Source: http://masscases.com/cases/sjc/355/355mass72.html
Timestamp: 2019-04-21 10:10:58+00:00

Document:
JOHN J. CANANE & another vs. DOMENIC R. DANDINI.
Present: WILKINS, C.J. WHITTEMORE, CUTTER, KIRK, & SPIEGEL, JJ.
TORT. Writ in the Superior Court dated February 17, 1965.
William C. O'Neil, Jr., for the defendant.
Richard P. Kelleher for the plaintiffs.
CUTTER, J. Canane in this action of tort seeks to recover for injuries received in an automobile collision on April 20, 1964, at the intersection of Washington Street and Merriam Avenue, each of which is a public way in Leominster. The owner of the automobile driven by Canane alleges damage to its vehicle. There was a verdict for each plaintiff. The case is before us on Dandini's exceptions to portions of the judge's charge.
Merriam Avenue runs approximately east and west. At its intersection with Merriam Avenue, Washington Street runs nearly north and south, and has "a slight upgrade in a northerly direction." Traffic proceeding north on Washington Street was controlled at the time of the accident "by a stop sign facing . . . [south] on Washington Street." This sign stood about eight feet south of the south curb of Merriam Avenue. The case was tried on the assumption that the sign was maintained "in compliance with law."
intersection. The collision occurred as he "was crossing the southerly half of the east-bound lane of Merriam Avenue." Dandini testified that 300 feet from the intersection his speed was twenty to twenty-five miles an hour; that he slowed down; that (when about fifteen feet from the point of collision) he saw Canane's vehicle when it was just entering or had come within the intersection; and that he (Dandini) started to apply his brakes and to swerve to the left just before the collision.
person on the right had the right of way if you find there was a stop on the part of Canane at the stop sign. If you find he did stop at the stop sign, failure to stop at the stop sign doesn't enter into this at all. Each person has a right to operate his motor vehicle with due regard to the safety of all others and himself. So what you do is examine . . . Dandini's conduct first to see if there was any negligence, carelessness, or fault on his part. If you find that there was, then you come to the question of examining . . . Canane's conduct, and here the burden of proof is upon the defendant [Dandini]. By statute the plaintiff [Canane] is presumed to be in the exercise of due care, so that the defendant must prove, as far as he was concerned, that . . . Canane was not in the exercise of due care, that he was not prudent, that he was negligent, that he was careless, at fault."
Dandini's counsel, at the close of the evidence, claimed exceptions to two portions of the charge, viz. (a) where the judge "stated in substance that if the jury finds that the plaintiff stopped for the stop sign and then entered the intersection at or about the same time as the defendant, then the defendant is obliged to yield the right of way to the plaintiff," and (b) where the judge charged that, if the jury "find that the plaintiff stopped at the stop sign, then the so-called right of way statute and section applies to this case."
proceeds into the intersection subject also to the obligation to exercise that care which an ordinarily prudent man would use in like circumstances. Section 9 defines the duty to stop required by a stop sign.
2. In Massachusetts, even if the driver of a vehicle has the right of way under c. 89, Section 8, the right is by no means absolute. Its possession does not absolve the driver of the duty to exercise due care. Indeed, a driver who has the right of way at an intersection may be negligent, or even foolhardy, if he asserts his right on some occasions. Possession of the right of way is only one consideration to be taken into account in determining whether a driver has performed his duty to use due care.
and the necessity of exercising that right so as to comply with the general duty to use due care. The charge in this respect did not sufficiently state considerations to be taken into account with Section 8. Decoteau v. Truedsson, 339 Mass. 759, 762.
[Note 1] Chapter 89, Section 8 and Section 9 (as amended through St. 1962, c. 225), read, in part (emphasis supplied): Section 8. "Every driver of a . . vehicle approaching an intersection of any ways, which . . . shall mean the area embraced within the extensions of the lateral curb lines . . . of intersecting ways as defined in . . . [c. 90, Section 1] shall grant the right of way to a vehicle which has already entered such intersection, and every driver of a vehicle entering such an intersection shall grant the right of way to a vehicle so entering from his right at approximately the same instant; but the foregoing provisions of this section shall not apply to any intersection of ways when a driver is otherwise directed by a police officer, or by a lawful traffic regulating sign, device or signal maintained by or with the written approval of the department of public works and while said approval is in effect or otherwise lawfully maintained." Section 9, after providing for the designation (by or with the approval of the Department of Public Works) of the whole or any part of a State or local highway or way as a "through way," and for appropriate signs at intersections with any through way thus designated, proceeds, in part, "Every driver of a vehicle . . . approaching an intersection . . . where there exists facing him a sign bearing the word `Stop' . . . shall . . . before proceeding through the intersection, bring such vehicle . . . to a complete stop . . . in the case of a stop sign at such point as may be clearly marked by a sign or line, or, if a point is not so marked, then at a place between the said stop sign and the nearer line of the street intersection. . . . This section shall not apply when the traffic is otherwise directed by an officer or by, a lawful traffic regulating sign, signal or device."
[Note 2] See also Pendergast v. Long, 282 Mass. 200, 201-204, Warren v. Hanson, 290 Mass. 286, 288; Luff v. Mahlowitz, 296 Mass. 206, 207; Cohen v. Martin, 298 Mass. 425, 427; Gaines v. Ratnowsky, 311 Mass. 254, 258-259; Fallovallita v. Johnsyn, 317 Mass. 153, 155; Jordan v. MacMelville, 342 Mass. 478, 479-480; Markell v. Gahm, 343 Mass. 468-470; Tuttle v. McGeeney, 344 Mass. 200, 205; Lenling v. Delano, 347 Mass. 778. The parties refer to two cases only slightly affected by c. 89, Section 8. In one case there was evidence warranting a finding that one driver had failed to stop at a stop sign and that the other had violated the provisions of Section 8. See Salvato v. DiSilva Transp. Co. Inc. 329 Mass. 305, 310. In the other, Schofield v. Small, 348 Mass. 782, a short rescript opinion, it was merely stated (with respect to a somewhat different situation) that "it was not error to read [Section 8] to the jury."

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