Case Name: Houston E. MARSH and John Thomas Shuford v. Alta JOHNSON, Individually and Andrew Lafayette Johnson, Jr., by Alta Johnson, Next Friend
Court: Mississippi Supreme Court
Jurisdiction: Mississippi
Decision Date: 1968-05-06
Citations: 209 So. 2d 906
Docket Number: No. 44644
Parties: Houston E. MARSH and John Thomas Shuford v. Alta JOHNSON, Individually and Andrew Lafayette Johnson, Jr., by Alta Johnson, Next Friend.
Judges: GILLESPIE, P. J., and RODGERS, PATTERSON and INZER, JJ., concur.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 209
Pages: 906–915

Head Matter:
Houston E. MARSH and John Thomas Shuford v. Alta JOHNSON, Individually and Andrew Lafayette Johnson, Jr., by Alta Johnson, Next Friend.
No. 44644.
Supreme Court of Mississippi.
May 6, 1968.
Tubb & Stevens, West Point, for appellants.
John P. Moore, Starkville, for appellees.

Opinion:
BRADY, Justice:
The appellees obtained a judgment in the Circuit Court of Oktibbeha County in the sum of $24,500 on account of the death of the decedent, Andrew Lafayette Johnson. From this judgment this appeal is prosecuted.
John Thomas Shuford and a fellow employee, Perry Browning, were driving a truck belonging to Houston Marsh. They were proceeding eastward on U. S. Highway 82. Approximately fifteen miles west of Starkville, Mississippi, one of the front tires went flat. One of the dual wheels on the right rear was used to replace the flat tire. They then proceeded toward Stark-ville.
A car driven by Clifford Scales was traveling southward on Jackson Street in the city of Starkville. Jackson Street intersects Highway 82 at right angles and there are stop signs on this street at the point of intersection with the highway. The deceased husband of appellee and Clifford Scales' wife were passengers in the car. The accident occurred shortly after midnight on June 3, 1965, and no other traffic was on the highway.
Testimony on behalf of the appellee tends to show that the Scales car stopped at the intersection. No traffic could be seen approaching from the east or west so Scales proceeded across the highway. As the car reached the southwest quarter of the intersection it stalled. Efforts to start the car were unsuccessful. Maggie Scales stated she looked up and the appellants' truck was right upon them.
Appellants' testimony discloses that Shu-ford saw the Scales car as it approached the intersection. Shuford stated both vehicles were traveling about the same speed as they approached the intersection. He said when he realized the Scales car was not going to stop he applied his brakes.
Before striking the car, the truck traveled sixty-four feet with its brakes on, as evidenced by the tire marks on the highway. These marks did not go straight eastward, but deviated to the right in a southeasterly direction. The truck struck the car broadside and pushed it sideways down the highway an additional twenty-eight feet, as shown by tire marks made by the car. The force of the collision threw the occupants from the car onto the highway. The deceased and Scales' wife were rendered unconscious, and Clifford-Scales was in a semi-conscious condition. The deceased did not regain consciousness until after reaching the hospital.
The appellants were charged in the declaration with negligence consisting of (1) failure to have proper equipment on the truck; (2) failure to keep a proper and adequate lookout ahead; (3) failure to have the vehicle under control at all times; (4) failure to drive within the range of the headlights; (5) failure to slow down at an intersection; and (6) exceeding the speed limit of thirty miles per hour.
The tire marks made by the truck and car were measured by Chief of Police Thomas Josey and Officer J. O. McClelland. Shu-ford also told these officers he probably could have stopped if all four tires had been on the rear. He also stated at the scene that he was probably traveling about forty-five miles per hour when the accident occurred. On cross examination he admitted he had previously stated that he was probably traveling over thirty.
While numerous errors are assigned by appellants as grounds for reversal, we will treat only those errors which we consider merit attention.
Over the objection of the appellants, Police Chief Josey was permitted to testify as to what speed, in his opinion, the truck was traveling, based upon the observations of the tire marks he found at the scene. This, of course, was error and the police chief should not have been permitted to so testify. However, we hold that this error is not prejudicial. Aside from the testimony of Chief Josey the jury had before them the physical facts, photographs, and testimony of the parties, from which to make out a case of negligence against the appellants. Elliott v. Massey, 242 Miss. 159, 134 So.2d 478 (1961). The physical facts indicating excessive speed are the skid marks' made by the car and truck, the pictures of the wrecked car, the bodies in the street and the fifteen broken ribs and crushed pelvis of the decedent. The court in permitting Chief Josey to give his opinion as to the speed of the truck, which was based on the skid marks, made the following statement subsequent to appellant's objection: "I am going to let it in for the reason he said he had been on the police force for thirty-one years, seventeen as chief, and had investigated many of these accidents. I am sure he has made investigation of these things." This is urged also by appellants as being prejudicial to their rights. We do not construe this to be a comment by the trial judge on the weight of the testimony but merely an explanation of why he thought the testimony was admissible. Since the proof in this case is sufficient to allow the jury to find that appellant's truck was traveling in excess of the legal rate of speed, the comments of the court as to why he felt Chief Josey should be permitted to so testify do not constitute reversible error.
Since no negligence was shown on the part of the defendant Scales, the trial court was correct in granting a directed verdict for Scales when the appellee-plain-tiff rested. We do not believe that the jury accorded any undue value or weight to the testimony of Police Chief Josey as to the truck being operated at a speed of sixty miles per hour. The physical facts, including (1) the pictures of the 8800 pound truck jammed against the old automobile of Scales, (2) the force of the impact shown on the car and the pictures of the wrecked car, (3) the ninety-two feet of truck and car skid marks, (4) the bodies of the occupants of the car lying in the street, one of which was literally crushed to pieces by the force of the truck's impact, and (5) the fifteen broken ribs and fractured pelvis of the deceased, furnished with sufficient certainty evidence as to the truck's actual speed at the time of the collision. This evidence is conclusive and the jury could have determined the speed of appellant's truck irrespective of the inadmissible evidence of Chief Josey.
The deceased Negro man had an earning capacity of $70 a week and had a life expectancy of 19.34 years; he was in good health, and left a wife and child who' were dependent on him for support. For five days before his death he was racked with pain and suffered so that he had to be kept under narcotics in order to endure the same. The verdict of $24,500 was a modest and reasonable one considering the injuries, the suffering and death of the decedent, together with all damages recoverable by the appellees.
While it is unnecessary for us to rely upon Rule 11 of the Rules of the Supreme Court of the State of Mississippi, nevertheless we point out that in our effort to avoid a miscarriage of justice occasioned by utilization of strict and technical requirements, this Court has adopted Rule 11, which provides as follows:
No judgment shall be reversed on the ground of misdirection to the jury, or the improper admission or exclusion of evidence, or for error as to the matter of pleading or procedure, unless it shall affirmatively appear, from the whole record, that such judgment has resulted in a miscarriage of justice.
The jury was justified in finding under the admissible evidence in this record that appellee's decedent was a guest in the Scales car; that the deceased was guilty of no negligence whatsoever; that he was fatally injured, suffered intense physical and mental pain and anguish for five days, and died. The record discloses that he was injured by either the sole proximate negligence of the appellants or the concurrent negligence of two joint tort feasors.
Except where it shall affirmatively appear that a miscarriage of justice will result, we have refused to reverse because of a technical error in evidence. Summerall v. State, 206 Miss. 878, 41 So.2d 51 (1949); Countryman v. State, 204 Miss. 117, 37 So. 2d 21 (1948); and Lewis v. State, 173 Miss. 821, 163 So. 387 (1935).
For the foregoing reasons, the judgment of the lower court is affirmed.
Affirmed.
GILLESPIE, P. J., and RODGERS, PATTERSON and INZER, JJ., concur.
SMITH, J., ETHRIDGE, C. J., and JONES and ROBERTSON, JJ., dissent.