Court Opinion

ID: 9768109
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-29 05:42:44.341759+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:30:36.686534
License: Public Domain

McMILLIAN, Judge
(dissenting).
I respectfully dissent from the majority’s holding that plaintiffs’ made a submissible case against defendant Jacky Williams. The evidence indicated that defendant Williams was traveling at thirty-five (35) miles per hour or fifty-two (52) feet per second when he first saw the Cato automobile crossways in the road sixty feet ahead of him and the car was sliding back towards him. Assuming that Williams reacted normally to the danger presented, in three-fourths of a second his automobile would have travelled 39 feet. Although Williams immediately applied his brakes in an effort to avoid the accident, his automobile slid on the snowy pavement into the sliding Cato vehicle. Thus, it appears under the circumstances then existing, the majority opinion correctly found that the Williams automobile could not have stopped within the remaining 21 feet so as to avoid the accident. On the other hand the majority, without any evidence, concluded in the emergency situation confronting defendant Williams that Williams had sufficient time and distance, after discovering the Cato automobile, to have avoided the accident by swerving his automobile. At best defendant Williams’ statement that, “. . .1 assume I could have gotten around, I mean there was room to get around but putting on my brakes I slid into him” is highly speculative as to whether Williams could have avoided the accident with the on-coming, sliding Cato vehicle, by swerving. No evidence was adduced by plaintiffs as to how long or far it would have taken defendant Williams to swerve his automobile so as to avoid the accident. Consequently, taking into consideration the snowy condition of the road, the sliding movement of the Cato vehicle towards defendant Williams’ automobile, and the fact that Williams had less than a half of a second to take some evasive action, I find no evidence to support a case against Williams. Therefore, I would affirm the judgment of the trial court sustaining defendant Williams’ motion for a directed verdict because of the failure of plaintiffs to make a submissible case against him.