Wickham v. Upper Arlington City

51 N.E.2d 739, 39 Ohio Law. Abs. 163, 1942 Ohio App. LEXIS 785
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedNovember 9, 1942
DocketNo. 3522
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 51 N.E.2d 739 (Wickham v. Upper Arlington City) 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
Wickham v. Upper Arlington City, 51 N.E.2d 739, 39 Ohio Law. Abs. 163, 1942 Ohio App. LEXIS 785 (Ohio Ct. App. 1942).

Opinion

OPINION

By BARNES, J.

The above-entitled cause is now being determined as an error proceeding by reason of plaintiff’s appeal on questions of law from the judgment of the Court of Common Pleas of Franklin county, Ohio.

Plaintiff claims damages against the defendant city for personal injuries and damage to his automobile on account of the claimed negligence of the defendant in not guarding Asbury Drive where it terminated at the corporation limits.

It appears from the pleadings that Asbury Drive is a duly dedicated street within the municipality of Upper Arlington, running in a general northerly and southerly direction. Its northerly terminus [165]*165is at the corporation line. The improved portion of the street was approximately 27 feet in width, with a black top,paving and gutters, and was in excellent condition.

The Arlington Ridge Realty Company owned several acres of ground immediately north of the city of Upper Arlington, which it had platted. After the same was duly approved by the County Commissioners such plat was filed with the County Recorder. As platted Asbury Drive continued north from the city limits of Arlington to the northerly boundary of the plat.

This subdivision of the Arlington Ridge Realty Company was platted in the early spring of 1941. At the time of the platting the streets and alleys were on paper and very few, if any, improved. This was particularly true of Asbury Drive as extended. During the early spring and summer of 1941 the Realty Company made excavations on Asbury Drive for a distance of approximately 200 feet and then, turned on Abington Road. At first this excavation was particularly a borrow pit for procuring dirt to make fills in other parts of the subdivision. At all times it was usable by the traveling public as a mud road. Asbury Road in the new subdivision started at the city corporation line at a higher elevation than the Asbury city street. Gradually it was cut down and by the latter part of September, 1941, was practically to a grade some 8 inches below the finished street within the city limits. This 8 inches was intended for the buildup with stone and paving material so as to effectuate a completed street on the same grade as was Asbury Road within the city limits.

It is the claim of the plaintiff that the Realty Company in making its excavation left a drop-off at the end of the pavement of from 12 to 15 inches. The claimed negligence of the city of Upper Arlington is that knowing that this abrupt drop from the end of the street paving existed, it failed to guard or warn against such dangerous condition, and that it was in such close proximity to the city street that the public, in the exercise of ordinary care, were likely to be injured.

Plaintiff claims that about 1:30 A. M., on Sunday, while driving on Asbury Road, being a street with which he was not acquainted and at a speed of about 25 miles per hour, the night being damp and foggy, he suddenly came to' this mud road, and when about 25 or 40 feet therefrom attempted to slow down, but inadvertently probably missed the brake and put his foot on the excelerator, and when the front wheels of his car reached the end of the pavement it dropped down with such violence as to throw him against the steering wheel, knocking out six teeth, breaking a dental plate, fracturing his jaw, breaking a bone in his kneecap and rendering him unconscious. It was indicated that the car continued on in a straight line a distance of about 200 feet and then plowed into a bank of dirt about 3V2 to 4 [166]*166feet high, doing considerable damage to the car. Plaintiff says that he quickly recovered consciousness, with difficulty extricated himself from his automobile and walked back to a residence where he aroused the occupants and secured first aid, and was taken in a cruiser which had been called to the University Hospital, where he had a period of treatment.

No one saw the accident but the plaintiff.

Defendant in its answer denies that any condition existed at the end of Asbury Road as claimed by plaintiff. It admits that the Realty Company was making improvements on a certain street by excavations within its subdivision. It denies that it had any knowledge that the Realty Company had at any time excavated this Asbury Road below the street level at the north corporation line. It also denies the allegation that conditions were such that it should have known of any claimed condition there existing. Also makes the'claim of contributory negligence as a matter of law in that the plaintiff failed to stop his car within the assured clear distance ahead.

It is the theory of counsel for the defendant that the accident happened when plaintiff drove his car at a high rate of speed into the bank of dirt which was some 200 feet north of the corporation line.

Evidence was introduced that the Realty Company in making this sub-grade constructed a ramp of stone and dirt from the end ■of the pavement. This was done for the purpose of permitting its trucks to reach Asbury Road in the hauling of material on to the improvements then being made, and also so as to permit the public to use the road.

The' only witness called by plaintiff who in any way supported the claim of a dangerous situation at the end of the pavement was ■an uncle of the plaintiff, who visited the scene of the accident the same day it occurred. It was his judgment that the general excavation of the street below Asbury Road- as paved. was 12 to 15 inches. He said there was dirt against the end of the paving, so that there was not an abrupt drop but that it was very steep. Plaintiff presents no direct evidence that the authorities of the city of Arlington had any knowledge of any dangerous situation at the end ■of the pavement such as claimed by plaintiff. The plaintiff did call for cross-examination the Service Director of the city of Arlington, but such cross-examination failed to disclose any knowledge on his part that the extended Asbury Road had been brought down to a sub-grade for the purpose of applying the stone ballast and the black top. ■ This witness said that he had been service director for •a number of years and daily or weekly made trips over the various [167]*167streets within the city limits so as to keep informed as to conditions generally; that he knew that excavations were being made on the streets in the subdivision and at times had driven down Asbury Road as extended from the c.ity limits, but never at a time when the •excavation was down below the grade of the city terminus of Asbury Road. He was unable to give testimony as to the day or date when he had driven over this road or the last time he had seen it, but said he knew it was prior to October 5, 1941, which was the date of the accident.

Defendant at the close of plaintiff’s testimony interposed motion for a nonsuit or directed verdict, which motion was overruled. At the close of all the testimony the motion was renewed, and at that time the trial court sustained same, dismissed plaintiff’s petition and adjudged costs against plaintiff. Motion for new trial was filed, overruled and judgment entered as above. Within due time ■counsel gave notice of appeal, thus lodging the case in our court.

We do not deem it necessary to discuss or analyze all questions presented touching the claimed erroneous action of the trial court in directing a verdict. We think that the question of want of notice is determinative of the issue.

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139 N.E.2d 656 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 1956)

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Bluebook (online)
51 N.E.2d 739, 39 Ohio Law. Abs. 163, 1942 Ohio App. LEXIS 785, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wickham-v-upper-arlington-city-ohioctapp-1942.