Case Name: AUCOIN v. HOUSTON FIRE & CASUALTY CO.
Court: Louisiana Court of Appeal
Jurisdiction: Louisiana
Decision Date: 1950-01-31
Citations: 44 So. 2d 127
Docket Number: No. 3192
Parties: AUCOIN v. HOUSTON FIRE & CASUALTY CO.
Judges: 
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 44
Pages: 127–134

Head Matter:
AUCOIN v. HOUSTON FIRE & CASUALTY CO.
No. 3192.
Court of Appeal of Louisiana. First Circuit.
Jan. 31, 1950.
Blanchard & Blanchard, Donaldsonville, for appellant.
St. Clair Adams & Son, New Orleans (P. A. Bienvenu, New Orleans, of counsel), for appellee.

Opinion:
JONES, Judge ad Hoc.
The plaintiff seeks the recovery of damages to his automobile, which was being driven by his brother and which collided with a car driven by one Norman Legendre, which was insured by the defendant, Houston Fire & Casualty Company. From a judgment rejecting his demand the plaintiff has appealed.
The facts show that this accident occurred at the intersection of Canal Boulevard and East Second Street (Louisiana Highway No. 29) in the Town of Thibo-deaux, Louisiana. Canal Boulevard runs in a northerly and southerly direction, and East Second Street runs in an easterly and westerly direction. The car driven by the plaintiff's brother Rudolph was proceeding in a northerly direction along Canal Boulevard and the car driven by Legendre was proceeding in a westerly direction along East Second Street. East Second Street is a main thoroughfare through the Town of Thibodeaux and is a right-of-way street. Canal Boulevard is a less-favored street, and the evidence reflects that there was a stop sign on Canal Boulevard just prior to its entrance into East Second Street. It is further shown by the testimony of Clarence Morvant, a taxi driver, and Miss Rita Legendre, who was a passenger in the taxi, that the plaintiff's car passed the taxi driven by Morvant on Canal Boulevard within a block of the intersection of Canal Boulevard and East Second Street, and at that time the plaintiff's car was being driven at a rate of speed of 25 miles per hour. These witnesses further testified that, when the plaintiff's car reached the intersection of the two streets, the driver did not slow down but continued at the same rate of speed into the intersection. In his written reasons for judgment, the district judge gave great weight to the testimony of these witnesses for the reason, as stated by him, they were "among the more reliable witnesses in the case because of their disinterest".
After the plaintiff's car had proceeded into the intersection to a point about 3 feet north of the black line which divides the said intersection, the said car and the one driven by Legendre collided, and the evidence shows that the front of Legendre's car struck the other car about the middle thereof.
It is contended by the plaintiff that Legendre was negligent in failing to give any warning of his approach to the intersection; failing to slow down for the said intersection ; failing to apply his brakes and bring his car under control; failing to' keep a proper lookout to see what he should have seen, namely that the driver of plaintiff's car had preempted the intersection, and operating his car at too rapid a speed under the circumstances. It is further contended that the plaintiff's brother was operating the car in a slow and careful manner, not at fault and in no way contributing to said collision.
The record reflects that Legendre's car was being operated at a rate of speed of 20 miles per hour, on a right-of-way street and adjacent to the corner of the intersection (in the direction from which the plaintiff's car was proceeding) there was a house which abutted the sidewalk and several cars were parked along Canal Boulevard. These prevented Legendre from seeing the car driven by plaintiff's brother until said car was almost in the intersection and, since plaintiff's brother continued his speed of 25 miles per hour into the intersection, it was impossible at that time for Legendre to stop or to do anything else for that matter in order to avoid the collision. Certainly, since Legendre was on a right-of-way street, it was not necessary for him to give any warning of his approach to the intersection, particularly in view of the fact that there was a stop sign on Canal Boulevard with which Legendre was familiar. Neither did any duty devolve on him to slow down at said intersection because he was traveling at a speed of only 20 miles per hour, and knowing that the stop sign was on Canal Boulevard he certainly had the right to believe that any car entering the intersection from that direction would stop in compliance with the law. We, likewise, do not believe that his failure to apply his brakes, under the circumstances, could constitute negligence. However, there is testimony by Legendre that he did actually apply his brakes.
The plaintiff contends that Legendre should have applied his brakes, brought his car under control and thereby passed the plaintiff's car to the back thereof. We are of the opinion that no such duty devolved upon Legendre under the circumstances even though we are of the opinion he did apply his brakes. He was proceeding along this right-of-way street, at a lawful and reasonable rate of speed of 20 miles per hour, and he certainly had a right to believe that any car coming out of Canal Boulevard would slow down in conformity with the stop sign.
Since the plaintiff's brother was driving at a rate of speed of 25 miles per hour and did not even slow down, then he was guilty of the negligence which created the emergency that caused the accident. While it might have been true that there was room behind the car driven by the plaintiff's brother at the time of the collision for Legendre's car to have passed, yet the emergency which he created was so sudden that it would have been impossible for Legendre to have made such a maneuver.
It is further contended by plaintiff that Legendre failed to keep a proper lookout in that he failed to see that which he should have seen — the fact that the car driven by the plaintiff's brother had preempted the intersection. We are not satisfied that plaintiff's car actually preempted the intersection. Since the plaintiff's car was being driven at a rate of speed of 25 miles per hour and the Legendre car at a rate of speed of 20 miles per hour, we do not consider the fact that the accident happened 3 feet north of the black line as sufficient to determine that the plaintiff's car had preempted the intersection. Under the circumstances, the difference in speed of the respective cars could have caused plaintiff's car to have proceeded further into the intersection than the car driven Le-gendre and, too, Legendre applied his brakes just prior to the collision. Anyway, preemption of an intersection does not mean the prior entry of a vehicle by a matter of a few feet or by a fraction of a second ahead of another vehicle, but it means under our jurisprudence the entry into an intersection with the opportunity of clearing the same without obstruction of the path of another vehicle under normal and reasonable conditions and circumstances. See Butler v. O'Neal, La.App., 26 So.2d 753.
We, accordingly, are of the opinion that Legendre was guilty of no negligence in the premises and that the negligence of the driver of the plaintiff's car was the sole and proximate cause of this accident. For these reasons, the judgment of the lower court will be affirmed.