Werner v. Rowley

16 Ohio Law. Abs. 522, 1934 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 1358
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedFebruary 6, 1934
DocketNo 1220
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 16 Ohio Law. Abs. 522 (Werner v. Rowley) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Werner v. Rowley, 16 Ohio Law. Abs. 522, 1934 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 1358 (Ohio Ct. App. 1934).

Opinion

[524]*524OPINION

By BARNES, J.

The petition in error sets out 16 separate, specific grounds of error. The first ground of error complained of is the overruling of motion for new trial which, of course, includes in its scope every other ground of error enumerated. Number 16 is the usual last ground “other errors appearing upon the face of the record.”

Counsel for plaintiff in error in the first page of their brief set out in tabulated form a synopsis of the errors relied upon. We shall follow this synopsis rather than the petition in error.

Propositions I and II are grouped together and discussed at pages 1 to 26 inclusive. Number V and VI discussed at page 36 of the brief are kindred to I and II and all will be considered together.

The topic heads aro set out as follows:

“I and II — Failure of the court to direct a verdict for defendant at conclusion of plaintiff’s case, renewed at conclusion of all the evidence. The verdict is not sustained by any evidence, (pp. 16-26).
Plaintiff’s negligence, irrespective of statutory or ordinance violation (pp. 16-20).
Duty of plaintiff to look before entering the south half of the street, (pp. 20-21).
Violation of §235, Dayton Ordinances (pp. 21-22).
Inference upon, inference (pp. 22-25).
V— Verdict is contrary to weight of the evidence (p. 36).
VI— Conclusion — Final judgment for defendant should be entered, (p. 36).”

It appears from the record that defendant at the close of plaintiff’s testimony interposed a motion to direct a verdict and this motion was renewed at conclusion of all the evidence. This claimed ground of error is preserved in the motion for new trial and is also set out in the petition in error. The determination of this ground of error requires a very careful reading of the record. In so doing we direct our attention to the following inquiries:

(1) Was there any evidence sustaining the allegation of the petition that the defendant was guilty of negligerige ip any of the particulars set out in the petition and, if so, is it shown that any such act of negligence was a proximate cause of the accident and resultant injuries?

(2) If the evidence supports any of the alleged claims of negligence and the proximate cause of the collision, then may it be said that the testimony giving its most favorable aspect to the plaintiff, show that he was guilty of contributory negligence as a matter of law?

(3) Was plaintiff guilty of negligence and was his negligence the sole cause of the accident?

If these questions are considered wholly in the light of defendant’s theory each and all of the three propositions would be resolved in favor of the defendant.

If, as defendant claims, plaintiff was running diagonally across the street it would at once sufficiently explain why they did not see him and did not give any warning of their approach and even if the car was being operated at an excessive rate of speed that would not be a proximate cause of the accident. However, in view of the verdict of the jury we must scan the evidence and attending circumstances for all testimony supporting his claim as to how the accident happened. We have the testimony of plaintiff supported by another witness that he was crossing the street at the regular cross walk in compliance with the city ordinances and General Code of Ohio. He testifies that before starting across, ho looked both ways and saw an automobile to the west at a point west of an alley, claims the distance was afterwards measured and found to be 430 feet; that he started across on the cross walk and just as he had reached the outer rail on the east bound track was struck by defendants’ car. Under this situation the driver of the automobile should have seen him and avoided the accident. This would be evidence supporting all the acts of negligence set out in the petition.

Considering the question whether or not the plaintiff was guilty of contributory negligence in the light of his testimony, we can not so find as a matter of law. We base this conclusion upon the announcement of the Supreme Court in the case of Trentman v Cox, 118 Oh St, 247, syllabus 1:

“1. In an action for personal injury alleged to have been caused by a pedestrian being struck by an automobile upon a public highway, when attempting to cross a viaduct at a point where the public usually crossed in order to board the traction cars, the question whether the plaintiff, seeing [525]*525an automobile approaching from 65 to 80 feet away at an unlawful rate of speed, and misjudging its speed and crossing without again looking toward the automobile', was guilty of contributory negligence, was properly submitted to the jury.”

A. reading of the entire case will disclose that it was urged in the reported case that the conduct of the injured person constituted negligence as a matter of law. Furthermore, the opinion in connection with the syllabus very positively announced that the court should not hold as a matter of law that the pedestrian must continue to look after starting across. If he looks before starting across and the motor vehicle is far enough away if moving at a lawful rate of speed to permit him to cross in safety is a question for the determination of the jury as to whether or not he was guilty of negligence in not looking again as he proceeded across.

Counsel for defendant raise the question that there is no direct evidence warranting the conclusion that the lights of the car seen by plaintiff 430 feet away was the automobile of the defendant. It is true that there is no direct testimony on this question, but in view of the evidence that the street was free from traffic • at the time, together with the other attending circumstances would warrant the jury in concluding that the car he saw approaching was the same car that was involved in the accident. This would not be basing an inference upon an inference as urged by counsel for defendant. Considering the record as a whole, we are unable to conclude that the court was in error in refusing to direct a verdict.

On the question that the verdict is contrary to the weight of the evidence, we are precluded from considering this question. §11577 GC reads as follows:

“BUT ONE NEW TRIAL OR REVERSAL, WHEN. The same court shall not grant more than one new trial on the weight of the evidence against the same party in the same case, nor shall the same court grant more than one judgment of reversal on the weight of the evidence against the same party in the same case.”

We refer to the case of Cleveland R. R. Company v Trendel, 101 Oh St, 316, syllabus 3:

“3. Where the trial court has granted one new trial upon the weight of the evidence, and upon a second trial has overruled a motion for a new trial upon the same ground, for the reason that the court is prohibited by §11577 GC, from granting the second new trial upon that ground, and error is prosecuted to the Court of Appeals, that court is without power to weigh the evidence and determine whether the verdict was in fact against the weight of the evidence since there could be no error in that respect by the trial court.”

Also Roef v Heil, 113 Oh St, page 113.

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Related

Sprung v. E. I. Dupont de Nemours & Co.
34 N.E.2d 41 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 1939)
Polster v. Krouse
18 Ohio Law. Abs. 353 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 1934)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
16 Ohio Law. Abs. 522, 1934 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 1358, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/werner-v-rowley-ohioctapp-1934.