticed that no bell was rung and no gong sounded. She thought the car was going about 25 miles an hour, and that it did not slacken. She could not tell whether the automobile was moving or standing still, at the time of the collision. The Lange house, where the witness [512]*512was, is about 104 feet from tbe north side of Thirteenth Street.

Mr. Lange, who was coming home at the time, was on the north side of Thirteenth Street, walking westward, 50 to 75 feet from the place where the collision occurred. He testified that he did not hear the sound of any gong or ringing of the bell, but saw the lights and the outline of an auto to the south of the street-car track, and noticed the light of the street car as the front came around the curve on Locust Street and struck the auto.

Dr. Heisey testified that he was with Mr. Lange; that it was a damp, misty night, and that the mist was very heavy,- that, as he went west on Thirteenth Street with Lange, the little boy accompanying him dropped a music roll and an umbrella; and that, as the witness stopped to pick them up, the crash came. He testified that he did not hear any bell or the sound of any gong; that the mist was such that it impaired the vision, and one could not see as far as on a clear night, and could not see objects distinctly. He did not see either the auto or the street car before he heard the sound of the collision.

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Bluebook (online)
192 Iowa 508, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/waring-v-dubuque-electric-co-iowa-1921.