Title: Thurston v. Keathley

State: west-virginia

Issuer: West Virginia Supreme Court

Document:

105 S.E.2d 181 (1958) Alfonso THURSTON v. Joe KEATHLEY. No. 10956. Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia. Submitted September 23, 1958. Decided October 14, 1958. Damron & Damron, O. D. Damron, Logan, for plaintiff in error. Coleman A. Hatfield, Logan, for defendant in error. DUCKER, Judge. Alfonso Thurston, plaintiff below, obtained a jury verdict for $258.77 and recovered a judgment thereon in the Circuit Court of Logan County against Joe Keathley, defendant below and plaintiff in error here, in an action of trespass on the case for damages to plaintiff's automobile sustained in a collision between the two automobiles of the respective parties on State Route No. 10, in the community of Low Ash in Triadelphia District of Logan County, to which judgment the defendant as plaintiff in error prosecutes this writ of error. For convenience, the parties will be referred to herein by their original designation below as plaintiff and defendant respectively. *182 The facts as shown by the evidence are that the plaintiff was driving his automobile on the road and in the community hereinbefore described, between noon and one o'clock in the afternoon of January 5, 1957, and the defendant was likewise driving his automobile, at said time and place, about 50 feet behind the plaintiff's car; and that when plaintiff turned his car to pass over a bridge across Buffalo Creek, plaintiff's car was struck on the right hand side by defendant's car. Plaintiff's witnesses testified that plaintiff gave approximately a 50 feet warning by signal lights on his car of his intention to turn to go over the bridge, and that the front part of plaintiff's car was partly on the bridge at the time of the collision, but defendant's witnesses testified that plaintiff gave no warning of his intention to go on the bridge, that plaintiff's car crossed over to the left hand side of the road with the left side wheels on the left side berm of the road and plaintiff then turned his car to the right to enter the approach to the bridge. Upon the conclusion of the evidence of the plaintiff, defendant moved to strike the evidence for the plaintiff and to direct a verdict for the defendant, which motion the court overruled, and which ruling by the court the defendant now assigns as error. The defendant also makes three other assignments of error, namely that the court erred in giving to the jury Plaintiff's Instruction No. 2, and in refusing to give to the jury Defendant's Instructions Numbers 5 and 6. As to defendant's assignment of error in overruling defendant's motion to strike plaintiff's evidence and direct a verdict in defendant's favor, defendant's counsel, in their brief make no assignment therein, but regardless of such fact, we see no merit therein. The issue was one of fact, the determination of which was solely the province of the jury, and the jury in finding for the plaintiff must have necessarily found the facts to be as testified to by the plaintiff's witnesses. This principle of law is so well established, we see no need to cite authority on this question, and Rule VI(2) of the Rules of this Court, which provides that, "No alleged error or point, not set forth in the brief, shall be raised afterwards, either by reply brief, or in oral or printed argument, * * *" eliminates any necessity for further consideration of this point. Counsel for defendant do rely, however, on their assignments of error as to the three instructions specified. Plaintiff's Instruction No. 2 is in the following language: Defendant objected to the giving of Plaintiff's Instruction No. 2 in the following language: Defendant advances the argument, which is effective, that Plaintiff's Instruction *183 No. 2 is a binding instruction and that it fails to negative contributory negligence on the part of the plaintiff. Nichols v. Raleigh Wyoming Mining Co., 113 W.Va. 631, 169 S.E. 451; Bragg v. C. J. Whitten Transfer Company, 125 W.Va. 722, 26 S.E.2d 217. However, it is not necessary to rest our decision as to defendant's assignment of error as to this instruction on such invalidity, because the objection made and exception taken by the defendant to this instruction is too general and not sufficiently specific to subject the instruction to judicial scrutiny. Rule VI(e) of the Rules of Practice and Procedure for Trial Courts in West Virginia, 116 W.Va. lxiii, which rules were given effect by Chapter 37, Acts of the Legislature of West Virginia, 1935, Code, 51-1-4, is in part as follows: The provisions of this Rule are clearly applicable to the objection by counsel for defendant to this instruction, and we, therefore, hold that alleged error therein is not now a basis for a valid assignment of error, and, therefore, is not subject to review. Hale v. McGinley, 119 W.Va. 565, 195 S.E. 201; Saunders v. McCown, 120 W.Va. 294, 198 S.E. 520. Defendant's Instruction No. 5, which was not given, and to the refusal of which by the court defendant excepted and now assigns as error, is as follows: Plaintiff says that the defendant's failure to specify reasons why the trial court should have given this as well as Instruction No. 6 of the defendant brings this assignment within the rule prohibiting this Court from considering the same here. Needless to say, the defendant's counsel tendered the instruction because they thought it contained the law applicable, and for anything more to be said or specified would probably amount only to duplication or argument. But it is not necessary here to decide this point, because the instruction, as is contended by plaintiff, is not proper, for it does not correctly state the law. Code, Chapter 17C, Article 8, Section 8 provides that "A signal of intention to turn right or left when required shall be given continuously during not less than the last one hundred feet." The instruction offered recites that such signal must be given for not less than the last 200 feet. So, without more, it would have been error to give the instruction, and, therefore, this is not a valid assignment of error. Defendant's Instruction No. 6, which was not given and to the refusal of which by the court defendant excepted and now assigns as error, is as follows: Counsel for plaintiff contends that this instruction is likewise bad for the first reason which he asserted as to the immediately preceding instruction, namely, that the reasons in support thereof were not specified, and we make no other answer to plaintiff's contention about that than we make to his contention about Instruction No. 5. However, this instruction was not proper because it did not provide for any giving of a signal, either by signal lamp or mechanical signal device, or by plaintiff extending his hand or arm, as provided in Code, 17C-8-9 and 10, and being therefore not in accordance with the law, the refusal by the trial court to give the same was not error. For the reasons stated, we are of the opinion, and so hold, that there were no validly assigned errors by defendant, and that the judgment of the Circuit Court of Logan County should be, and is, affirmed. Affirmed.