Case Name: William O. EUBANKS et al., Plaintiffs and Appellees-Appellants, v. Thomas M. WILSON, Jr., et al., Defendants and Appellants-Appellees
Court: Louisiana Court of Appeal
Jurisdiction: Louisiana
Decision Date: 1964-04-08
Citations: 162 So. 2d 842
Docket Number: No. 1091
Parties: William O. EUBANKS et al., Plaintiffs and Appellees-Appellants, v. Thomas M. WILSON, Jr., et al., Defendants and Appellants-Appellees.
Judges: Before CULPEPPER, TATE and HOOD, JJ.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 162
Pages: 842–851

Head Matter:
William O. EUBANKS et al., Plaintiffs and Appellees-Appellants, v. Thomas M. WILSON, Jr., et al., Defendants and Appellants-Appellees.
No. 1091.
Court of Appeal of Louisiana. Third Circuit.
April 8, 1964.
Rehearing Denied April 28, 1964.
Falkenheiner & Calhoun, by W. C. Falk-enheiner, Vidalia, Love & Hodges, by Lloyd F. Love, Ferriday, for defendants-appellants.
Sanders & Long, Winnfield, by Lewis R. Sleeth, Jena, Martin S. Sanders, Jr., Winn-field, Gist, Murchison & Gist, by DeWitt T. Methvin, Jr., Alexandria, for plaintiffs-appellees.
Before CULPEPPER, TATE and HOOD, JJ.

Opinion:
HOOD, Judge.
This action for damages, based largely on personal injuries alleged to have been sustained by plaintiffs as a result of a motor vehicle collision, was instituted by William O. Eubanks, individually and as administrator of the estate of his minor child, Gloria Nell Eubanks, and by his wife, Mrs. Pearl Stutson Eubanks. The defendants are Thomas M. Wilson, Jr., and his public liability insurer, American Indemnity Company. The defendants answered denying liability and specially pleading contributory negligence, and defendant Wilson also filed a reconventional demand against Eu-banks. After trial on the merits, judgment was rendered in favor of Mr. Eubanks, individually, for the principal sum of $6,500.-00, but his demands in behalf of his minor daughter and the demands of Mrs. Eubanks were rejected. The defendants appealed from that portion of the judgment which • was in favor of Mr. Eubanks, and the latter has answered that appeal seeking an increase in the award. Mr. Eubanks, as administrator of the estate of his daughter, and Mrs. Eubanks have appealed from the judgment rejecting their demands.
The evidence establishes that at about 7:15 p. m. on December 20, 1960, plaintiff Eubanks was driving his 1956 Chevrolet pickup truck in a northerly direction on a blacktopped highway in Catahoula Parish, Louisiana. In the cab of the truck with him were his wife and three children, one of the children being his 16-year-old daughter, Gloria Nell Eubanks. When he was about two miles north of Jonesville, Mr. Eubanks experienced mechanical difficulty with his truck, in that the motor suddenly stopped operating and the truck came to a stop. Immediately after the vehicle came to a stop Eubanks dimmed his headlights, obtained a flashlight from inside the cab, alighted from the truck, walked to the front of the vehicle and opened up the .hood to' find the trouble and to repair it. Shortly after he had raised the hood, the rear of his truck was struck by an automobile owned and being driven in a northerly direction by defendant Wilson. Plaintiffs sustained personal injuries as a result of this collision.
The highway at the place where this accident occurred is straight and level. The blacktopped slab is 20 feet wide, with shoulders about three or four feet wide on either side of this slab. The fill at that point is such that the surface of the highway is eight or ten feet higher than the land on either side of it. It was dark at the time tire accident occurred, and although it was cloudy, there was no fog, smoke or rain, and visibility was good. Plaintiff's truck was equipped with headlights and with one red taillight, the taillight being located on the left rear part of the truck, and all of these lights on the truck were burning at the time the accident occurred. The Wilson car was equipped with properly functioning headlights, and they also were burning at the time of the collision.
Although there is a conflict in the testimony, we conclude that at the time the accident occurred the Eubanks truck was parked partially on the east shoulder of the highway, with the left side of his truck extending about four or five feet onto the cast or northbound traffic lane on the black-toppcd slab. The shoulders were very narrow at that point, and we are convinced that Eubanks pulled his truck about as far off the hardsurfaced portion of the highway as he could safely drive it, before bringing it to a stop. In spite of his effort to get the truck off the hardsurfaced portion of the highway, however, a portion of the east or northbound lane of traffic was obstructed by that vehicle.
Immediately prior to the collision defendant Wilson was driving at a speed of about 55 miles per hour, which was within the 60 mile per hour speed limit. He met two vehicles which were being driven in a southerly direction, and he dimmed his headlights for each. After passing the first car he put his lights on bright and then for the first time he observed the stalled truck from 75 to 100 yards ahead of him. lie assumed the truck was moving, but he nevertheless began slowing down. A moment later he realized that the truck was stopped, so he applied his brakes with some force but was unable to avoid a collision. He met and passed the second oncoming southbound vehicle about the time of the collision, and he explains that this second oncoming car in the southbound lane of traffic prevented him from veering to his left and passing on the left side of the parked truck. Wilson states that although he saw tire truck when he was 75 to 100 yards from it, he did not see the burning taillight at any time before the collision, although he noticed after the accident had occurred that the truck's taillight was still on.
The law is settled that a motorist is held to have seen an object which, by. the use of ordinary care and prudence, he should have seen in time to avoid running into it, and the driver of an automobile is guilty of negligence in driving at a rate of speed greater than that in which he could stop within the range of his vision. He does not have the right to assume that his course of travel is free from danger or obstruction in the absence of his ability to see clearly ahead, and if he continues to travel as if he knew there was perfect clearance ahead, he does so at his own risk and peril. See Lewis v. Quebedeaux, La.App. 3 Cir., 134 So.2d 93 (Cert. denied), and cases therein cited.
Exceptions to this general rule have been made in a number of cases where, because of the unusual and extraordinary circumstances which were found to exist in those particular'cases, the driver of the moving vehicle was held to be free from actionable negligence in colliding with a stationary object on the road ahead of him. See Gaiennie v. Cooperative Produce Co., 196 La. 417, 199 So. 377; Dodge v. Bituminous Casualty Corporation, 214 La. 1031, 39 So.2d 720; Vowell v. Manufacturers Casualty Insurance Company, 229 La. 798, 86 So.2d 909; and Suire v. Winters, 233 La. 585, 97 So.2d 404.
The trial judge, consistent with the general principle of law hereinabove first stated, concluded that defendant Wilson was negligent in failing to observe the- taillight of the truck before colliding with it, in driving at a speed greater than that in which he could stop within the range of his vision, and in failing to bring his automobile to a stop in time to avoid a collision after he saw or should have seen that the Eubanks vehicle was stalled in the highway ahead of him. Wilson's negligence in those particulars was found to be the proximate cause of the accident.
Defendants, in arguing that the trial court erred, contend that the above-stated general rule is not applicable and that Wilson should be decreed to be free from negligence because of the unusual and extraordinary circumstances which existed at the time of the accident. They point out that Wilson was driving at a lawful rate of speed immediately before the collision occurred, that he had no reason to anticipate the presence of a stalled truck on the highway and that he was keeping a proper vigil. Wilson testified that the taillight of the Eubanks truck was somewhat obscured by mud or dust at the time of the accident, and it is argued that this made the truck more difficult to observe. Defendants also argue that Wilson was required by law to dim his headlights as he met an approaching vehicle, and that his compliance with this legal requirement was one of the circumstances which prevented him from observing the stalled truck sooner than he did. It is argued that Wilson became aware of the danger as soon as he could reasonably be expected to do so under the circumstances, and that after he became aware of it he did everything reasonably within his power to avoid a collision, but without success. These are the circumstances which defendants contend are so unusual or extraordinary as to relieve Wilson from negligence and liability in this case.
As pointed out by defendants, Wilson testified that the taillight of the Eubanks truck was "mudded over, or dusted over" at the time of the accident, and that he called that fact to the attention of the state trooper who investigated the accident. His testimony to that effect, however', is not supported by that of the state trooper. The evidence shows that the taillight was burning immediately before and at the time of the accident, and since the trooper apparently found nothing wrong with it, we conclude that the taillight was visible for the distance required by law. LSA-R.S. 32:313.
Wilson obviously did not anticipate coming upon a stalled vehicle on the highway, but we think there is nothing so unusual or extraordinary about finding a disabled pickup truck on a highway as to relieve Wilson from negligence and liability for colliding with it, particularly where the highway is straight and level, visibility is good and the lights of the stalled truck were burning at the time of the collision. While it is true that Wilson was required to dim his headlights as he met the approaching vehicle, the law also requires that he reduce his speed or maintain such control over his vehicle while his lights are dimmed that he can bring his vehicle to a stop within the range of his vision.
We agree with the trial judge that Wilson was negligent in failing to observe the stalled truck in time to avoid running into it or in driving at a greater speed than that in which he could stop within the range of his vision. We also agree that Wilson's negligence in these particulars was a proximate cause of the accident.
We now turn to the question of whether plaintiffs are barred from recovery by their own contributory negligence. Defendants contend that Mr. Eubanks was negligent in dimming the headlights of his truck after that vehicle stopped, their argument being that in doing so he made the space illuminated in front of the truck smaller and thus he made the truck harder to observe from the rear. They also contend that all of the occupants of the Eu-banks truck were negligent in failing to-give some warning to approaching motorists, and particularly to defendant Wilson, of the danger created by the stalled truck. They contend that adequate warnings could have been given by having some of the occupants of the truck station themselves on the road in front of and behind the truck to flag oncoming traffic, the flashlight could have been used by plaintiff to warn Wilson, or the brake pedal could have been manipulated or the main light switch could have been used to cause the taillight to blink off and on, thus calling- attention to the danger. The failure to employ any of these possible means of warning the defendant, they contend, constitutes contributory negligence barring plaintiffs from recovery.
We cannot -agree with defendants that the dimming of the headlights of the Eubanks truck made that truck more difficult to see from the rear. If the dimming of the headlights did have that effect, then we think the difference in visibility was so slight that it cannot relieve Wilson from negligence in failing to timely observe the stalled truck.
Under the provisions of LSA-R.S. 32:-141(B) the driver of a disabled vehicle is required to "remove the vehicle as soon as possible, and until it is removed it is his responsibility to protect traffic."
As pointed out by counsel for defendants, we have held on at least two occasions that the plaintiff's negligent failure to remove his disabled vehicle from the traveled lanes of the highway as soon as possible, and especially to protect traffic approaching from his rear by adequate lights and signals, was a proximate cause of the accident barring him from recovery. Fontenot v. LaFleur, La.App., 3 Cir., 124 So.2d 207 (Cert. denied) ; and Lewis v. Quebedeaux, supra. In each of those cases, however, we found that the plaintiffs had had the means and ample time within which to remove the disabled vehicle from the highway after it had stopped and that they had failed to do so.
In the instant suit the evidence shows that because of the narrow shoulders and the steep embankment plaintiffs could not have removed the truck from the highway without some additional assistance, even if they had a considerable amount of time within which to do so. The remaining question, therefore, is whether they had sufficient time within which to warn approaching traffic of the danger, and whether they were negligent in failing to protect trafile.
The testimony of the occupants of the Eubanks truck is uncontradicted to the effect that the collision occurred very shortly after the truck stopped. According to their statements, Mr. Eubanks alighted from the truck as soon as it stopped, and the accident occurred immediately after he reached the front of the truck and had opened the hood. Defendants, in arguing that plaintiffs did have time to effectively warn approaching motorists, point out that according to Mr. Eubanks' own testimony he saw no vehicles approaching from either direction when he alighted from the truck, yet enough time elapsed between the stalling of the truck and the collision for defendant's car to approach from the rear and for one or two other vehicles to approach from the opposite direction.
Wilson was driving at a speed of 55 miles per hour prior to the accident. At that speed it required only a little more than one minute for him to travel a distance of one mile. Although the evidence does not show how far the headlights of the Wilson car should have been visible to Eubanks, it is apparent that very little time could have elapsed between the moment his headlights came into view and the time of the accident. The mere fact that there were no approaching cars in sight when Eubanks alighted from the truck, therefore, does not establish that the occupants of the Eubanks truck had sufficient time within which to effectively warn approaching traffic of the danger after the truck stopped. Also, the action of Mr. Eubanks in immediately attempting to discover and repair the cause of the trouble was, in our opinion, a reasonable attempt to remove the truck from the highway. Considering the very short period of time which elapsed between the stalling of the truck and the accident, the action of Mr. Eubanks in endeavoring to determine the cause of the trouble, and the time which would be required for the occupants of the truck to effectively warn approaching motorists, we conclude, as did the trial judge, that plaintiffs are free from contributory negligence.
As a result of the accident, Mr. Eubanks, who is a farmer, sustained injuries consisting of a fracture of the twelfth left rib, injuries to the left knee, a low hack strain, multiple abrasions and bruises about the forehead and chest, and a large hema-toma on his left wrist. He was treated by Dr. Charlie Fred Passman, a general practitioner, from the date of the accident until sometime in February, 1961, and by Dr. Jack H. Phillips, an orthopedic surgeon, from February 6 until May 2, 1961. The treatment administered to him included hospitalization from December 21 to December 24, 1960. The medical testimony is uncon-tradicted to the effect that the injuries sustained by Mr. Eubanks were of a painful nature, that all of his injuries except that to his low back area have healed without residual disability, that he was totally disabled from performing manual labor from the date of the accident until May 2, 1961, a period of about four and one-half months, and that he has been partially disabled from performing his customary duties on his farm since that time. Dr. Pass-man diagnosed Mr. Eubanks' back injury as "either a severe lumbosacral muscle strain, or a fracture of an intervertebral disc." Dr. Phillips initially felt that Mr. Eubanks had suffered a disk damage, consisting of a ruptured or protruding lum-bosacral disk, and he recommended surgery. He concluded later, however, that this disk injury had mended by May 2, 1961, that thereafter his complaints of pain and disability were due to hypotrophic arthritis of the spine, and that surgery was no longer needed. The doctor, however, does not specifically relate plaintiff's present arthritic condition to the accident which occurred on December 20, 1960. The expert medical testimony, therefore, does not show whether there is a causal relationship between the accident and Mr. Eubanks' present disabling condition. The lay testimony shows that prior to the accident he had no trouble referable to his back, and that almost constantly since the accident he has suffered pain in his back.
The trial judge concluded that "the plaintiff suffered much pain with the fracture of one rib, the bruised left knee, coupled with the low back injury from which he could not be expected to recover entirely, but from which maximum recovery would be at the end of a period of six months according to the prognosis of the doctor." On that basis he awarded Mr. Eubanks, individually, the sum of $6,500.00 for pain and suffering. Considering all of the evidence, we are unable to say that the trial judge erred in his conclusions as to the nature of this plaintiff's injuries, or that the award is manifestly excessive or inadequate. We, therefore, affirm the trial court's award for this item of damages.
The trial judge made no award to Mr. Eubanks as special damages. We agree that the evidence fails to establish any loss of earnings, past or future, but we think plaintiff has established by a preponderance of the evidence that he has suffered the following losses or has incurred the following expenses in connection with the treatment of the injuries which he sustained:
Catahoula Clinic-Hospital-$244.90
Dr. Jack H. Phillips- 60.00
Travel expenses to and from Jones-ville for medical treatment. 20.16
Repairs to the Eubanks truck- 60.90
Total_$385.96
In our opinion the award to Mr. Eubanks, individually, should be increased by the amount of these established special damages.
The trial judge found that "neither Mrs. Eubanks or the daughter, Gloria Nell Eubanks, were injured to any extent," and accordingly, he rejected their demands for damages.
The evidence shows that as a result of the accident Mrs. Eubanks sustained a bruise of the scalp and a bruise of her right arm, which were described by Dr. Passman as being "not too serious," and these injuries apparently healed in due course without leaving any scars or disability.
The injuries sustained by Gloria Nell Eu-banks consisted of "multiple bruises across the body wall of the anterior chest." These injuries also were described by Dr. Pass-man as "nothing serious," and they apparently healed completely without complications.
Although the injuries sustained by Mrs. Eubanks and her daughter were of a relatively minor nature, we think they were serious enough to warrant an award of damages to each of these parties. In our opinion an award of $200.00 to each would be fair and adequate.
For the reasons herein assigned, the judgment appealed from is amended in part, reversed in part, and recast to read as follows :
It is ordered, adjudged and decreed that there be judgment herein in favor of the plaintiff, William O. Eubanks, individually, and against the defendants, Thomas M. Wilson, Jr., and American Indemnity Company, in solido, in the full sum of $6,885.96, with legal interest thereon from November 1, 1961, until paid, and for all costs of these proceedings, including a fee of $50.00 for each of the expert witnesses.
It is further ordered, adjudged and decreed that there be judgment herein in favor of plaintiff, Mrs. Pearl Stutson Eu-banks, and against defendants, Thomas M. Wilson, Jr., and American Indemnity Company, in solido, in the full sum of $200.00, with legal interest thereon from November 1, 1961, until paid.
It is further ordered, adjudged and decreed that there be judgment herein in favor of plaintiff, William O. Eubanks, as administrator of the estate of the minor, Gloria Nell Eubanks, and against the defendants, Thomas M. Wilson, Jr., and American Indemnity Company, in solido, in the full sum of $200.00, with legal interest thereon from November 1, 1961, until paid.
It is further ordered, adjudged and decreed that there be judgment herein in favor of defendant-in-reconvention, William O. Eubanks, and against the plaintiff-in-recon-vention, Thomas M. Wilson, Jr., rejecting the demands of the plaintiff-in-reconvention at his costs.
All costs of this appeal are assessed to defendants, Thomas M. Wilson, Jr., and American Indemnity Company.
Amended and affirmed in part; reversed in part; and rendered.