Court Opinion

ID: 9571291
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-21 20:30:32.817415+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T12:30:15.905385
License: Public Domain

Hunter, J.
(dissenting) — The primary issue in this case is whether the record supports the trial court’s giving instruction No. 12 on the first phase of the last clear chance doctrine. The defendant contends the record is uncontro-verted that his driver did not see the plaintiff until the moment of impact and that, therefore, he did not have sufficient time, as a matter of law, in which to act reasonably so as to avoid the accident. The majority agrees with this contention, and it would be correct in its ultimate decision if the testimony of the defendant’s driver is accepted to the exclusion of the circumstantial evidence in the record.
However, I agree with the plaintiff that there is circumstantial evidence to controvert the defendant driver’s testimony that he did not see the plaintiff until the moment of impact, from which the jury could find he had actual knowledge of the plaintiff’s peril in time to have avoided the accident by the exercise of reasonable care.
In Thompson v. Porter, 21 Wn. (2d) 449, 151 P. (2d) 433 (1944), we said:
“That negligence may be proven by circumstantial evidence is so thoroughly settled that, again, we feel that no citation of supporting authority is necessary. It is a rule of necessity; for, when one’s negligence depends upon whether or not he saw a thing, no one but he can give *227direct evidence, and, unless the fact that he did see it can be shown by circumstantial evidence, his statement that he did not see it would completely foreclose the issue.”
What then does the record disclose in this regard?
Emmet S. Brown, the driver of the pickup truck which was immediately following the defendant’s truck, testified as follows regarding the presence of the plaintiff in the passing lane:
“Q Will you tell us just what happened as you go along there and just what you saw. A At first, preceding the accident, I was traveling along behind a large dump truck. It was filled in with sand or earth material, and at the point just about where we were passing the Drive-In, he turned on his signal indicating that he was going to make a left turn. . . .We finally got on down there a ways further, and there was a grey Pontiac automobile pulled up alongside of me, ... I observed this car pass the truck with the blinking signal light and there was a collision between the truck and the car. . . . Q As you were going up there, how far would you say this Drive-In Theatre was, to the best of your knowledge if you know, from the intersection of Lockwood there? A Between a block and two blocks. . . . Q About how far was it from the point of impact to the place where you were when the Nichols vehicle started to pass you? A This is kind of like calculus in a way. We were all moving and I know where I was in relation to the truck and that was approximately two or three car lengths behind him when the Nichols car passed me. . . . Q . . . Was this movement that was made by Mr. Nichols in his car a sudden turning out, or what could you say with reference to that? A It seemed like he swung out there kind of fast.” (Italics mine.)
The plaintiff testified as to the point at which he began to pass the defendant’s truck:
“. . . The pickup truck was approximately 30 feet behind the gravel truck and approximately 225 or 250 feet, I didn’t measure it, I couldn’t, west of the street called Lockwood Avenue. I turned out to pass the pickup truck and the gravel truck. . . . ”
On direct examination, the defendant’s driver, Mr. Larson, testified as to when he looked:
*228“Q Tell us from there on what happened, please, Mr. Larson.. A Well there was a pickup following me and when I got up to the East Trent drivein. And at the time he [pickup truck] was fairly close and about midway of the drivein I turned on my signal lights to make a left turn. Q Before you go on there, do you know how far, or approximately how far this drivein theatre is from the place where the accident occurred? A I would say at least a block and a half. Q All right — A—or possibly more. Q You turned your signals on at that point? A Yes, sir. Q All right— A And I figured the pickup would pass me or drop back and it did drop back and I noticed at the time there was at least one and possibly two cars behind him and they also dropped back. . . . And at the time I got down to the intersection and I was still watching behind me. I was probably about 15 or 10 miles an hour and I looked in the rear view mirror to see if anyone was coming and as far as I tell [sic] there was nothing in the lane of traffic and I proceeded to turn and as I started to turn I looked again to make sure and at the time I looked that is when the accident happened.” (Italics mine.)
On cross-examination, he testified:
“Q You testified also that you looked in your rear vision mirror and saw certain automobiles behind you? A Yes. Q Is that correct? A Yes. Q When was it that — did you say you first looked in that rear vision mirror at the time you turned on your turn signals, or just after? A I looked before I turned them on. Q That is actually a reflex action to either look up into the mirror and then turn on your signals, or, turn them on and then look up to see if it clear [sic]? One or the other. Isn’t that a fact? A Yes. Q When people drive you usually look behind you before you turn on your signals? A Yes. Q Or if you do turn them you look and see? A Yes. Q Isn’t that about the size of it? A Yes. Q So either at 300 or 450, a block or a block and a half either 300 or 450 feet? A Yes. Q You, within 300 or 450 feet of this intersection you looked into the mirror and at the same time turned on your signals? ... A Somewhere in that area. . . . Q Now, what vision, what area of vision do- you have looking into your rear view mirror, just behind you, excluding the roadway? Or, just tell us what? A No, I could see the complete road. Q You mean by the complete road, if I understand you correctly, you mean by the complete road, this entire section of the *229roadway? A Yes. Q Travel coming toward you in opposite directions? A Both ways. . . . Q When was the next time you looked, up into your mirror, your rear vision mirror? A Well, I kept watching the mirror all the way along. Q And what — all the way along. Alright, when was the last time you looked up in the mirror? A Just as I started my turn. Q Just as you started your turn. Did you look— when did you look up to your mirror the time before that? How far were you from the intersection? A Approximately 100 feet. Q When you were about 100 feet from the intersection you looked into the mirror? Is that correct? A Yes. Q Did you see any traffic attempting to pass you? A No, sir. Q You didn’t A No. Q And when you looked into the mirror at that time, 100 feet from the intersection, what did you see behind you? A I saw the pickup and either two or three cars. I couldn’t tell for sure.” (Italics mine.)
From this record the jury could have found the plaintiff was negligently inattentive to the left-turn signal of the defendant’s driver and to the peril in proceeding to pass the defendant’s truck.
Although the defendant’s driver denied seeing the plaintiff’s car in the passing lane, the jury could have found from circumstantial evidence that the defendant’s driver observed the plaintiff continuously from the time he turned out to pass. It could have further found that the defendant’s driver realized or had reason to realize from the plaintiff’s conduct his inattention to the left-turn signal of the defendant’s driver and to the peril in proceeding, in time for the defendant’s driver to have avoided the collision by not making the left turn; that the defendant’s driver negligently made the left turn when, by the exercise of reasonable care, he had the time and opportunity of not doing so and thereby avoiding the accident.
The foregoing facts bring this case within the third category of the last clear chance doctrine, as stated by 2 Harper and James, Law of Torts § 22.13:
“The last clear chance doctrine has been applied in the United States to cases which fit into one of the four following categories:
*230“ (3) Where plaintiff himself could avoid danger by checking his approach to it or by stepping out of its path but fails to do so because of negligent inattention, and defendant knows plaintiff’s position and realizes or has reason to realize his inattention, and after such knowledge and (actual or constructive) realization could have avoided injury by the use of reasonable care.”
In support of this rule Harper and James, supra cite 2 Restatement of Torts § 480, which states the same rule as follows:
“A plaintiff who, by the exercise of reasonable vigilance could have observed the danger created by the defendant’s negligence in time to have avoided harm therefrom, may recover if, but only if, the defendant
“(a) knew of the plaintiff’s situation, and
“(b) realized or had reason to realize that the plaintiff was inattentive and therefore unlikely to discover his peril in time to avoid the harm, and
“(c) thereafter is negligent in failing to utilize with reasonable care and competence his then existing ability to avoid harming the plaintiff.”
The foregoing statements are consistent with the first phase of the last clear chance doctrine in this state, as announced in Leftridge v. Seattle, 130 Wash. 541, 228 Pac. 302 (1924). 92 A.L.R. 66 states in part:
“The first proposition of the Washington formula, which, as above shown [Leftridge v. Seattle, supra], permits the application of the doctrine notwithstanding the continuance of the injured person’s negligence if the defendant actually discovered the situation and should have appreciated the danger in time, by the exercise of reasonable care, to have enabled him (defendant) to avert the accident, is in harmony with the statement in the American Law Restatement of Torts (Tentative Draft No. 10) chap. 8, § 16 [§ 480, official draft]. . . . ” (Italics mine.)
The trial court was justified in submitting instruction No. 12 to the jury.
The judgment of the trial court entered upon the verdict should be affirmed.