Weede v. Briar

5 N.W.2d 157, 232 Iowa 972
CourtSupreme Court of Iowa
DecidedAugust 11, 1942
DocketNo. 45797.
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 5 N.W.2d 157 (Weede v. Briar) 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
Weede v. Briar, 5 N.W.2d 157, 232 Iowa 972 (iowa 1942).

Opinion

Wennerstrum, C. J.

The administrator of the estate of Katherine Mary Richards, deceased, brought an action for damages for her alleged wrongful death. Decedent’s death resulted from a collision of a car driven by Orlando G. Richards, her father, in whieh she was riding, and a truck owned by the appellee, Jack Briar. The case was tried to a jury who returned a.verdict for the appellee. The administrator has appealed.

The accident that occasioned the death of Katherine Mary Richards occurred sometime between 9 and 9 :45 p. m. on September 28, 1939, on Southeast Fourteenth Street in Des Moines, Iowa. This thoroughfare is a four-lane highway, extending in a north-and-s(5uth direction. The truck owned by the appellee *974 had been parked on Southeast Fourteenth Street some 10 or 15 feet south of a beer parlor and sandwich shop located near Gratis Avenue, which intersects the north-and south-highway. There is a dispute in the record whether or not there were any parking lights on the truck at the time of the accident.

It is disclosed by the testimony that the visibility of the driver of the Richards car was poor as he proceeded south on Southeast Fourteenth Street, due to the fact that it was raining quite steadily at that time, and for the further reason, as admitted by the driver of the Richards car, that his windshield wiper was not in operation. The decedent was riding in the rear seat of her father’s car. The record further shows that at the time Richards’ automobile came in contact with the parked truck Mr. Richards was driving at a rate of speed of approximately 30 miles per hour and he did not see the truck-until he was within about 10 feet of it. The car crashed into the rear of the appellee’s truck and the decedent received injuries from which she later died.

It is alleged in the appellant’s petition that the appellee was negligent in the following particulars: (1) In stopping a motor truck on the highway in a suburban district without displaying flares as required by the laws of the state; (2)- in leaving the truck parked on said highway during the period of one half hour after sunset and more than one half hour before sunrise without a lamp which exhibited a white, light visible for a distance of 500 feet from the front of said vehicle, and a red light visible for a distance of 500 feet from the rear of such vehicle; (3) in parking the truck in question without lights at a place that was not within 15 feet of any pole on which a city street light was erected; (4) in failing to give any warning to the occupants of the Richards car of the existence of the motor truck upon the highway. It is further alleged that the decedent, Katherine Mary Richards, was free from any contributory negligence on her part.

The appellants assert as claimed errors of the trial court: (1) That it erred in giving to the jury instruction No. 12 and in failing to give to the jury appellant’s requested instruction No. 4; (2) that the trial court erred in refusing to give ap *975 pellant’s requested instruction No. 5; (3) that the court erred in refusing to give to the jury appellant’s requested instruction No. 7; and (4) that the court erred in overruling the appellant’s motion for a new trial for the following reasons: (a) that the jury disregarded the instructions of the court in refusing to answer the three interrogatories attached.to and made a part of the instructions; (b) that the failure of the jury to answer these interrogatories showed an utter disregard for the instructions of the court; and (c) that the verdict as returned by the jury was contrary to the .evidence.

I. As heretofore set out, appellant asserts that the court erred in refusing to give to the jury appellant’s requested instructions Nos. 5 and 7. In the motion for a new trial, which is incorporated in appellant’s abstract of record and which we have examined with minute care, we find no reference to appellant’s requested instruction No. 5. In paragraph 18 of the motion for a new trial and objections to instructions we find this statement: “That the court erred in failing to give Instruction No. 4 requested by the plaintiff.’’ In paragraph 19 the only statement which refers to requested instruction No. 7 is the following: “That the court erred in failing to give Instruction No. 7 requested by the plaintiff.” Inasmuch as the appellant, in connection with his objection to instruction No. 12, in his brief and argument comments upon the failure of the court to give requested instruction No. 4, it would appear that in the motion for a new trial there was no typographical error in paragraph 18. Consequently it is apparent that no exception was taken to the failure of the court to give appellant’s requested instruction No. 5. As to appellant’s complaint relative to the court’s failure to give requested instruction No. 7, it is our conclusion, that upon the record made the same cannot be reviewed by us. The manner in which this claimed error is presented does not permit us to give it consideration.

In the case of Thomas v. Charter, 224 Iowa 1278, 1284, 278 N. W. 920, 924, we stated:

“Section 11495 of the Code specifies that exceptions may be taken to instructions refused as well as those given, ‘but all such exceptions shall specify the part of the instruction as excepted to, or of the instructions requested and refused and the *976 grounds of such exceptions. ’ In the absence of such specification of grounds of exceptions, this court may not review the trial court’s refusal to give instructions requested. Anthony v. O’Brien, 188 Iowa 802, 175 N. W. 750; Farwark v. Chicago M. & St. P. R. Co., 202 Iowa 1229, 211 N. W. 875; Oestereich v. Leslie, 212 Iowa 105, 234 N. W. 229. We find no error in the trial court’s refusal to give the requested instructions.”

By reason of our frequent holdings in situations of this character, as shown by the noted citations, we deem it unnecessary for us to set out further authorities on this point. Consequently we hold that the claimed errors herein commented upon are not subject to review under the record as made.

II. In connection with the appellant’s complaint that the court erred in overruling the motion for a new trial because the jury failed to answer certain special interrogatories, the following facts should be noted. The court on its own motion submitted to the jury three interrogatories, which were as follows:

' “Interrogatory No. 1. Do you find the defendant negligent on charge (a) of negligence made by plaintiff against defendant * * *. Interrogatory No. 2. Do you find the defendant negligent on charge (b) of negligence made by plaintiff against defendant * * *. Interrogatory No. 3. Do you find the defendant negligent on charge (c) of negligence made by plaintiff against defendant * # * !)

The jury failed to answer any of the interrogatories submitted, and it is further disclosed by the record that at the time the verdict was returned it was not known or discovered that they had not been answered.

As has heretofore been stated, the verdict of the jury was in favor of the appellee, which would indicate that the jury did not find that the truck owner was negligent in any of the respects to which reference was made in the three interrogatories.

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5 N.W.2d 157, 232 Iowa 972, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/weede-v-briar-iowa-1942.