Zamarron v. Adame

864 S.W.2d 173, 1993 Tex. App. LEXIS 2867, 1993 WL 418330
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedOctober 20, 1993
DocketNo. 08-92-00453-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 864 S.W.2d 173 (Zamarron v. Adame) 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
Zamarron v. Adame, 864 S.W.2d 173, 1993 Tex. App. LEXIS 2867, 1993 WL 418330 (Tex. Ct. App. 1993).

Opinion

OPINION

LARSEN, Justice.

Jesus Zamarron appeals from a take nothing judgment in favor of Gilberto Adame, Jr. Zamarron sued Adame for negligence arising out of a car accident. A jury found Zamar-ron 75 percent negligent and Adame 25 percent negligent. Zamarron claims this verdict was legally and factually insufficient. We affirm.

FACTS

On May 9, 1991, around 10 p.m., Jesus Zamarron was driving home from a friend’s house, where he and his wife had eaten dinner and Zamarron drank some beer. Zamar-ron was driving in the left-hand, east-bound lane of Rojas street, a four-lane road divided by a median, when defendant Adame hit him head-on. Adame was driving the wrong way down the divided road, and was cresting a hill when the collision occurred. Adame was cited for causing the accident. At a local hospital, Zamarron was given a blood test, which showed a blood alcohol level of .141 percent.

Zamarron sued Adame. Adame did not counterclaim, but in his answer alleged Za-marron was contributorily negligent in driving under the influence of alcohol, failing to apply his brakes, failing to take evasive action, and failing to keep a proper lookout.

The jury found both Zamarron and Adame negligent: assessing Zamarron’s responsibility at 75 percent to Adame’s 25 percent. The jury therefore did not reach the damage question.

STANDARD OF REVIEW

When presented with a “no evidence” or legal sufficiency challenge, this Court considers only the evidence and all reasonable inferences drawn from it which, when viewed in their most favorable fight, support the jury verdict or court finding. We ignore all evidence and inferences to the contrary. Stafford v. Stafford, 726 S.W.2d 14, 16 (Tex.1987); Alm v. Aluminum Company of America, 717 S.W.2d 588, 593 (Tex.1986). A “no evidence” point of error may be sustained only when the record discloses one of the following: (1) a complete absence of evidence of a vital fact; (2) that the court is barred by rules of law or evidence from giving weight to the only evidence offered to prove a vital fact; (3) that the evidence offered to prove a vital fact is no more than a mere scintilla of evidence; or (4) that the evidence establishes conclusively the opposite of a vital fact. Commonwealth Lloyd’s Ins. Co. v. Thomas, 678 S.W.2d 278, 288 (Tex.App.—Fort Worth 1984, writ ref'd n.r.e.), citing Royal Indemnity Co. v. Little Joe’s Catfish Inn, 636 S.W.2d 530, 531 (Tex.App.— San Antonio 1982, no writ); Calvert, “No Evidence” and “Insufficient Evidence” Points of Error, 38 Tex.L.Rev. 361, 362-63 (1960).

On the other hand, when a factual sufficiency challenge is advanced, this Court examines all of the evidence. Lofton v. Texas Brine Corp., 720 S.W.2d 804, 805 (Tex.1986). We are not a fact finder, however, and may not pass upon the credibility of witnesses or substitute our judgment for that of the trier of fact, even if the evidence would clearly support a different result. Clancy v. Zale Corp., 705 S.W.2d 820, 826 (Tex.App.—Dallas 1986, writ ref'd n.r.e.). After considering and weighing all the evidence, we may set aside the jury’s finding only if it is so contrary to the overwhelming weight of the evidence as to be clearly wrong and unjust. Cain v. Bain, 709 S.W.2d 175, 176 (Tex.1986).

JURY CHARGE

Neither Adame nor Zamarron requested an issue on negligence per se. The case was submitted only under a common negligence theory, with a question on comparative fault.

ADAME’S NEGLIGENCE

Adame readily admitted he was driving the wrong way on a one-way street. He claimed [175]*175there were no signs posted indicating the road was one way; that it was 10 p.m. and dark; and that he was generally unfamiliar with the street and the area. He stated he did not realize he was driving on the wrong side of the street.

Zamarron and his wife both testified that they returned to the accident scene about eight days after the collision and found three or four one-way signs posted along Rojas, all on Adame’s route. They further testified that “1-85” appeared on the back of each sign, and that after investigating with the City Traffic Department, they determined the numbers meant the signs had been at their present location since January 1985. Maureen Spreyne testified that she had lived on James Kelley, a street which intersects Rojas, for seven years. Spreyne had worked with Adame, and he drove her home that evening just before the accident. She testified that there were no one-way signs on Rojas on the date of the accident; she noticed signs for the first time four to six days later.

Zamarron testified that at the time of the accident, Adame admitted his guilt, saying “[i]t’s my fault. It’s my fault.” When asked about this statement, Adame admitted he could have made it, but really did not remember. Adame testified that although he felt the accident was not his fault because he did not know he was on a one-way street, he did not think it was Zamarron’s fault either.

Adame was cited at the scene for causing the accident, even though the police officer smelled alcohol on Zamarron’s breath.

Adame testified that he was uncertain how far away he was from Zamarron when he first saw headlights.

ZAMARRON’S NEGLIGENCE

Zamarron was legally drunk at the time of the accident, with a blood alcohol level of .141 percent. He pleaded guilty to driving while intoxicated. He admitted drinking up to three beers before driving home, but stated he felt “sure of [his] hands.”

Zamarron testified that his wife, a passenger, saw Adame’s car just before he did. Zamarron also stated that when he first saw Adame, the two cars were 100 to 200 yards apart, and Adame was coming over the top of a hill toward him. Zamarron and his wife both testified that Zamarron was not driving erratically, zigzagging, or swerving to avoid other cars. They both testified that it was Adame’s driving the wrong way that caused the collision. The investigating officer made the same determination, as he gave Adame the citation for causing the accident.

Adame argues that Zamarron had plenty of time to avoid the accident if he was 100 to 200 yards away when he first saw the car coming at him the wrong way. When Adame was asked if Zamarron took any evasive action, he said no. Even if Zamarron did try to evade Adame, the jury could conclude that had he not been intoxicated, his reflexes might have been sharper and the collision might have been avoided.

THIRD CAR

There was one other factor in this accident. A car passed Zamarron on the right just before the crash. Zamarron testified he checked to insure that this driver had passed before turning into her lane to avoid Adame. Adame’s testimony corroborates Zamarron’s story.

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864 S.W.2d 173, 1993 Tex. App. LEXIS 2867, 1993 WL 418330, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/zamarron-v-adame-texapp-1993.