Case Name: HAVINS et al. v. DALLAS RY. & TERMINAL CO.
Court: Texas Courts of Civil Appeals
Jurisdiction: Texas
Decision Date: 1939-05-13
Citations: 130 S.W.2d 878
Docket Number: No. 12728
Parties: HAVINS et al. v. DALLAS RY. & TERMINAL CO.
Judges: LOONEY, J., dissents.
Reporter: South Western Reporter Second Series
Volume: 130
Pages: 878–883

Head Matter:
HAVINS et al. v. DALLAS RY. & TERMINAL CO.
No. 12728.
Court of Civil Appeals of Texas. Dallas.
May 13, 1939.
Rehearing Denied June 24, 1939.
Ely Straus, of Dallas, for appellants.
Burford, Ryburn, Hincks & Charlton and W. M. Taylor, Jr., all of Dallas, for ap-pellee.

Opinion:
BOND, Chief Justice.
The jury convicted appellee, in many respects, of negligence, at a street intersection in Dallas, Texas, proximately causing a collision between its street car and appellants' truck, resulting in appellants' damage. It also convicted appellants of contributory negligence, proximately causing the collision and damage, in that, appellant, Felton Havins, drove the truck in question upon the car track after the street car had started across the intersection, in violation of Section 90(b) of Ordinance 2808 of the City of Dallas, which reads as follows: "When a street car has started to cross an intersection, no driver of a - vehicle shall ¡Irive upon or across the car tracks within the intersection in front of the street car."
On the findings of the jury, the court entered judgment in favor of appellee. The crux of the appeal is the findings of contributory negligence as a bar to appellants' cause of action.
Section 90(b) of Ordinance 2808, supra, shows on its face that it is a traffic ordinance, a remedial statute passed for the protection of the public, and is sufficient to impose a civil duty upon motorists attempting to cross a street car track; and, Dallas being a Home-Ruled City, is given the power "to license, operate and control the operation of all character of vehicles using the public streets, including motorcycles, automobiles or like vehicles, and to prescribe the speed of the same, the qualification of the operators of same, and the •lighting of the same by night and to provide for the giving bond or other security for the operation of the same." Art. 1175(20), R.C.S. (1925). Being a traffic regulation, the ordinance is susceptible to a reasonable understanding, giving right of way to a street car starting to cross a street intersection, and compelling one coming to the intersection to yield the right of way to the street car, and stop before, entering upon or crossing the track ahead of the approaching street car. The consideration of safety and the welfare of the public affect the reasonableness of the ordinance and clearly bring it within the purview of powers granted to such cities. Violation of its terms renders the guilty negligent per se. Therefore, the truck operator having been found guilty of violation of this ordinance, proximately causing the collision and resultant damage, the trial court, on the findings of the jury, was warranted in sustaining the defendant's motion for judgment.
Aside from the violation of the ordinance rendering appellants' negligence •per se, we think the evidence discloses that the driver of the truck was negligent, irrespective of legal effects of such violation. According to the truck driver's version of the collision, he saw the approaching street car when it was about one yard from the intersecting line of the two streets; and, that the operator of the street car gathered speed as he neared the intersection and did not seem to apply the brakes; that he was going 15 miles per hour and slowed down as he neared the intersection; that he saw the street car but did not have time to stop; that he applied the brakes; that he was almost on the street car track at the time he saw the street car and that he turned to the right, or south. The uncontradicted testimony shows that there was an unobstructed view of the car track for more than a half block in the direction from which the street car was coming to the intersection, and that the truck operator exercised no precaution whatever for his own safety in approaching the intersection. He was driving at less than 15 miles per 'hour as his truck entered the intersection, and, at that time, saw the street car as it also entered the intersection; thus, we think, it became his duty to stop or slacken his speed to enable the street car, which had the right of way, to pass. The jury's finding, that the action of the truck operator in going upon the car track in violation of law was the proximate cause of the collision, bars appellants' recovery.
We have carefully considered all assignments of error; they are overruled, and judgment of the trial court is affirmed.
Affirmed.