Court Opinion

ID: 9582381
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-21 22:26:01.468591+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T13:37:43.983835
License: Public Domain

LATIMER, Justice.
I dissent.
I agree that if this case is to be resolved on the construction of a statute that we are bound by the holdings of the Idaho Supreme Court. However, I do not believe the holdings of that court preclude us from determining whether the facts in this case show, as a matter of law, that defendant was not guilty of a reckless disregard of the rights of plaintiff. Such a determination is a question of fact not one of statutory construction.
Mr. Justice McDonough, in the majority opinion, refers to two Idaho cases, namely Dawson v. Salt Lake Hardware Company, 64 Idaho 666, 136 P. 2d 733, and Hughes v. Hudelson 67 Idaho 10, 169 P. 2d 712. The first cited case is of little help in solving the problems presented by this appeal as the question involved in that cause was whether two instructions given by the court were conflicting, erroneous and prejudicial. That decision deals principally with whether or not the words of the Idaho statute “reckless disregard of the rights of others” could be construed so as to mean an act of such conscious indifference to consequences that the jury would be justified in saying that the driver wilfully *449injured his guests. The trial court so instructed the jury, and further submitted an instruction which stated that “reckless disregard,” “wilful disregard” and “wanton disregard” were synonymous.
Whether the opinion of Chief Justice Holden or the specially concurring opinion of Mr. Justice Ailshie be considered as the authority, the rule which I deduce from that decision is that the Idaho legislature did not intend that “reckless disregard of the rights of others” would require a guest to show a wilful, wanton or intentional act on the part of the driver before he could recover; that to so hold would, in effect, require a showing that the defendant committed the act for the purpose of wilfully or intentionally injuring the guest. If that is readily ascertainable, the instruction as given went far beyond the wording of the statute. However, in spite of the instruction being erroneous the court held it was not prejudicial as the evidence was favorable to the driver of the guest car both as to negligence and recklessness.
In the Hughes v. Hudelson case there were also two opinions. Mr. Justice Ailshie wrote what I designate as the opinion of the court, and Mr. Justice Holden wrote a specially concurring opinion. In that case only four judges participated. Mr. Justice Miller concurred in both opinions, so that when both are pieced together I interpret the case to hold that in a case involving injuries to a guest the latter must establish his cause by a showing of more than ordinary negligence. And, further, while the guest need not show wilful or intentional acts on the part of the driver, the rule of preponderance of evidence to show ordinary negligence does not prevail. I quote the following passage taken from Mr. Justice Holden’s concurring opinion because it appears to me to better reflect the opinion of that court on the particular point now involved.
“It will be noted the legislature expressly provides no guest ‘shall have a cause for damages against such owner or operator’ of a motor vehicle, ‘for injuries, death or loss, in case of accident, unless such *450accident shall have been (a) intentional [emphasis added] on the part of said owner or operator, or (b) caused by his * * * intoxication [emphasis in the statute], or (c) his reckless disregard of the rights of others [emphasis added]/ In the case at bar, it is not either alleged or contended respondent was intoxicated at the time of the accident. Nor do appellants either allege or contend the accident in which Marvin G. Hughes lost his life was ‘intentional’ on the part of respondent. Here a recovery of damages is sought on the ground the accident was caused by respondent’s ‘reckless disregard of the rights’ of Marvin G. Hughes.
“New Standard Dictionary (Funk & Wagnals, 1933) defines ‘reckless’: ‘(1) Destitute of heed or concern for consequences; especially foolishly heedless of danger; headlong; rash; desperate.’
“This undoubtedly is the sense in which the legislature used the word, as well as the commonly understood meaning of the word. Hence, by the use of the phrase, ‘reckless disregard of the rights of others,’ the legislature evidently meant, for instance an act ‘destitute of heed' or concern for consequences.’ What conduct and circumstances constitute ‘reckless disregard of the rights of others,’ is, of course, a question of fact. It in no way involves an interpretation of the statute. The intent of a driver involved in an accident must be determined by his conduct and all the surrounding facts and circumstances. These might, or might not, show a purpose of intent to injure his guest, or the conduct of the driver and the surrounding facts and circumstances might show a ‘reckless disregard of the rights of others.’ ” (Emphasis in last two paragraphs added.)
I accept the statement of facts as set forth in Mr. Justice McDonough’s opinion, but desire to emphasize some of the details which I believe show only ordinary negligence on the part of the defendant. The details recited are, for the most part, those given by the plaintiff as she and the defendant were alone in the car and they are considerably more favorable to her than are those given by her in a written statement a few days after the accident. There is no showing of intoxication in this case, and while there is some reference to three highballs, a finding of driving while under the influence of liquor could not be sustained, and the facts fall way short of establishing intentional misconduct. The plaintiff accepted a ride to go to Pocatello, Idaho, knowing that the distance was great; that the hour of de*451parture for home would be late; and that reasonably fast driving would be required. It rained part of the time on the going journey, but plaintiff could not tell whether steadily or intermitently as she slept part of the time. She felt perfectly safe on her going trip and had no hesistancy in returning with defendant. At about 1:30 A.M. the defendant suggested they leave for home and plaintiff at that time was unconcerned both about his driving and his condition. While it had turned clear and the weather had turned cold, there is no showing the defendant knew that the road would be icy at any particular place or at all. There is a statement which plaintiff claims she made to the effect that the roads might be icy because the weather had turned cold, but up to time of the skidding apparently neither plaintiff nor defendant knew of the presence of ice on the surface of the highway. Defendant had averaged about 50 miles per hour on the going journey to Pocatello and was apparently driving at substantially the same speed on the return. Plaintiff claims that about five miles south of Pocatello in taking a turn the rear end of the car started sliding and that she requested the defendant to go a little slower. As indicated in Mr. Justice McDonough’s opinion there is no showing as to the degree of the curve, and as I read the evidence, no showing of the extent or seriousness of the skidding and no suggestion of recklessness up to this point. There is plaintiff’s statement that she at that time said to defendant, “The roads are awfully slippery. Please go a little slower.” According to plaintiff, defendant’s reaction to this statement was to drive faster, but this should be considered in the light of the fact that there were no strained relations between the parties, there had been no quarrel or misunderstanding, the defendant had just negotiated a curve, was driving on a road which was straight for at least a mile and a half, and the natural tendency of any driver is to increase the speed of a car on a straight-of-way. Plaintiff was not conscious of the highway being slippery at the place where the accident happened nor was the defendant until it was brought to their attention by the fact that the *452car was heading off the highway. Plaintiff, at that time, requested that defendant do something, at which time he replied he was unable to control the car. The car gradually headed off the highway, ran along thé shoulder and down into the barrow-pit. The distances of travel on the hard-surfaced part of the road, on the shoulder, and in the barrow-pit, together with the path followed by the car as testified to by the deputy sheriff hardly give a picture of heedless or reckless driving. The tire marks were regular for a distance of fifty feet on the traveled portion of the highway, indicating there was no swerving, turning or rolling, and the car was stopped from 75 to 100 feet from the place where it left the pavement without turning over, not such a great distance to travel when consideration is given to wet and slippery surfaces. The physical evidence seems to me to indicate the fact that the defendant had reasonably good control of his car; that he used good judgment in bringing the car to a reasonably early stop; and that reckless conduct prior to reaching the icy place was not present. It may be true that defendant was driving too fast under existing circumstances, but I hardly see such conduct as to be impressed with the belief that reasonable minds might find that defendant had wilfully disregarded the rights of plaintiff.
Using the words from the opinion of Mr. Justice Holden, in Hughes v. Hudelson, supra,
“What conduct and circumstances constitute ‘reckless disregard of the rights of others,’ is, of course, a question of fact. It in no way involves an interpretation of the statute. The intent of a driver involved in an accident must be determined by his conduct and all the surrounding facts and circumstances.”
When that court was considering the facts in that case all the justices agreed that Hudelson’s driving could be found by a jury to be in reckless disregard of the rights of a passenger. There was involved in that action the following conduct: Driving at an excessive rate of speed, while lights were blinding the driver’s vision; running off on the *453shoulder of the road; driving some 360 feet on the shoulder of the road; pulling back on to the oiled portion of the road in such a manner that the truck went out of control, upset, and rolled over several times; and all this without any apparent attempt on the part of the driver to slow up or decrease the speed of the car. Cast in that factual background, the court there held there was a question for the jury as to whether those acts on the part of the driver were in reckless disregard of the rights of a guest. I can visualize reckless conduct under those circumstances.
The facts in this case are not, in my opinion, so aggravated as those of the Hudelson suit. In the present instance I cannot find evidence in the record which would permit a finding of a reckless disregard of plaintiff’s rights unless mere negligent driving of a vehicle can be so construed. There was nothing wilful, intentional, and reckless about defendant’s driving in the sense that he was not appreciative of the reasonable care due his guest. Both parties were interested in getting home with dispatch. He had a reasonable excuse for haste. There was no other traffic on the highway, the road was straight, there were no road warning signs which were unheeded, and the only factors present which could possibly sustain a finding of recklessness was the estimated speed and the slippery condition of the road. However, insofar as the evidence is concerned, there was no showing that the defendant knew the road was covered with ice. The most that can be said is that he should have anticipated a slippery surfaced highway. While concededly it is difficult to determine when conduct changes from negligence to recklessness, I am convinced that in those states which have passed guest statutes the legislatures intended to get away from holding a driver liable to his guest unless there was clearly a marked disregard of a passenger’s safety. Furthermore, I am convinced that the legislature of the State of Idaho when it passed the guest statute, as did our legislature, intended to require an aggravated form of negligence to permit a guest to recover.
*454Whether defendant’s conduct was such as to establish the required aggravated form of negligence is a question of fact to be decided, in the first instance, in the trial court. If there is evidence to sustain such a finding, then we are required to affirm. My reading of the record forces me to the conclusion that all reasonable minds would conclude that defendant’s acts might have been negligent but certainly not wilful or in reckless disregard of the rights of plaintiff. Such being the case, I would reverse.