Case Name: Mrs. Frances Folk HIGHTOWER, Individually and for the Use and Benefit of James Allen Hightower, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. DR. PEPPER BOTTLING COMPANY OF SHREVEPORT, INC. et al., Defendants-Appellants
Court: Louisiana Court of Appeal
Jurisdiction: Louisiana
Decision Date: 1959-10-30
Citations: 117 So. 2d 642
Docket Number: No. 9059
Parties: Mrs. Frances Folk HIGHTOWER, Individually and for the Use and Benefit of James Allen Hightower, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. DR. PEPPER BOTTLING COMPANY OF SHREVEPORT, INC. et al., Defendants-Appellants.
Judges: 
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 117
Pages: 642–656

Head Matter:
Mrs. Frances Folk HIGHTOWER, Individually and for the Use and Benefit of James Allen Hightower, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. DR. PEPPER BOTTLING COMPANY OF SHREVEPORT, INC. et al., Defendants-Appellants.
No. 9059.
Court of Appeal of Louisiana. Second Circuit.
Oct. 30, 1959.
On Rehearing and Motion to Remand Jan. 26, 1960.
Certiorari Granted March 23, 1960.
Cook, Clark, Egan, Yancey & King, Shreveport, for appellants.
Joseph R. Bethard and G. A. O’Steen, Shreveport, for appellee.

Opinion:
GLADNEY, Judge.
Mrs. Frances Folk Hightower brought this, a tort action to recover damages for herself and her minor son, occasioned by an automobile-truck collision which took place August 22, 1958, near the city limits of Shreveport, on the Shreveport-Mansfield Highway (U. S. No. 171). James Colie Hightower, the driver of the automobile and husband of plaintiff, was killed instantly and Mrs. Hightower received serious injuries. Named defendants in the suit are Dr. Pepper Bottling Company of Shreveport, Inc., the owner of the truck, and its liability insurer, Hardware Mutual Casualty Company. After a trial of the issues of negligence so presented, a judgment was rendered favorable to plaintiff, from which decree- the defendants have appealed.
A short time prior to the accident which occurred approximately at 5 :20 o'clock P. M., the plaintiff and her husband entered their 1955 Chevrolet sedan for the purpose of proceeding to the wedding of a brother of James Colie Hightower, and after stopping at a gasoline station, they proceeded southward and approached an overpass. Hightower was driving at a speed which was shown not to have been in excess of fifty-five miles per hour. As the Chevrolet automobile was approaching the overpass, a Diamond T bottle truck and trailer driven by Charles Lee Lindley was traveling north at a speed of thirty miles per hour approaching the same overpass. A head-on collision between the two vehicles occurred on the north side of the overpass. Accompanying Lindley were two of his colored helpers, Lacy Williams and Nathaniel Jones. Strangely enough, these two employees were asleep at the moment of the collision.
The weather was cloudy and because of prior rain the highway was wet. Foras-much as the point of impact was on the overpass the following facts afford some assistance in resolving the issues hereinafter discussed. The total length of the overpass was 846 feet and its width 23 feet 10 inches, and it forms an arc with a grade of 1.2 per cent (1.2 feet for 100 feet of distance). Following the impact of the vehicles the truck came to rest in its proper lane of travel, the east or northbound traffic lane, whereas the automobile was stopped 21 feet north of the point of impact on the western part of the west lane for southbound traffic, some several feet from the center line.
The accident was investigated by officers of the Sheriff's Department of Caddo Parish, two State Troopers, and by Deputy Coroner Dr. Charles S. Boone. Numerous photographs were taken for the purpose of preserving such physical evidence as tire marks, positions of the vehicles and physical damage to the vehicles. Deputy Sheriff W. D. McCall and State Trooper J, C. Skannal ascertained from the visible physical evidence, a place on the highway which they considered marked the point of impact. This point was 21 feet north of the position of the Hightower automobile after the collision and 18 inches west of the white center line of the highway. These witnesses testified that they localized the point of impact from bits of small broken glass and other debris, and tire marks found at that spot. The truck, which carried soft drink bottles, was described as being a semitrailer or a truck-trailer combination which has only one set of wheels on the trailer. The rear of the truck part of the combination unit was equipped with dual wheels and so was the trailer thereof.
A careful examination of the damages inflicted upon the two vehicles was made by Dr. William H. Tonn, Jr., an engineer who was called as an expert on collision analysis. He testified his findings as to the truck damage showed: "its left front fender and bumper received a blow extending over to the right or in depth of about six or eight or nine inches, something like that. Then there was damage to the rear wheels of this tractor unit. These rear wheels had received a blow to the left rear tractor wheels, breaking the spring hangers and breaking the drive shaft and rotating the housing, that is, both wheels, on the left and right side both, the differential had been rotated backwards approximately 30 degrees. Then the frame was bent over to the left from a blow — from a force to the right — to the right from a force to the left a distance of three inches. The bed of the trailer had received a severe blow and the metal and so forth was bent and torn on it. Structurally the trailer had borne the force very well." The description of the damage to the Chevrolet was given by him: " The point of impact or the force was applied to the left front fender which was torn off. The hood was torn off. The top of the car had been torn off and rotated backwards and the left front corner of this top at the point at which it attached to the windshield post was — there was the imprint of the corner angles of the trailer. I measured them and determined them to be the same dimensions as those angles. I could see the print of them and I measured them and they checked out completely. The Chevrolet's steering wheel was bent down and to the right, which is highly important in any collision."
Eyewitnesses to the accident who testified were Charles E. Lindley, Mrs. Frances Folk Hightower and John E. Whatley. The latter was traveling south and following the Hightower automobile. When the accident occurred he was approximately 1,000 feet away. Material evidence as previously pointed out, was also furnished by W. D. McCall and J. C. Skannal. The testimony of Lindley was discredited in several respects, by reason of (1) his having been convicted of a felony; and of more importance (2) his testimony that he did not know what were the circumstances which caused the accident. Some of the testimony of Mrs. Hightower was found to be obviously untruthful. Further, we note Whatley apparently was not observing the two vehicles ahead of him immediately before their contact, for he testified that when he looked the accident was already in progress. The testimony of W. D. McCall was not entirely satisfactory because during his interrogation he became confused as to the actual location of the point of impact with reference to the Hightower car. This apparently was due to an error made in copying the original report of the accident. Even with such uncertainty arising from the testimony of Lindley, McCall and Mrs. Hightower, we have experienced no difficulty in resolving that the point of impact actually was established and was 18 inches or more west of the center line of the highway, and within the southbound traffic lane. This conclusion is fully substantiated by the evidence. Lindley at the coroner's inquest conducted by Deputy Coroner Charles E. Boone, on the date of the accident, August 22, 1958, gave the following sworn testimony:
"Q. So as you came over the— over the rise of this you call it, of this overpass, did you see this car coming toward you? A. No, sir, I didn't. I'd been having trouble with my truck the last few miles and I was working with the truck trying to get it over and trying to keep it going and I wasn't watching for cars down ahead of me, and I was staying on my side and trying to get my truck to run a little faster.
"Q. Did you — in other words, to get your car going, you have to have your head down towards the dashboard? A. No, sir, not all the time.
"Q. Well, were you looking up over the dashboard ? A. Yes, sir, part of the time.
"Q. Well, if that was the case, you should have been able to see this car coming. A. Well, I — I should have I guess, I might have seen it, but I just don't remember.
"Q. You just don't recall seeing it? A. No, sir, I don't.
"Q. Well, when did you first see this car? A. Just as I came over the overpass and started down the other side. I looked up and I saw the car.
"Q. Was it right at you? A. Yes, sir."
Mrs. Hightower testified the truck as it came over the crest of the overpass was over the center line in the southbound traffic lane and immediately before the collision the truck turned sharply to its right so that the front portion of the truck was not so far over the center line as the rear portion, the latter being about three feet west of the center line of the highway. Because the record discloses Mrs. Hightower concealed material information from her attorneys and the court, in her testimony related to the marital relations between her husband and herself, the judge considered her testimony only for the reason it was consistent with the physical evidence.
Whatley testified that when he first paid special attention to the two vehicles the truck was proceeding over the crest of the overpass in its own traffic lane, and the Hightower automobile was just entering the north end of the overpass with its left wheels close to the center line of the highway. Both vehicles, he said, were traveling in a normal manner and he next noticed them when the collision was already in progress, at which time the front left corner of the trailer and the left dual wheels of the trailer were across the center line of the southbound traffic lane.
It is our appreciation of the testimony of Trooper Skannal that it was consistent and credible and we find his positioning of the point of impact as 18 inches west of the center line reflects accurately the point of impact. Referring to certain photographs, this witness testified concerning the tracks of the truck, and said:
"Previous to the impact, approximately fifty feet before impact, the tracks were 28 inches into the wrong lane. These tracks were continuous from that point pntil where the truck rested after the impact."
From our examination of the evidence we experience no difficulty in arriving at the conclusion the accident was precipitated by the entry of the truck into the southbound traffic lane and the point of contact between the two vehicles occurred in the southbound lane. With this finding the burden is cast upon appellants to explain the presence of the truck in the wrong lane of travel.
Our jurisprudence recognizes the rule that where a collision occurs in one of two traffic lanes, the presumption is that the driver of the vehicle determined to be in the wrong lane was negligent, and the burden is upon him to show the collision was not caused by his negligence, or that there were justifiable circumstances which would excuse his conduct. LSA-R.S. 32 231, 32:232, 32:233, subdivision C. Schick v. Jenevein, 1919, 145 La. 333, 82 So. 360; Miller v. Hayes, La.App., 1947, 29 So.2d 396; Noland v. Liberty Mutual Insurance Company, 1957, 232 La. 569, 94 So.2d 671. The evidence fails to reveal circumstances which excuse the driver of the truck from the presumption of negligence which arose by reason of his entry into the wrong traffic lane. Accordingly, we hold that the sole and proximate cause of the accident resulted from the negligence of the driver of the truck.
There remains for decision the amount of damages to be awarded Mrs. Hightower on account of her personal injuries, and also for the death of her husband, and finally, the award to be made on behalf of the minor child for the death of his father. The trial judge made a total award of $26,-167.90 to Mrs. Hightower for damages arising from her injuries to her person and occasioned from the loss of her husband. These were itemized as follows: $8,000 for medical expenses, pain, suffering and disability; for mental anguish, grief, loss of love and companionship, $2,000; for loss of support $15,000 and for funeral expenses $1,160.90. The award in favor of the minor child consisted of two items, namely, for the loss of love, affection and companionship $10,000; and for expected support from his father $12,273.78. Appellants' answer strongly asserts the awards so made are excessive and should be reduced, while the appellee, on the other hand, argues the awards are entirely inadequate and should be increased. After a review of the written reasons assigned by the district judge in fixing the above named amounts, we are impressed that plaintiff's loss was most carefully appraised by the trial court.
Mrs. Hightower's injuries were unquestionably serious and we have no doubt she suffered a great deal of pain from time to time during the approximate period of four months she had been injured. This case was tried on the 18th day of December, 1958, and the accident occurred on August 22, 1958. Mrs. Hightower, following the accident on August 22nd, was rushed to the emergency room of the Schumpert Sanitari- am, arriving there about twenty minutes after the collision. She was under the care and treatment of Dr. Eddy from August 22nd until last seen by him on December 10, 1958. He summarized his findings as follows:
"She was seen following a car accident, at which time she had — she was stocky — her blood pressure wasn't unusually low. She had a severe laceration on her forehead; she had hema-tomas or hemorrhage under the skin of the face; she had a questionable fracture of the humerus; she had a fracture of the forearm that was compounded and about two inches of both bones of the forearm were exposed through the wound; she had lacerations of the wrist and lacerations of the neck and shoulder, also on both arms. The x-ray showed no fracture of the humerus. She did have a fracture of the scapula; a compounded fracture of the radius and ulna, which as I said was obvious; she was prepared and taken to the operating room where under anaesthes-ia she had a repair of her facial wounds and a repair of the wounds of the shoulder; the scapula fracture did not require any operative treatment; she had an open reduction of the right forearm following the removal of a large amount of damaged muscle and soft tissue. The fracture of the radius was held with an intramedullary pin. The fracture of the ulna did not have any internal fixation. She was kept in the hospital. She was given blood during the time she was on the operating table during this procedure. She was kept in the hospital the next ten days, I think, during which time she had marked swelling of the affected hand in the cast. She had a moderate amount of bleeding into the cast; considerable pain in the involved extremity and the involved shoulder. The wounds of the face healed well. Later she was followed as an out-patient in the office, where on September 12th the cast was changed and x-ray at that time was taken at the Schumpert Sanitarium that showed good position and alignment with some early union. She has continued to be seen at the office and the last time she was seen was December 10th, 1958, at which time her complaints were fainting spells and headaches; no convulsive seizures. She complains that the arm hurts at times; that is, the right arm, right forearm; she complained of tenderness over the pin in the wrist. The clinical appearance at that time was that the forearm felt strong; both bones felt strong. There were, of course, the extensive scars of the compounded wounds over the forearm. The facial wounds I considered to have a good result. They were looking better. Her general condition seemed better at the time but she remained extremely tense and nervous. The motion in the right elbow was normal. Flexion and extension in the wrist was normal. Supination and pronation, that is turning the hand palm up and palm down, was limited to fifty per cent of its normal range. X-ray of the forearm at that particular time showed what appeared to be good bony union in the radius and questionable union in the ulna. I think that summarizes her down to this point."
The doctor further testified that her forearm had suffered a severe fracture with a lot of soft tissue and that she would continue to have tenderness for about six months; that she would always have probably fifty per cent limitation of the supination and pronation in the use of the right forearm and hand. He appeared satisfied that the other injuries would return to normal with the exception probably of a scar on the forehead which he did not consider too severe and said it would improve with time, but would, no doubt, be permanent. At the time of trial unquestionably plaintiff was experiencing some pain and she complained of headaches which Dr. Eddy attributed more to worry than to any physical cause.
Concerning the award for loss of love and affection as a result of the death of her husband, the trial court concluded there were no very close bonds of affection between plaintiff and her husband corresponding to the deep attachment usually found between those who have been married for a longer period of time. Plaintiff married the deceased October 12, 1955, when she was at the age of fourteen. Although she apparently spent short periods with her husband during his term of military service, she continued to work as a waitress. James C. Hightower entered the military service on March 16, 1955, and was discharged on March 16, 1958. Their young child, James Allen Hightower, was born on February 1, 1957. Following his discharge, Hightower instituted a suit for divorce in Texas on April 4, 1958. Thereafter plaintiff on May 20th executed a waiver of citation in which she acknowledged that the suit was pending against her for divorce and she consented that it could be heard and tried without her presence. James C. Hightower made payments to his attorneys on May 20 and July 11, 1958, and never did terminate the attorney-client relationship which had existed. The record leaves but little doubt that the marriage was not a very happy one and was interrupted by quarrels of extreme nature. On July 4, 1958, a month and one-half prior to the accident, plaintiff and her husband had a fight of such nature that the landlady requested them to move from the premises. After a consideration of all the evidence, the judge applied the following general principles applicable to an award of this kind:
"In general, damages for the death of a husband have been awarded in Louisiana for the loss of love and affection and for the loss of earnings.
"Neither of these items is susceptible to computation with mathematical precision. Many imponderables and intangibles exist. All persons do not suffer the same amount of grief at the loss of their spouse. All persons do not suffer the same loss when the earnings of the spouse are terminated. Many facets of the marital relationship need to be developed before an intelligent award of damages can be made. For example, the frugality of the husband is a relevant matter. His contribution from his earnings to the community of acquets and gains will bear upon the widow's loss when his earnings cease. The loss of a spendthrift and profligate husband, who contributes nothing but groceries and rent money to his household is not nearly so damaging as the loss of a husband who employs his earnings almost wholly for the benefit of the community that exists between him and his wife.
"Evidence of a husband's employment record is always relevant. His chance for advancement is relevant. All matters relating to the question of whether his earnings will continue on the same level, increase, or diminish, are relevant. Just as surely, the question of whether or not the parties to the marriage were estranged at the time of the death of one spouse should be considered.
.
"It is possible for a married couple to have a stormy period, from which they emerge more mature and better fitted for a happy married life. The evidence in this case does not preponderate in that direction."
Another factor which has made it much more difficult to properly determine the award in this case is the untruthfulness of Mrs. Hightower which was reflected in a number of instances during the trial. The record, however, is insufficient to justify the granting of a greater award than Was allowed by the trial judge.
The deceased was born November 1, 1937, and accordingly at the time of his death he was not twenty-one years of age. Some time shortly after the termination of his military service, James C. Hightower went to work with his stepfather as a cement finisher, for which he earned approximately $280 per month. For loss of support the court awarded Mrs Hightower the sum of $15,000. There is no dispute concerning the amount of funeral expenses. Our study of the issue of quantum impels us to the conclusion that the total awards of $26,167.90 to Mrs. Hightower individually, and $22,273.78 for the minor child are neither excessive nor inadequate, and accordingly, the judgment from which appealed is affirmed at appellants' cost.