Case Name: Jimmy HANDY et al., Plaintiffs-Appellees, v. Dewey LeJEUNE et al., Defendants-Appellants
Court: Louisiana Court of Appeal
Jurisdiction: Louisiana
Decision Date: 1977-01-31
Citations: 341 So. 2d 1386
Docket Number: No. 5781
Parties: Jimmy HANDY et al., Plaintiffs-Appellees, v. Dewey LeJEUNE et al., Defendants-Appellants.
Judges: Before HOOD, DOMENGEAUX and WATSON, JJ.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 341
Pages: 1386–1391

Head Matter:
Jimmy HANDY et al., Plaintiffs-Appellees, v. Dewey LeJEUNE et al., Defendants-Appellants.
No. 5781.
Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Third Circuit.
Jan. 31, 1977.
Rehearing Denied March 2, 1977.
Writs Refused April 22, 1977.
Edwards, Stefanski & Barousse by Homer E. Barousse, Jr., Crowley, for defendants-appellants.
Gravel, Roy & Burnes by T. Gerald Henderson, Alexandria, for plaintiffs-appellees.
Before HOOD, DOMENGEAUX and WATSON, JJ.

Opinion:
WATSON, Judge.
Defendants, Dewey LeJeune, The Permian Corporation and Employers Casualty Company, have appealed from a trial court judgment awarding plaintiffs, Jimmy and Virgie Handy, a total of $51,190 for the loss of their 14-year-old son, Albert Handy. Plaintiffs, Jimmy and Virgie Handy, have answered the appeal, asking that the amount awarded be increased to $100,000. We affirm.
The accident occurred on May 16, 1975, when a truck owned by the Permian Corporation and driven by its employee, Dewey LeJeune, collided with a small horse ridden by Albert Handy. Employers Casualty Company is the liability insurer of the Permian Corporation. The trial court concluded that both Albert and LeJeune were negligent but that LeJeune had the last clear chance to avoid the accident. Each of the parents was awarded $25,000 for the loss, and the father was awarded the funeral expenses of $1190.
The issues are:
1. whether the trial court's conclusion that LeJeune was negligent is manifestly erroneous;
2. whether there is manifest error in the finding of contributory negligence on the part of Albert Handy; if none, whether last clear chance is applicable; and
3. whether the amounts awarded plaintiffs are so inadequate as to constitute an abuse of discretion.
Defendant LeJeune was the only surviving witness of the accident. He was driving north in a Mack truck on Louisiana Highway 95, at a speed of 45 m.p.h. The accident occurred about a mile and a half north of Church Point where the highway is straight and there are no obstructions to vision. It was daytime; the weather was clear. LeJeune said it was "hard to say" but estimated when deposed that he was approximately 100 yards from Albert and his horse when he first saw them and immediately observed that the horse was "spooked" (TR. 81). His testimony at trial also establishes that he knew the horse was scared when he first saw it, although parts of the testimony out of context give a contrary impression. Albert and the horse emerged from a pasture gate (located 200 feet from the point of impact) onto the south shoulder and then continued south. LeJeune reduced his speed. When he was about 50 yards from the boy and the horse, he blew his horn and applied his brakes. LeJeune testified that Albert Handy did everything he could to control his mount, but the horse kept on coming toward the middle of the road. Albert was riding bareback with a rope halter; he had the head of the horse pulled to the right, but the frightened animal did not respond. The impact occurred in the northbound lane, squarely in the middle of the truck. The horse was thrown into the southbound lane 89 feet from the point of impact, and Albert's body came to rest in the northbound lane behind the truck. The unloaded truck, 51' 45/s" long, left 144 feet of skidmarks before the collision and 118 feet afterward.
Albert died on his birthday; he was born May 16, 1961. The horse had been owned by the Handys about a year. Albert rode the horse frequently, and the horse had never given him any trouble before the accident.
Mrs. Virgie Handy testified that she and her husband had had 11 sons and 6 daughters but they had lost 5 girls and 3 boys or eight of the 17, the last loss being Albert. Albert was a good, smart boy, who liked the junior high school he attended in Church Point. He was the Handys' baby boy. It was stipulated that Jimmy Handy's testimony about the parents' loss would be substantially the same as that of Mrs. Handy.
Dewey LeJeune indicated that he first observed the boy and the horse when he was about 300 feet away. This estimate of distance is too low. The gate from which the horse emerged was 200 feet from the point of impact; the truck skidded 144 feet prior to the point of impact; and Le-Jeune admitted that he had traveled half the distance between them when he commenced braking. When LeJeune discovered Albert's perilous situation, he had an opportunity to avoid the accident by immediately bringing his truck to a stop. The accident would not have occurred but for his failure to do so, which was a cause in fact of Albert's death. Since LeJeune realized at first sight that the horse was not under control, he was under a duty to avoid colliding with or further frightening the animal. His admitted failure to stop when he saw the "spooked" horse and rider was a breach of this duty. LeJeune's delayed reaction constituted negligence under the circumstances. A motorist's duty vis-a-vis a frightened horse is set out in Plauche v. Consolidated Companies, 235 La. 692, 105 So.2d 269 (1958), where the court quotes 60 C.J.S. Motor Vehicles § 125, p. 718 as follows:
"He is under a like duty to exercise care with respect to a person riding a horse, and, if he sees or in the exercise of ordinary care should see that the horse is in a fretful and uncontrollable condition, it is his duty to use ordinary care to prevent his vehicle from further frightening the horse or colliding with him, and actually to stop his vehicle rather than to risk the most probable danger of collision by proceeding." 105 So.2d 272.
The trial court's reasons for judgment rely on Plauche in finding LeJeune negligent and state:
"LeJeune admitted that he saw the horse was 'spooked,' yet he continued to proceed down the road for a distance of 50 yards before blowing his horn or applying his brakes. He, therefore, breached his duty to avoid collision with Albert and his horse by failing to stop his truck at the first sign that the boy was unable to control his horse." (TR. 43)
This analysis is not manifestly erroneous, and is supported by the evidence.
The trial court found Albert negligent for failure to control his horse. In view of the fact that Albert was riding without a saddle or bridle with only a rope halter to manage his mount, we agree that Albert was guilty of contributory negligence. Albert's efforts to steer the horse away from the highway were negated by his lack of proper equipment. Contributory negligence on the part of Albert Handy was established by reasonable evidence. Compare the contrary finding in Joyner v. Williams, 35 So.2d 812 (La.App. 2 Cir. 1948), where there is no indication that the rider was not properly equipped since the opinion speaks of the horse being "reined".
Finding both LeJeune and Albert negligent the trial court proceeded to succinctly and correctly analyze the doctrine of last clear chance in light of the factual situation. We find the analysis to be legally sound and factually supported by the evidence. Therefore, we will quote with approval from the reasons for judgment (TR. 44-45) as follows:
"The last issue to be determined is whether LeJeune had the last clear chance to avoid the accident, despite Albert's contributory negligence. As stated by the Court in Ortego v. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co., 295 So.2d 593 (La.App. 3rd Cir. 1974), in order for plaintiffs to successfully invoke the doctrine of last clear chance, the evidence must clearly show:
'(1) That plaintiff was in a position of peril of which he was unaware, or from which he was unable to extricate himself;
'(2) that the defendant actually discovered or should have discovered, the plaintiff's peril; and
'(3) that at the time defendant actually discovered, or should have discovered, plaintiff's peril, defendant had a reasonable opportunity to avoid the accident.'
"Clearly, the evidence supports each of the three requisites. Albert was in a position of peril from which he could not extricate himself. He had tried to steer his horse out of LeJeune's path, but could not do so. LeJeune actually discovered Albert's peril when he noticed that the horse was 'spooked' from a distance of 100 yards. LeJeune had a reasonable opportunity to avoid the accident, and could have done so, if he had applied his brakes when he first noticed that the boy could not control his horse." (TR. 44-45)
We agree with the trial court that the doctrine of last clear chance is applicable and that plaintiffs are entitled to judgment on that basis.
No abuse of discretion is shown in the award of $25,000 to each parent for the loss of the child plus the award of $1,190 to Jimmy Handy for funeral expenses. There is no merit to the answer to the appeal urging that the award is inadequate. LSA-C.C. art. 1934; Ogaard v. Wiley, 325 So.2d 642 (La.App. 3 Cir. 1976); Bitoun v. Landry, 302 So.2d 278 (La., 1974); Coco v. Winston Industries, 341 So.2d 332 (La.1976).
For the foregoing reasons, the judgment of the trial court herein is affirmed. All costs of this appeal are taxed against de-. fendants-appellants.
AFFIRMED.
HOOD, J., dissents and assigns written reasons.