Opinion ID: 2606799
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: the merits of the case

Text: With respect to the question of whether or not the verdict and judgment against Ford can be sustained on the record made, I agree with the majority that the expert testimony offered to establish negligence on the part of Ford was sufficient to warrant submission to the jury of the issue of negligence. I am unable to agree, however, that the record discloses substantial evidence sufficient to warrant the inference that the negligence of Ford was an efficient concurrent cause of injury to plaintiff. To point up the basis for my difficulty in accepting the views of the majority it is necessary for me to set forth additional matters appearing of record. In this litigation plaintiff undertook a difficult and exacting task. To succeed in his theory of joint liability it was necessary to establish gross negligence on the part of Peterson in causing the car to leave the highway and upset. To recover against Ford he had to prove that despite the gross negligence of Peterson the negligence of Ford was an efficient concurrent cause to the upset. This for the reason that it was incumbent upon plaintiff to show that his injury would not have resulted in the absence of either cause. Checker Yellow Cab. Co. v. Shiflett, Wyo., 351 P.2d 660, 667. To accomplish his purpose he charges in his complaint, among other things, that Peterson's negligence consisted of driving the car at an unlawful, dangerous and excessive rate of speed in a zigzag course upon the highway; that he operated the car in this fashion when he knew it was unsafe; and that he was under the influence of intoxicating liquor and was intoxicated. Those charges were never withdrawn or modified in any way by plaintiff. As will be seen, I attach particular significance to those charges for the reason that Ford, in its answer, admitted such gross negligence on the part of Peterson. The charge of negligence against Ford was that the wheel was defectively manufactured and as a result the wheel broke while the car was being driven by Peterson, causing the wreck. Nothing was alleged concerning a flat tire. Ford denied the charge. Of significance here also is the fact that Peterson in his answer denied the charges of plaintiff and set up a cross-claim against Ford for damages to his car and damages to his person, claiming negligence on the part of Ford in the manufacture of the wheel. He alleged that the defect in the right-front wheel from such negligence, through no fault of his, caused the wheel of the automobile to become broken and detached therefrom just as he was entering an `S' curve, by reason of which he was unable to manage, control or turn said vehicle which plunged off the highway and off the travelled portion of the road, colliding forcefully with the barrow pit and an irrigation ditch adjoining said highway with great force and violence. At the conclusion of the evidence the trial court directed a verdict in favor of Ford against Peterson. Turning to the evidence, the large S curve on the highway mentioned by the majority was approximately one mile distant from the bar where the unfortunate venture commenced. The first turn on the S curve was a right-hand turn. The second turn on the S curve was a left-hand turn some one-quarter of a mile distant from the right-hand turn. Right here I think it appropriate to mention that Peterson, from the time he purchased this car new in October 1957, had trouble in controlling the car. He said it was inclined to pull to the right; that it kept drifting off to the right; that he had trouble on twisty, turny roads; and particularly on a left-hand curve it would pull to the right. Because of this he had never driven the car over 65 miles per hour prior to the accident. The negligence of Ford was not shown in any way to be connected with this difficulty and the evidence shows that Peterson on the evening of the accident telephoned from the bar to make arrangements with the dealer to inspect and service the car. Upon leaving the bar, Peterson, with an open can of beer in his hands, got into the driver's seat. Hoopes sat next to him and plaintiff sat next to Hoopes. Peterson immediately accelerated the car and just before they got into the right-hand turn of the S curve Hoopes looked at the speedometer and Peterson was driving approximately 85 miles per hour. He remonstrated but Peterson said he would do the driving. After they were out of the first turn and were proceeding toward the left-hand turn of the S curve, plaintiff looked at the speedometer and Peterson was still driving 85 miles per hour. He also remonstrated but again Peterson said he would do the driving and plaintiff then shouted something like let me out or look out. Neither Hoopes nor plaintiff testified that Peterson reduced his speed in the least despite their protests. To develop a little further the state of the record before us as I understand it, plaintiff's efforts now to reduce Peterson's condition from one of intoxication to a relaxed condition are not open to him. On the basis of the pleadings the issue of Peterson's intoxication was settled as between plaintiff and Ford. There was no such issue to be passed upon by the jury. True, with the indulgence of the court as against Ford, he could introduce evidence of the circumstances with respect to the intoxication (see 53 Am.Jur., Trial, § 105; and 9 Wigmore on Evidence, § 2591, p. 589 (3d Ed.)) but Having stated his position in the pleadings, he cannot alter it at this time. Dame v. Mileski, 80 Wyo. 156, 340 P.2d 205, 209; see also Board of County Commissioners of County of Fremont v. State ex rel. Miller, Wyo., 369 P.2d 537, 540. In Kerr-McGee Oil Industries, Inc. v. McCray, 89 Ariz. 307, 361 P.2d 734, 736, it is said:    No citation of authority is needed for the proposition that facts admitted in the pleadings will be accepted as true both here and in the court below. In Alberts v. American Casualty Co. of Reading, Pa., 88 Cal. App.2d 891, 200 P.2d 37, 40, it is said:    The allegations of the complaint admitted by the answer are treated as an admitted fact on appeal. [Citation.] In Lifton v. Harshman, 80 Cal. App.2d 422, 182 P.2d 222, 228, it is stated: When allegations in a complaint are admitted by the answer (a) no evidence need be offered in their support; (b) evidence is not admissible to prove their untruth; (c) no finding thereon is necessary; (d) a finding contrary thereto is error. See also Fidelity Finance Co. v. Westfall, 127 Neb. 56, 254 N.W. 710, 711; Lutz v. Frick Company, 242 Ind. 599, 181 N.E.2d 14, 15; Precision Extrusions, Inc. v. Stewart, 36 Ill. App.2d 30, 183 N.E.2d 547, 556; Hill v. Federal Trade Commission, 5 Cir., 124 F.2d 104, 106; Edmonston v. Holder, 203 Okl. 189, 218 P.2d 905, 909; and 71 C.J.S. Pleading § 59, p. 150. The same thing is true of plaintiff's efforts here to reduce the speed of the car substantially below 85 miles per hour. Plaintiff's testimony concerning the speed was not made on the basis of an estimate but from actual observation of the speedometer. Having so testified he is bound by it and he will not be heard here to say that this car was not traveling at that speed when it came out of the first turn. Chicago, B. & Q.R. Co. v. McPhillamey, 19 Wyo. 425, 118 P. 682, 686. In the light of the foregoing it seems at least probable that this accident was inevitable without contribution of Ford. To avoid the accident Peterson of necessity had to pull this car to the left upon coming out of the right-hand turn of the S curve and approaching the left-hand turn. His ability to meet this demand was obviously affected by the inclination of the car to drift and pull to the right and particularly on a left-hand curve; by his intoxication; by his speed and driving in a zigzag course; by his irritation and distraction from the remonstrances of his companions; and by the open can of beer either in his hand or between his legs. These facts, standing alone, are such that to me no reasonable jury could find that this accident would not have happened but for the negligence of Ford. Of course, it is true that Peterson's extraordinary version of the affair, accepted by the jury, that a rivet popped out of its hole and caused a flat tire which in turn affected his driving is within the realm of possibility. However, there is no evidence in this record that I can find which would permit the jury to adopt Peterson's version as more probable than the version that this accident was inevitable, in any event, through Peterson's negligence alone. Under those circumstances the verdict cannot stand. Many years ago in Hartung v. Union Pac. R. Co., 35 Wyo. 188, 247 P. 1071, 1073, we said:    Two or more possible theories might be adopted to explain the death of the decedent. But there is no evidence in the case that would authorize us to adopt one in preference of another. And it is well established that, where two inferences may be deduced, one of which authorizes recovery and the other not, and both inferences are equally reasonable, the inferences meet and destroy each other; neither has any probative force, and one cannot be arbitrarily chosen in preference of the other.    See also Northwest States Utilities Co. v. Ashton, 51 Wyo. 168, 65 P.2d 235, 238, rehearing denied Northwest States Utilities Co. v. Brouilette, 51 Wyo. 132, 65 P.2d 223, 69 P.2d 623; White v. Maverick Production Co., 63 Wyo. 452, 182 P.2d 818, 822; General Motors Corporation v. Wolverine Insurance Company, 6 Cir., 255 F.2d 8, 9; and Price v. Ashby's Incorporated, 11 Utah 2d 54, 354 P.2d 1064, 1065. But should I be mistaken in this view, I still cannot agree that the verdict against Ford can be sustained. The majority view is bottomed on Peterson's supposititious statement that he figured it must be a flat tire or felt like a flat tire that caused him to lose control of the car with the result that the car left the highway. Unlike my associates, I can find no corroboration of Peterson's nebulous statements concerning the tire and as a result I have difficulty in accepting those statements, even though believed by the jury, as sufficient substantial evidence to sustain the verdict. In the first instance, in the light of common experience, how often have all of us in driving down the highway felt as if we had a flat tire only to discover on investigation that such tire was fully inflated? Secondly, while I agree to the general proposition that the credibility of Peterson was for the jury, that does not relieve us of reviewing the entire record and analyzing the evidence in the light of reason and human experience and giving consideration to the motives and propensities which tend to influence or prompt human action. Montgomery Ward & Co. v. Arbogast, 53 Wyo. 275, 81 P.2d 885, 892. Here Peterson was vitally interested in the outcome of this litigation. In fact, he actively participated in providing expert testimony for plaintiff. His version concerning the tire was entirely at variance with the version under his own pleadings and he was actually impeached in this regard. In addition, I think the record shows his testimony was inherently improbable. We have in the past refused to accept the testimony of a witness as sufficient to sustain a finding when an interested witness failed to testify in a direct and positive manner (In re Stringer's Estate, 80 Wyo. 389, 343 P.2d 508, 519, rehearing denied 80 Wyo. 389, 345 P.2d 786); when contrary to previous-sworn statements (Washakie Livestock Loan Co. v. Meigh, 50 Wyo. 480, 62 P.2d 523, 526, 107 A.L.R. 1063); and when inherently improbable (Montgomery Ward & Co., supra; and Steadman v. Topham, 80 Wyo. 63, 338 P.2d 820, 825). The one important piece of physical evidence here is the tire itself. That tire was undamaged. According to the uncontradicted testimony of the witness Stilley, a representative of the manufacturer of the tire, it is hardly to be expected that this tire, if flat, could undergo the full weight of the car on impact and not show some damage. Also, to me, it is hardly to be supposed that if Peterson's difficulty were a flat tire he would have said nothing to plaintiff and Hoopes about it at the time the car started to pull off the highway or immediately thereafter and would have so responded to plaintiff's inquiry about too much Adolph Coors. Thus, without corroboration from other witnesses or the physical facts of Peterson's extraordinary version of the manner in which Ford's negligence became an efficient concurrent cause in his loss of control of the car, I feel constrained to say that it is not of sufficient probative force to constitute the substantial evidence necessary to sustain the verdict. I would reverse the judgment with direction to dismiss the complaint.