Wiser v. Copeland

203 P. 565, 23 Ariz. 325, 1922 Ariz. LEXIS 136
CourtArizona Supreme Court
DecidedJanuary 20, 1922
DocketCivil No. 1924
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 203 P. 565 (Wiser v. Copeland) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Arizona Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Wiser v. Copeland, 203 P. 565, 23 Ariz. 325, 1922 Ariz. LEXIS 136 (Ark. 1922).

Opinion

FLANIGAN, J.

The appellee, Aylma Cannon Copeland, between the hours of 8:30 and 9 o’clock of the night of June 9, 1920, while walking in a westerly direction on the north side of McDowell road, near Phoenix, in Maricopa county, was run down and injured by an automobile driven by appellant, traveling in the same direction with her on said road. This action was brought by appellee, and Stanley Copeland, her husband, against appellant, Wiser, as /defendant, to recover in damages for the injuries so occasioned. The complaint alleged that the collision and the consequent injuries to the appellee were the [327]*327result of the acts of the defendant in driving his car in a negligent and reckless manner, and, amongst other particulars of such negligent operation, alleged the failure of defendant to give warning of the approach of the car, or to have it under control, or to bring it to a standstill, or to slacken its speed after defendant had discovered the presence of said appellee on the road. The answer of the defendant was a denial of these allegations of negligence and a plea of negligence on the part of appellee, in that she failed to take due precautions for her own safety, or to observe the approach of the automobile, and that she had voluntarily left a place of safety on the sidewalk on the north of the road and stepped in the path of vehicles passing upon said road, including the vehicle - of defendant. The case was tried before a jury, which returned a verdict in favor of plaintiffs, and the defendant has appealed from the judgment rendered on such verdict and an order denying him a new trial.

The first assignment of error is that the verdict and judgment were not justified by the evidence, and are contrary to law, in that the evidence adduced at the trial conclusively shows appellee to have voluntarily left a place of safety and gone into a place of peril or danger, to her injury. The place of safety which appellee left was the sidewalk on the north of the road, and it is contended that appellee had no right to choose whether she would walk there or on the road, the latter being a path of danger, but must perforce have continued on the walk, even though it was, as she testified, muddy and unfit for the use of a pedestrian. And, say counsel, assuming that the sidewalk was impassable and an emergency therefore existed releasing appellee from the operation of this rule then, because, in fact, appellee was attempting to cross the road, her contributory negligence was no [328]*328longer a question of fáct for the jury, but one of law for the court. The assumption that appellee was atiempting to cross the road was founded, however, merely upon the evidence of appellant and his witnesses that when struck by the automobile appellee was facing in a southwesterly direction; and, as the fact itself was denied by appellee in her testimony, it would appear that the assumption made was in very truth, as counsel for appellant say in their brief, “one of the theories of the defense,” in the sense at least that the assumption was disputed.

Notwithstanding this admitted conflict it is claimed on the authority of Twohy Bros. Co. v. Kepon, 21 Ariz. 606, 193 Pac. 297, that as the whole testimony and all legitimate inferences therefrom show that plaintiff was injured by reason of her own want of ordinary care, the question of her negligence is for the court, and not for the determination of the jury. In the case cited the undisputed facts were that the injured person, after being warned of the impending danger from a blast, had left a place of safety, and gone into a place of danger to his injury, and the decision was expressly based upon the unquestioned facts in the case, which established that the sole cause of plaintiff’s injuries was his own negligent and reckless act.

The appellant would have us disregard also the evidence showing that he himself was negligent, which we cannot do if we are to consider “the whole testimony and all inferences therefrom.” That there was testimony tending to prove that the injuries to appellee were occasioned by the negligence of the defendant is not questioned, nor (other than as above stated) has any attempt been made to show its insufficiency to that end. The questions made are therefore within the ruling of Inspiration Consolidated Copper Co. v. Conwell, 21 Ariz. 480, 190 Pac. 88, and [329]*329Davis v. Boggs, 22 Ariz. 497, 199 Pac. 116, to the effect that, as under our constitutional provision “the defense of contributory negligence or of assumption of risk shall, in all cases whatsoever, be a question of fact and shall, at all times, be left to the jury” (Const., art. 18, § 5), the jury is the sole arbiter of the existence or nonexistence of. contributory negligence in all actions for personal injuries. As the record shows that there was sufficient evidence of the appellant’s primary negligence to send the case to the jury, the finding of the jury upon the defense of contributory negligence is therefore binding upon the courts, and the assignment of error must be held to be without merit.

The next assignments of error are based upon the alleged improper statements of counsel for appellee (Mr. Dougherty) and the remarks of the court in answer to the objections of counsel for appellant (Mr. Struckmeyer) in the argument to the jury:

“Mr. Dougherty: They talk about a sidewalk out there. The testimony there is the remains of one, an old sidewalk that has been grown over with grass, that had been flooded—
“Mr. Struckmeyer: I object to that, if your honor pleases.
“Mr. Dougherty: —that it is unfit for a pedestrian and—
“Mr. Struckmeyer: I object to that.
“Mr. Dougherty: I haven’t time to fool with you. The necessity therefore for traveling upon the road is very apparent. There is the only road that—
“Mr. Struckmeyer: I object.
“The Court: Don’t interrupt counsel when he is addressing the jury.”

The substance of the contentions made by appellant is that there was no evidence upon which appellee’s counsel could base his assertions even as a reasonable inference, and that the remark of the court constituted [330]*330a comment on the weight of the evidence favorable to appellee and unfavorable to appellant.

There was ‘testimony to show that the sidewalk at the place where appellee left it was but little used, and that it was grown up on the sides with grass, and had been flooded numerous times; appellee testified that water was standing on the sidewalk that night, that it was muddy there, and that she walked on the street to keep out of the mud and water.

It is to be noted that the disparity of fact between the testimony on that issue and the argument of counsel is not only very slight, but that counsel for appellant did not enter on the record the specific grounds of his objections in any of his interruptions. The objections should have been specific, and the reason for making them should have been stated. 38 Cyc. 1508. The admonition of the judge was made only after appellant’s counsel had objected to the statements by counsel of the inferences that,the sidewalk was unfit for a pedestrian, and that it was necessary therefore to travel on the road.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
203 P. 565, 23 Ariz. 325, 1922 Ariz. LEXIS 136, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wiser-v-copeland-ariz-1922.