Watts v. Dietrich

460 P.2d 298, 1 Wash. App. 141, 1969 Wash. App. LEXIS 292
CourtCourt of Appeals of Washington
DecidedOctober 21, 1969
DocketNo. 24-40259-3
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 460 P.2d 298 (Watts v. Dietrich) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Washington primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Watts v. Dietrich, 460 P.2d 298, 1 Wash. App. 141, 1969 Wash. App. LEXIS 292 (Wash. Ct. App. 1969).

Opinion

Green, J.

A disfavored driver who turned left at an intersection and collided with an oncoming car brought an action against the driver of the oncoming car. Following a dismissal at the close of plaintiff’s evidence, this appeal was taken.

The accident occurred at the intersection of North Tenth Avenue and West Clark Street in Pasco, Washington, about 1:45 p.m. on November 26, 1965. North Tenth Avenue is a street running in a general north-south direction. Clark Street runs in a general east-west direction and intersects North Tenth Avenue. Both streets are 4-lane streets. The intersection is controlled by traffic lights. There are no separate left-turn lanes.

Plaintiff Marian Watts left her place of employment and was driving her car in a northerly direction on Tenth Avenue in the inside lane of traffic, the lane closest to the center line, intending to turn left at the Clark Street intersection. As plaintiff approached the intersection, the light was red. She stopped behind another car just ahead of her and waited for the light to change. When the light changed to green, the preceding car turned left on Clark Street. Plaintiff waited to allow an oncoming car proceeding in a southerly direction in the inside lane on Tenth Avenue to make a left turn in front of her into Clark Street. Plaintiff then turned left intending to cross the two southbound lanes of Tenth Avenue. Just before plaintiff cleared the second southbound lane (curb lane) of traffic, defendant’s car collided with the right rear of plaintiff’s car. After the impact, plaintiff’s car moved 6 feet northwest. Defendant’s car moved only slightly sideways.

[143]*143The testimony of plaintiff was that prior to the accident she saw defendant’s car coming in a southerly direction on Tenth Avenue in the outside lane (curb lane) of traffic— “quite a ways up the street,” and that “. . . He was coming faster than I thought he was ... I thought I had time to make my turn ... I thought I had plenty of time to make my turn.” She further testified that defendant pulled to the inside lane after another southbound car had made a left turn into Clark Street. Plaintiff did not fix the distance or the speed of defendant’s vehicle.

Defendant Leonard Dietrich, called by plaintiff as an adverse witness, testified he was driving south on Tenth Avenue toward Clark Street in the inside lane of traffic next to the center line. About 150 or 175 feet from the Clark Street intersection, he noticed the car in front of him signaling to make a left turn. At that time, the defendant turned on his signal, moved to the outside lane of traffic, and about 135 feet from the intersection of Clark Street completed his change of lanes. Approximately one and one-half car lengths from the intersection, defendant saw plaintiff’s car turn directly in front of him. He applied his brakes and skidded into the right rear of plaintiff’s car. Defendant testified his speed was 30-35 mph but as he approached the intersection he reduced his speed to 30 mph. The lawful speed limit not having been shown, it was stipulated to be not less than 30 mph.

Investigating Officer Swoboda testified that he measured 41 feet of skid marks from the defendant’s vehicle and found that the rear wheel marks were superimposed directly over the front wheel marks indicating, except for a slight curve to the left at the end, a straight skid.

Defendant moved to dismiss the case at the close of plaintiff’s evidence. The trial court granted the motion finding that (1) plaintiff was negligent as a matter of law, and (2) the court could find no evidence of negligence by the defendant which would entitle plaintiff to a jury instruction on the theory of deception.

It is the general rule that a motion for dismissal at [144]*144the close of plaintiff’s evidence in a case tried to a jury admits the truth of plaintiff’s evidence and all favorable inferences therefrom, and if the evidence permits more than one reasonable interpretation, the court must interpret it most strongly against the moving party. Chappel v. Franklin Pierce School Dist. 402, 71 Wn.2d 17, 18, 426 P.2d 471 (1967). Plaintiff takes the position that the application of this rule required the submission of the case to the jury on the issue of deception.

It is contended that plaintiff was deceived by (1) a clear stretch of road under Bockstruck v. Jones, 60 Wn.2d 679, 374 P.2d 996 (1962); and (2) the deceptive manner in which defendant operated his vehicle by changing lanes without first ascertaining that such change could be made with safety. RCW 46.61.115, .140.

With respect to the clear-stretch-of-road doctrine the court, after a detailed review of intersection cases, in Tobias v. Rainwater, 71 Wn.2d 845, 854, 431 P.2d 156 (1967), declared:

In Ward v. Zeugner, 64 Wn.2d 570, 573, 392 P.2d 811 (1964), we said:
We have no serious quarrel with the principle announced in the Bockstruck case; however, it must be recognized that it is of limited application—its applicability being confined and restricted to those situations wherein it is demonstrated by the evidence presented that the disfavored driver, consistent with the primary duty of caution resting upon him, and consistent with the physical surroundings, carefully looked from a point of appreciable observation and could not see a negligently operated favored vehicle because of a physical obstruction upon or about the roadway. Entrapment of the disfavored driver is thus predicated upon two circumstances: (a) The favored driver’s negligent operation, and (b) the concealment thereof from prudent view by an obstruction. See Roberts v. Leahy, 35 Wn. (2d) 648, 214 P. (2d) 673.

The clear-stretch-of-road doctrine applies only in cases where the disfavored driver looked and could not see the [145]*145negligently operated favored vehicle and it was concealed from prudent view by an obstruction.

To the contrary, plaintiff testified:

Q. And had, or had you not seen the—Dietrich’s car prior to when he hit you?
A. Quite a ways up the street, I had seen him.

Based on this testimony, the clear-stretch-of-road doctrine does not apply.

Plaintiff claims she testified on pre-trial deposition that she never saw defendant’s car before the accident. This deposition was not in evidence and therefore is not properly before this court.

It is claimed that defendant deceived plaintiff into making a left turn by suddenly changing from the inside to the outside lane of traffic and that such change violated RCW 46.61.115 which provides:

(1) The driver of a vehicle may overtake and pass upon the right of another vehicle only under the following conditions:
(a) When the vehicle overtaken is making or about to make a left turn;

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Bluebook (online)
460 P.2d 298, 1 Wash. App. 141, 1969 Wash. App. LEXIS 292, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/watts-v-dietrich-washctapp-1969.