Yanowski v. Fort Worth Transit Co.

204 S.W.2d 1001, 1947 Tex. App. LEXIS 762
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedSeptember 19, 1947
DocketNo. 14860
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 204 S.W.2d 1001 (Yanowski v. Fort Worth Transit Co.) 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
Yanowski v. Fort Worth Transit Co., 204 S.W.2d 1001, 1947 Tex. App. LEXIS 762 (Tex. Ct. App. 1947).

Opinion

McDONALD, Chief Justice.

This suit was brought by appellant Yan-owski to recover damages for injuries .suffered in a collision with a bus owned and operated by appellee. Yanowski and the bus were both proceeding south on Houston Street, in the City of Fort Worth, shortly before the collision occurred. The bus was on the west side of the street. Yanowski was walking along the sidewalk on the west side of the street. As Yanowski and the bus reached the intersection of Houston and Tenth Streets, both stopped in obedience to a traffic light signal. The bus stopped at a point about eight or ten feet north of fhe north curb line of Tenth Street. Ya-fiowski stopped at said curb line. When the signal light turned green, to use the ordinary phaseology, Yanowski started walking south across Tenth Street, and the bus started forward turning in a westerly ■direction into Tenth Street. As the bus proceeded around the corner it collided with Yanowski. Yanowski contends that the front of the bus struck him, while the ap-pellee contends that Yanowski walked into the side of the bus.

In response to special issues the jury found: (1) The'bus driver failed to keep a proper lookout for Yanowski as the bus turned west into Tenth Street, which failure was (2) negligence and (3) ⅛ proximate cause of the collision. (4) The failure of the bus driver to give an audible signal as he turned from Houston Street immediately prior to the collision (it being undisputed that he did not give such a signal) was negligence and (S) a proximate cause of the collision. (6) The collision was not an unavoidable accident. (7) Ya-nowski stepped into the side of the bus as it turned from Houston Street into Tenth Street. (8) The failure of Yanowski to discover the approach of the bus before he came into contact with it (it being undisputed that he did not discover the approach of the bus before the collision) was not negligence on his part. (9) By reason of the negative answer to the eighth issue, the related proximate cause issue was not answered. (10) Yanowski was injured in the collision. (11) He suffered damages in the amount of $3,000.

Both appellant and appellee filed motions for judgment on the verdict. The judgment rendered by the trial court recites the verdict, and refers to the motions for judgment, declaring that plaintiff’s motion for judgment was denied and that of defendant granted. The judgment then contains this recital:

“Wherefore, it appearing to the court that the jury found, in answer to Question Seven as above set out, that the plaintiff Yanowski stepped into the side of the defendant’s bus as it turned from Houston Street into Tenth Street on the occasion in question, the court is of the opinion and finds from the evidence introduced on the trial of this case, that the plaintiff Yanow-ski was guilty of contributory negligence in stepping into the side of the defendant’s bus as it turned from Houston Street into Tenth Street on the occasion in question, and that such negligence was a proximate cause of the damage sustained by the plaintiff on said occasion.”

Judgment was thereupon rendered that plaintiff take nothing by his suit. Plaintiff has appealed.

As may be observed, the verdict was favorable to the plaintiff, appellant here, and judgment should have been rendered in his favor on the verdict, unless the trial court was warranted in making the finding reflected by the above quoted portion of the judgment, and in rendering judgment in favor of defendant on such finding.

Appellee argues that the undisputed evidence shows as a matter of law that appellant was negligent in stepping into the side of the bus. In support of the argument, it cites the following quotation from Vol. 2, Blashfield, Cyclopedia of Automobile Law and Practice, § 1420, page 476:' “If a pedestrian steps off the curb and walks into the side of a car, or steps in front of a car [1003]*1003without looking, or runs into it, he is precluded from recovery on the ground that he is negligent as a matter of law.”

A good many cases can be found, some of which are cited by appellee, in which it has been held, under the facts in such cases, that a pedestrian walking or running into the side of a moving vehicle was negligent as a matter of law. But we are not prepared to accept the proposition that in every case, regardless of the circumstances, a pedestrian must be held guilty of contributory negligence as a matter of law where he walks into the side of a moving vehicle. There is a dispute in the evidence as to whether the bus struck the plaintiff, or whether the plaintiff walked into the side of the bus. The contention that plaintiff was guilty of contributory negligence as a 'matter of law is based upon the premise that, as found by the jury, he walked into the side of the bus. Under the finding of the jury, the plaintiff might have stepped into the side of the bus at any point from the front to the rear of the bus. As against the contention that the evidence shows contributory negligence as a matter of law, the record ought to be examined in the light most favorable to the plaintiff. He testified that he glanced to the right and to the left just before, and again just after, he stepped off the curb, that he did not see any vehicles approaching, and that he then started south across Tenth Street. He heard no signal or warning from the bus, and did not discover its presence until the collision occurred. He said that he was struck on the left hip, and that he did not suffer any bruises or injuries on the front of his body,-or on his face. He testified that he fell, and that the right front wheel of the bus ran over one of his ankles and that the right rear wheel ran over the other ankle. The accident occurred about 5 :30 in the afternoon, in daylight. The bus was crowded, and passengers were standing at the front of the bus around the ■driver. The driver said that he did not see the plaintiff before the collision occurred. As the plaintiff and the bus both were waiting for the signal light to change, the plaintiff was standing at the curb, and the bus was stopped several feet north of the curb, to the rear of plaintiff as he faced south. The logical inference is that when plaintiff looked to the right and to the left (he testified that he did not look to his rear) as he stepped off the curb, the bus was to his rear, and came up behind him as he started across the street and as the bus turned the corner. Under these circumstances, we do not believe that it can properly be said that plaintiff was guilty of contributory negligence as a matter of law in stepping into the side of the bus. There is no claim that plaintiff violated any law or ordinance. He looked to his right and to his left as he started across the street. Although the evidence is conflicting about it, there is testimony to the effect that the bus rapidly turned the corner. The plaintiff is not shown to have acted recklessly or heedlessly, but, on the contrary, is shown to have exercised some care for his own safety. In Texas & N. O. R. Co. v. Blake, Tex. Civ.App., 175 S.W.2d 683, writ refused, it is said that where the evidence shows that the plaintiff exercised some care for his own safety, and the question is one of the sufficiency of the care, a jury issue is presented. The situation before us is very much like that described in Hempel v. Hall, 136 Md. 174, 110 A. 210, 211, 9 A.L.R. 1245. There the street which the plaintiff, a pedestrian, was crossing bore the name of Tenth Street, which was intersected by North Avenue. Before stepping off the sidewalk, the pedestrian looked to the right and to the left.

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Bluebook (online)
204 S.W.2d 1001, 1947 Tex. App. LEXIS 762, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/yanowski-v-fort-worth-transit-co-texapp-1947.