Wilson v. Metcalf

257 S.W.2d 855, 1953 Tex. App. LEXIS 2402
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMarch 23, 1953
Docket6294
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 257 S.W.2d 855 (Wilson v. Metcalf) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Wilson v. Metcalf, 257 S.W.2d 855, 1953 Tex. App. LEXIS 2402 (Tex. Ct. App. 1953).

Opinions

NORTHCUTT, Justice.

Appellee, Holland.. Metcalf, sued appellants, Jake Wilson and Robert Wilson, a partnership doing business . as Wilson Wholesale-' Grocery, and Hoyt Edward Williams for damages done to appellees’ truck and trailer. Appellee alleged that on or about June 27, 1951, and prior thereto, that Jake Wilson and Robert Wilson were the owners of a 1943 Kll International truck and an attached trailer, and at the same time appellee was the owner of a 1947 Dodge Two Ton Special truck with a Nabors flat bed trailer attached thereto. Appellee further alleged that about 1:00 a. m. on June 27, 1951, Billy- Joe Word was driving appellees’ truck and trailer in a northerly direction bn U. S. Highway Number 81 about four and one-half miles south of Rhome, Texas. At the same time, Howard Edward Williams, employee and agent of Jake Wilson and Robert Wilson was driving the truck and trailer of Jake Wilson and Robert Wilson in a southerly direction on said U. S. Highway Number 81. As said trucks and trailers approached each other from opposite directions, a collision occurred between said trucks and trailers, and :ás a result of said collision, appellee’s truck and trailer were so severely’ damaged that neither could be effectively repaired. Appellee further alleged the market value of the truck and trailer immediately prior to the collision was $3000, and the market value, of the truck and trailer immediately after the collision and after the damage inflicted by defendants’ negligence was not in excess of $400 as salvage. Appellee pleaded different acts of negligence and that same were a proximate cause of- the injuries. The case was submitted to a jury upon 13 special issues and all of them were answered in favor of the appellee, plaintiff in the trial court. Upon the findings of the jury judgment was granted for appellee, plaintiff in the trial court. From such judgment, appellants, defendants in the trial court, perfected this appeal.'

Appellants have made twenty-one assignments of error. The first nine assignments are presented together by the appellants, -and they all deal with “no evidence”, “insufficient evidence”, and the verdict so contrary and opposed to the overwhelming and. preponderating weight of all the evidence as to be clearly wrong and unjust as' the' same-applies to Special Issues.Nos. 6, 7, and 8. . Special Issue No. 6 asked if appellants’ driver was driving appellants’ truck on the wrong side of the highway. Issue No. 7 asked if such act was negligence and No. 8 if the same was a proximate cause of the collision. Special Issue No. One asked if Williams was driv[857]*857ing appellants’ truck at a speed in excess of 45 miles per hour immediately prior to the collision. The jury answered “yes”. Williams testified he was driving from 55 to 60 miles per hour, and could have been driving 70 miles per hour but he didn’t think so. Special Issue No. Two inquired as to whether this speed was negligence, and the jury answered “yes”. Special Issue No. Three asked if it was a proximate cause, the jury answered “yes”. Special Issue No. Four asked if appellants’ driver failed to keep a proper lookout, jury said “yes”. Appellants’ driver testified that just before the collision took place, he was leaning in the glove compartment getting a stick of chewing gum, and he guessed he was looking towards the glove compartment and probably took his eyes off the road for a moment. In reply to Special Issue No. Five, the jury answered that this failure to keep a proper lookout was a proximate cause of the collision. There was other testimony substantiating the finding of the jury on each of these issues as well as Special Issue No. 12; consequently, appellants’ first ten assignments of error are overruled.

Appellants’ Eleventh, Twelfth and Thirteenth assignments of error deal with “No evidence”, “Insufficient evidence” and the verdict so contrary and opposed to the overwhelming and preponderating weight of all the evidence as to be clearly wrong and unjust as the same applies to Special' Issue No. 3. The testimony of Williams, who was driving appellants’ track is that he was driving from 55 to 60 miles per hour, and could have been driving 70 miles per hour. This would be in violation of the law governing speed of Motor Vehicles of the State of Texas and would be negligence per se. There was other evidence to substantiate the verdict of the jury. Ap'-pellantsi’ assignments' of error Eleven, Twelve and Thirteen are overruled.

Appellants’ assignments of error Fourteen through Twenty-one all have reference to the submission of Special Issue No. Nine, which reads as follows:

“What amount of money, if any, if now paid in cash, do you find from a preponderance of the evidence would fairly and reasonably compensate Holland Metcalf for the damage, ■ if any, done to his truck and trailer on the collision in question as a' direct and proximate result of the negligence, if any, of the defendants?”

The jury answered $2300. In connection with the submission of the above issue No. 9, the court instructed the jury as follows:

“In answering the foregoing issue, you are instructed that the measure of damage to be applied is the difference, if any, between the reasonable cash market value of the truck and trailer immediately prior to • the collision and the reasonable cash market value of said truck and trailer immediately after such collision, in the vicinity where the collision occurred.
“The term ‘reasonable cash market value’, as used above, means that price which a property will bring when offered for sale in a usual and ordinary way by a person who is willing to sell, but not obligated to sell, and who exercises ordinary care and reasonable diligence to sell for the best price obtainable to purchasers who are willing to purchase, but who are not obligated to purchase, and who exercise ordinary care and reasonable diligence to purcháse.”

The general rule for measuring damages to personalty is the difference in market value immediately before and immediately after injury to such property at the place where damaged. Pasadena State Bank v. Isaac, 228 S.W.2d 127, 128, where the Supreme Court said:

“The basic reason underlying rules for the ascertainment of damages for any tortious act is a fair, reasonable, and proper compensation for the injury inflicted as a proximate result of the wrongful act complained' of. The general rule for measuring damages to personal property is the difference in the market value immediately before and immediately after- the injury to such property at the place where the damage was occasioned. This principle of la\y is of such universal application [858]*858that it would be trite to cite authorities from the many jurisdictions that follow the rule. See annotations in 169 A.L.R., p. 1075, et seq.”

An ultimate fact is the final resulting effect which is reached by the processes of logical reasoning from the evidentiary facts. The testimony introduced as to the value of the truck and trailer was as to the value immediately before the collision and the value immediately after the collision. No case has been called to our attention that shows the issue submitted as was in this case, and neither have we found any; but the court in the case of Thomas v. Goulette, Tex.Civ.App., 12 S.W.2d 829, 831, stated as follows:

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257 S.W.2d 855, 1953 Tex. App. LEXIS 2402, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wilson-v-metcalf-texapp-1953.