Case Name: Willie Bell McKINLEY v. BEKINS MOVING & STORAGE CO., INC., et al.
Court: Louisiana Court of Appeal
Jurisdiction: Louisiana
Decision Date: 1984-04-09
Citations: 449 So. 2d 705
Docket Number: No. 83-CA-627
Parties: Willie Bell McKINLEY v. BEKINS MOVING & STORAGE CO., INC., et al.
Judges: Before BOWES, GRISBAUM and DU-FRESNE, JJ.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 449
Pages: 705–708

Head Matter:
Willie Bell McKINLEY v. BEKINS MOVING & STORAGE CO., INC., et al.
No. 83-CA-627.
Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Fifth Circuit.
April 9, 1984.
Rehearing Denied May 17, 1984.
Edmond R. Eberle, New Orleans, for plaintiffs-appellants.
Garrity & Webb, Robert T. Garrity, Jr., Harahan, for defendant-appellee.
Before BOWES, GRISBAUM and DU-FRESNE, JJ.

Opinion:
DUFRESNE, Judge.
Appellants appeal from a jury verdict in the trial court awarding them $1,600.00 in damages ($800.00 per plaintiff, which included medical expenses), and finding one plaintiff, Joyce McKinley, 10% (comparatively) negligent in a rear-end collision involving injuries to both petitioners. We affirm the judgment.
On September 16, 1981, Joyce McKinley was the driver of a vehicle in which Willie Bell McKinley was a passenger. They were at the west traffic circle, approaching the Huey P. Long Bridge, on Louisiana Highway 18. The parties testified that the road was heavily congested with bumper-to-bumper traffic and stop-and-go driving for about one mile back as the vehicles on Highway 18 attempted to merge, at a yield sign, into the circle. Traffic within the circle was heavy and going very fast. As each preceding car merged into the circle, the next car would approach the yield sign, waiting for the opportunity to proceed. Plaintiffs vehicle was immediately in front of defendant's. When the McKinley vehicle reached the sign, it either started briefly forward (a car length or one-half car length) and stopped, or had never begun to advance (defendant claimed the former, plaintiff the latter). In either case, defendant, Bowman, proceeded forward, looking to his left into the circle as he did so, to check oncoming traffic; he looked ahead just in time to see plaintiffs car at a full stop, apply his brakes, and collide into the rear of the McKinley auto.
With the above facts, the jury by special award found Bowman 90% negligent and McKinley 10% negligent (according to the jury interrogatories). The jury apparently found that McKinley's conduct of starting forward and then suddenly stopping was a contributing factor and that she was partially at fault for this particular accident.
Generally, the following driver in a rear end. collision is considered to be at fault, except when the driver of the lead vehicle negligently creates a hazard which the following vehicle cannot reasonably avoid. See Vander v. New York Fire & Marine Underwriters, Inc. 192 So.2d 635 (La.App. 3rd Cir.1966).
Although we do not want to indicate that the lead driver in these circumstances at a yield sign will always, as a matter of law, necessarily be held to be at fault, under the specific circumstances of this case, we cannot say that the jury (the trier of facts) committed manifest error in its factual determination that Joyce McKinley's actions were a contributing cause of the accident.
Likewise with regard to the monetary damages awarded by the jury, we find that $800 for each plaintiff was within the sound discretion of the trier of fact and not an abuse of discretion.
Both Joyce and Willie Bell McKinley suffered "soft tissue" injuries—cervical and lumbar strains. Both visited Dr. Marelle Yongue six times, and were given muscle relaxer medication. Physical therapy was not recommended or administered. By November 4th, the patients were symptom-free. Under the guidelines of Reck v. Stevens, 373 So.2d 498 (La.1979), the facts and circumstances peculiar to this case compel us to conclude that there was no clear abuse of discretion in the award of damages. Therefore, we cannot say that such was inadequate.
Accordingly, we affirm the finding of the trial court that Joyce McKinley was 10% negligent and likewise affirm the $1,600 damage award.
All costs to this appeal are cast to the appellants.
AFFIRMED.
BOWES, J., dissents with written reasons.