Case Name: Oris and Oliver H. DUANE v. TOYE BROS. YELLOW CAB COMPANY et al.
Court: Louisiana Court of Appeal
Jurisdiction: Louisiana
Decision Date: 1963-01-07
Citations: 148 So. 2d 451
Docket Number: No. 867
Parties: Oris and Oliver H. DUANE v. TOYE BROS. YELLOW CAB COMPANY et al.
Judges: Before YARRUT, TURNER, and RAINOLD, JJ.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 148
Pages: 451–458

Head Matter:
Oris and Oliver H. DUANE v. TOYE BROS. YELLOW CAB COMPANY et al.
No. 867.
Court of Appeal of Louisiana. Fourth. Circuit.
Jan. 7, 1963.
Gemeinhardt, Johannesen & Roberts, Ingard O. Johannesen and Henry J. Roberts, Jr., New Orleans, for plaintiffs-appellants.
Deutsch, Kerrigan & Stiles, Lansing L. Mitchell and Frederick R. Bott, New Orleans, for Toye Bros. Yellow Cab Co., and all persons thereof, defendants-appel-lees.
Landrieu, Calogero & Kronlage, Pascal F. Calogero, Jr., New Orleans, for Berthney Hingle, defendant-appellee.
Before YARRUT, TURNER, and RAINOLD, JJ.

Opinion:
YARRUT, Judge.
This suit was brought by Plaintiffs (husband and wife) jointly against Defendant-Taxicab Company and Co-defendant Hingle, to recover property and personal injury damages suffered by the wife and the community, resulting from an intersec-tional collision between a taxicab owned by Defendant-Taxicab Company, and a private passenger automobile owned and driven by Defendant-Hingle. Plaintiff-wife was a passenger in the taxicab.
Plaintiffs charge both Defendants with joint and concurrent negligence. Each Defendant denied negligence, charging the other with sole responsibility for the collision.
Judgment was rendered in favor of Plaintiffs for $5,378.80, apportioned between them, respectively, as separate or community, against Defendant-Hingle only. Plaintiffs' suit against Defendant-Taxicab Company was dismissed. Only Plaintiffs have appealed.
The collision occurred on Christmas Day 1958, about 2:30 P.M., at the intersection of Elysian Fields Ave. and Chartres St., in New Orleans. Elysian Fields is located some distance below Canal St., parallel thereto, and is a boulevard running from the River to the Lake. It has two paved roadwa)'s, each about 44 feet wide, separated by an elevated neutral ground 48 feet wide. Chartres intersects Elysian Fields near the River, and is 29 feet wide.
The taxicab was travelling on Chartres, going north, and Hingle was travelling on Elysian Fields, going west, or from the River towards the Lake; hence, the locus of the collision was the intersection of Chartres and the north roadway (for traffic going east to west) of Elysian Fields.
In order for the taxicab to reach the point of collision, it first had to cross the south roadway of Elysian Fields, a distance of 44 feet; and the neutral ground portion of 48 feet. The collision occurred when the taxicab reached the sidewalk curbing of the north roadway; so the taxicab travelled a distance of 136 feet from the time it first entered Elysian Fields at the intersection of Chartres and the south roadway of Elysian Fields.
There is no question that Elysian Fields was the favored Street, since Chartres is controlled by a "stop" sign; Elysian Fields is a boulevard thoroughfare; and Plingle was approaching from the taxicab's right. LSA-R.S. 32:237, subd. A.
The question presented is which vehicle had the right to enter the intersection first under the following conditions:
The taxicab driver came to a halt in obedience to the "stop" sign before entering the first or south roadway of Elysian Fields,, concluded the road was clear, so proceeded to cross the south roadway and the neutral ground, and came to another stop at the second or north roadway. He saw Plingle approaching from his right about three-fourths of a city block away, or about 200 feet. Judging Hingle was travelling at lawful speed, he proceeded into the intersection of the north roadway about five miles an hour. When reaching the center of the roadway he discovered Hingle was on top of him, too late for him to avoid a collision, which occurred when the front of his taxicab reached the sidewalk curb of the north roadway.
The taxicab driver was corroborated by the only two disinterested witnesses, two regular bus drivers for the N. O. Public Service, Inc., who followed the taxicab all the way from Canal to Elysian Fields, 20 feet behind in a private passenger automobile.
That Hingle was not looking ahead and not observing traffic at the intersection was established by two phases of his testimony;
(a) When asked directly by his attorney if he was sure the taxicab did not stop before entering the north roadway of Elysian Fields, answered, "No, I don't know that." However, when prodded by his attorney, he insisted the taxicab had not stopped.
(b) He testified an automobile was trav-elling in the lane to his left, ten feet ahead, when he was 25 feet from the intersection. The two disinterested bus drivers of the Public Service and the taxicab driver, all testified there was no such vehicle.
It is apparent that, if such a vehicle had been travelling as Hingle testified, a collision would have occurred between the taxicab and that vehicle, not Hingle's.
Hingle was returning from a Christmas dinner and had with him his wife, his children and parents. Why his wife or his parents did not testify in his behalf, was not explained, creating doubt that their testimony would have been favorable.
Hingle's negligence is conclusive in view of the finding of the District Court, from which Hingle has not appealed. Hence, we have only to decide whether the taxicab driver was guilty of any degree of negligence in entering the north-bound roadway of Elysian Fields when he did.
Goncededly, as a common carrier a taxicab must be held to the highest degree of care in transporting its passengers, but is not an insurer of their safety. If the taxicab was guilty of the least negligent act of commission or omission that contributed to the collision, it would be liable for the injury to Plaintiff. Cox v. Toye Bros. Yellow Cab Co., La.App., 144 So.2d 448.
The picture we get from the evidence, particularly that of the two disinterested experienced Public Service bus drivers, who were eye witnesses is: The taxicab came to a complete stop before entering either intersection of Elysian Fields roadways. When the taxicab came to a stop at the downtown or north roadway, the Hingle vehicle was 200 feet or more away, travel-ling at a speed of 35 to 40 miles an hour. The taxicab then entered at a speed of five miles an hour. As the front of the cab reached the sidewalk curb on the downtown or north roadway, the cab's right rear bumper and fender was struck by the Hingle vehicle with such force that the cab was turned half-way around, facing in the opposite direction from which it came, the rear door forced open and Mrs. Duane catapulted into the street. One of the disinterested witnesses (the Public Service bus driver) testified the taxi could have made it across a few seconds earlier. The cab driver testified he moved across the intersection slowly because pedestrians were on the sidewalk at a funeral home on the other side.
The negligence vel non of the taxicab is governed by the "prudent driver" rule. In Blevins v. Drake-Lindsay Co., La.App., 144 So. 257, the court said:
"If an automobile driver, acting as a reasonable, cautious, and prudent person, and not being aware that a car he sees at some distance away is exceeding the speed limit, believes that he will be able to drive over an intersection in safety, it is not negligence in him to proceed to cross the intersection. A driver is not required to do what often is an impossibility, that is, to determine whether or not an approaching automobile on another street is violating the speed limit. As stated, the test is not the actual speed which the other car is making, but rather whether or not the driver of the car attempting to cross the intersection in front of oncoming car, acted as an ordinary,, prudent, reasonable, and cautious person would have done under similar circumstances."
To the same effect is Wilson v. New Amsterdam Casualty Co., La.App., 180 So. 870. There, the Court held that an automobile driver, entering intersection of street on which he was driving with right-of-way street when truck, approaching from his right on latter street, was between 65 to 70 feet from intersection, was justified in assuming he had ample time to clear intersection before truck reached it, and that truck driver would yield right-of-way. The automobile driver was held not guilty of contributory negligence arising from collision between truck and automobile at point in intersection 36 feet from where he entered it.
In Sweeney v. New Orleans Public Service, La.App., 184 So. 740, it was held that, where bus driver, approaching intersection, looked to the right and seeing no approaching traffic within 70 or 80 feet of the intersection, proceeded to cross at a lawful rate of speed, bus driver pre-empted the intersection, and was not negligent as respects bus company's liability for injuries to automobile guest who was injured when automobile struck rear end of bus as it was crossing intersection.
In Taylor v. Byrnes, La.App., 151 So. 235, the court held that a host on less favored street seeing motorist approaching intersection on right-of-way street, at a distance of about 230 feet, was not negligent in attempting to cross intersection ahead of such motorist. (Citing Hamilton v. Lee, La.App., 144 So. 249.)
In Gauthier v. Fogleman, La.App., 50 So.2d 321, it was held that a motorist should stop before entering right-of-way street and carefully observe traffic conditions, but he need not wait until no vehicle is in sight before attempting to cross. If approaching vehicle is at such a distance that a reasonably prudent person would think crossing might be made without danger of collision, he is justified in crossing. The approaching car was 60 to 70 feet, or one-half city block, distant from the intersection.
The court further held that an automobile approaching intersection is entitled to as sume that automobile on other street will approach at moderate speed and observe speed regulations; and where motorist stopped before entering right-of-way street and attempted to cross when automobile approaching at right angle was one-half city block distant and approaching automobile collided with her, motorist was not negligent in attempting to cross.
In Phillips v. New Amsterdam Casualty Co., La.App., 6 So.2d 96, it was held that before attempting to cross a right-of-way street, all a motorist need do is to stop and make proper observation of traffic conditions; but was not bound, after stopping, to look entire length of street, or to await the passing of distantly approaching automobiles; and was entitled to believe that any on-coming automobile would be travelling at a lawful speed. S La.Law Rev. 434.
In view of these facts and the "prudent driver" rule, we cannot see where the taxicab driver was guilty of any negligence whatever, either of commission or omission; otherwise a car must always enter such an intersection at its peril, and thereby become an absolute insurer of its passengers. In order to exculpate the taxicab driver, the district judge, who saw and heard the witnesses, necessarily had to come to the same conclusion.
For the above reasons, the judgment of the District Court is affirmed; Plaintiffs to pay all costs in both Courts.
Affirmed.