Court Opinion

ID: 9671905
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-24 03:45:07.087278+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:16:12.927776
License: Public Domain

MORRIS, Chief Justice.
' The plaintiff 'in this action seeks to recover $400 damage 'to1 his automobile and $70 for the loss of i'ts use for approximately six’ days. A 'jury' was waived and the case was tried to the court by stipulation of the parties. The'baSi's of the action-is a 'collision between the plaintiff’s automobile and that of the defendant,- which the plaintiff alleges- was due' to thé defendant's negligence. 'The defendant;5 on the other hand; denies that he wa's negligent and1 alleges that, if the plaintiff’s property suffered any damage, the: negligence and the carelessness of the plaintiff- contributed': proximately thereto. ■ ■
The trial court found that plaintiff's damages were caused by the negligent, .operation of the defendant’s automobile by the defendant and that there was no contributory negligence on the part of the plaintiff. He awarded damages in the sum of $362.41. From a judgment entered .in accordance with the trial court’s findings and order for judgment,' the defendant appeals and demands a trial anew in this court.
Under the provisions of Section 28-2732, NDRC 1943, on appeal from an action tried by the court without a jury,, whether triable by a jury or not, ■
“The supreme court shall try anew the questions of fact specified in the statement or in the entire case, if the appellant demands a retrial of the entire case, and shall finally dispose of the same whenever justice can be done without a new trial, and shall either affirm or modify the judgment or direct a new judgment to be entered in the district court.”
Under the provisions of this section the supreme court must review and weigh the evidence independently of the trial court’s *297findings. But in doing so this court will give those findings appreciable weight. This is especially true when the findings are based upon the testimony of witnesses who appeared in person before the trial court. Knell v. Christman, N.D., 59 N.W. 2d 293, and cases therein cited.
The accident in question occurred at about 2:30 p. m., June 9, 1951, on U. S. Highway No. 10, .about twenty miles , east of Jamestown. ■ The.. plaintiff testifies that he was driving about fifty miles an hour in an easterly direction. The defendant, going at about the. same speed, had been for some time traveling in the same direction about a block ahead of' the plaintiff. As the defendant approached an- intersection of No. 10 with another highway running north and south near the town of Eckelson, the defendant got over ón the left, or north, side of the road. The plaintiff' “figured” that the defendant would turn back again into the right lane 'but instead of doing that the defendant turned sharply to the left and struck a car coming from the opposite direction. ' Thé defendant had applied his brakes about seventy-five feet before the collision occurred. The plaintiff also applied his brakes, slowed down a bit, and then released them. When the collision occurred the pláintiff was going not over thirty-five miles ah hour. When the defendant’s car collided with the car traveling in the north traffic lane his car bounced back and hit the plaintiff’s car just as the plaintiff was passing in the 'south lane, resulting in the damages' for which this action is brought. The' plaintiff testifies that he was about ten or twelve-feet behind the Frendberg car when the collision took place and that the Frendberg car was bunted from north to .south .a distance of ten or eleven feet until it hit the plaintiff’s car.
A Mrs. Frankenberger was the owner of and riding in the car that first, collided with the Frendberg car.. Her car was being driven by Mrs. Frankenberger’s sister-in-law. Her father and daughter were also passengers. This party was driving westward on No. 10 toward Jamestown. She describes the accident this way:
“Well, I couldn’t exactly say' how long. I- saw that my sister-in-law :and I both saw him, and' I says,: ‘Take to the ditch.’ Then he went back like he was going for his .own side of the road, so we kept to going; and all of a sudden he went into us.” ■ ■ .
Mrs. Frankenberger. also testified that the Frendberg car hit hers on thq left front wheel ‘ and knocked it under the engine. The Frankenberger car was stopped instantly with two wheels in.the ditch.and two wheels on the road. She also said that the Frendberg car “bounced right back on the highway” and “His car bounced just like a rubber ball bounces.’’ .
The sheriff of Barnes County testified that he reached the scene of the accident shortly after three o’clock. There . he found three cars that had been in an accident. One' car was in the .ditch on the north side of the highway; one was on the south side of the highway facing east; and the Frendberg car was across the road facing north at a little angle northeast- and southwest. He found glass and debris “Way over the center line and closer to the north side.” ' He also testified that there were tire 'burns on the highway where the Frend-berg car had been sh'ovéd back 'and forth on accopnt of the’two collisions.
The defendant’s version of the accident is as follows: :
“I was -going to'take that road to Eckelson. A little beyond' that" underpass I was-going around between fifty and sixty and began to slow- down and turned my left-hand signal ón and started edging over toward the road to where I' was going to turn off. Then as I was going along, I held my hand on that signal light because it automatically turns out. • Well, I had to' be sure, so I held it down. Then I looked into the left-hand lane to be sure' it was ■ clear so I could make a'turn. I'took special care. I don’t hear; and when I’m driving, my attention is 'on the road becadse there is no radio or an-y-thing to- bother me' at all; The'-road was entirely clear. 1
*298“And then .1 started to’ make, the turn; and just as I got over, bang. .That..is the way the thing happened.”
Neither Mrs. Frankenberger nor the plaintiff saw the defendant’s signal lights.
As bearing upon the defendant’s negligence, we call attention to these statutes:
Section .39-1011, NDRC,1943, which provides :
‘■‘The driverof a vehicle intending to turn at an intersection:
* * ⅜
“2. When intending to turn to the left, shall approach such intersection in the lane for traffic to the right of and nearest to the center line of the highway, and in turning shall pass beyond the center of the intersection, passing as closely as practicable to the right thereof before turning such vehicle to the left.”
Section 39-1017, NDRC 1943, requires that:
“When two vehicles approach or enter an intersection at approximately the same time, the driver of the vehicle on the left shall yield the right-of-way to the vehicle on the right * *
It is obvious from our summary of the testimony that in approaching the intersection the defendant violated Section 39-1011, supra. If the defendant actually reached the intersection before turning to the left, a matter concerning which the evidence is in dispute, when he turned his vehicle he was on the left with respect to any other vehicle approaching the intersection in the north lane from the east. It is clear that the Frankenberger car was approaching the intersection at approximately the same time from the defendant’s right and it therefore had the right-of-way. Under these circumstances it became the duty of the defendant to look out for and give to the Frankenberger car the right-of-way. This he failed to do. His failure to do so was the proximate cause of the collision between the defendant’s car and that belonging to Mrs. Frankenberger', which resulted in defendant’s car being' bounced back into plaintiff’s traffic lane. The negligence of the defendant with respect to both collisions is clearly established. Vance v. McCleary, 168 Wash. 296, 11 P.2d 823.
In Boyd v. Close, 82 Colo. 150, 257 P. 1079, 1080, it is said:
“If cars approach each other on a straight track, each on the right-hand side of the road, and neither turn, no question of precedence can arise. But he who turns, thus transferring the other from his left to his right, must yield. Otherwise, no rule governs, and • ‘the race is to the swift and the battle to the strong.’"
As a result of the collision with the Frankenberger car the Frendberg car was bounced back and into the side of the plaintiff’s car as the plaintiff was passing in the south lane of traffic. For injury to his car resulting from the second collision, the plaintiff seeks recovery here. The defendant urges that recovery is barred by the contributory negligence of the plaintiff. The chain of events which resulted in the injury to the plaintiff’s car was set in motion by the negligence of the defendant and unless the contributory negligence of the plaintiff intervenes he is entitled to recover.
Section 39-1009, NDRC 1943, provides that:
“The driver of a motor vehicle shall not-follow another vehicle more closely than is reasonable and prudent, having due regard to the speed of such vehicles and the traffic upon and condition of the highway.”
Highway No. 10 at and near the point where the accident occurred is paved with a surfacing known as blacktop, twenty-four feet in width. On each side of this pavement is a shoulder with a surfacing of gravel or thin 'blacktop. Outside of the shoulders are ditches which vary In depth according to drainage necessities.
As he approached the point where the accident took place the plaintiff was *299driving about a block behind the defendant. Both were traveling at about the same speed and had been doing so for seven or eight miles. The plaintiff saw the defendant going over to the center of the road. He slowed up until he was eighty or eighty-five feet behind the defendant. After a short distance the plaintiff released his brakes. He says:
“I let them up because I thought it-would be clear sailing, that’s what I figured.”
The record further discloses the following:
“Q. At the time you let up on your’ brakes, there was one car coming west from the east, wasn’t there? A. Yes.
“Q. There was also Frendberg who had slowed down and yourself who had just barely put on your brakes and then let them up again, that’s right, isn’t it? A. I guess so, yes.
“Q. You didn’t have any idea and didn’t know that there was the makings of a pile-upi there when Frendberg was there making a turn and a car coming at him from the east and you coming at him from the west, and so you let up on your brakes and kept on going. A. I figured I’d get by.
“Q. You thought you could get by, and you couldn’t. A. But I had the right-of-way -because- I had lots of room. He could have just as well flew the other way.
“Q. Then, according to your testimony, this collision between Frend-berg and the other car must have occurred before your collision with Frendberg. A. That’s right.
“Q. That would be a very short time, wouldn’t it? ■ A. Yes.
“Q. How far behind Frendberg do you think you were at the time of his collision with the other car, with the car that was going west ? A. Oh, I’d judge ten or twelve feet.”
And again' plaintiff says Frendberg’s car was bounced back “Clear as far as it could go until it hit me. * * * Halfway off of the tar on the other side.”
“The standard to be used in determining, whether or not plaintiff has been guilty of such contributory negligence as will defeat recovery is'whether the actions of the plaintiff were those of an ordinary prudent person under ' the same circumstances and in the same position.” Bagg v. Otter Tail Power Co., 70 N.D. 704, 297 N.W..774, 775.
Of course, if the plaintiff’s car had not been passing behind the defendant’s car as it turned and collided with the Frankenberger car, the second collision would not have occurred. But we cannot infer that the plaintiff was negligent merely because his car was in the path of the backwardly bouncing car of the defendant. Neither does it appear that the plaintiff was violating Section 39-1009, NDRC 1943, pro-, viding that the' driver of a motor- vehicle shall not follow another vehicle more closely than is reasonable and .prudent. When the accident occurred the plaintiff was not following but was passing behind the defendant who had turned out of the plaintiff’s lane of traffic. The plaintiff was not bound to anticipate that the defendant would negligently handle his car in such a manner as to create a traffic hazard.
“There is a natural presumption that every one will act with due care'; and it cannot therefore be imputed -to a plaintiff as contributory negligence that he did not anticipate culpable negligence on the part of the defendant.” Ruehl v. Lidgerwood Rural Telephone Co., 23 N.D. 6, 135 N.W. 793, L.R.A. 1918C, 1063, Ann. Cases 1914C, 680.
The- driver of a motor vehicle approaching an intersection has the right to assume that others likewise approaching the intersection will observe the law of th‘e road. Pederson v. O’Rourke, 54 N.D. 428, 209 N. W. 798. The plaintiff cannot be charged with contributory negligence because he relied on that assumption, unless the circumstances were such that a reasonable oerson would conclude that the defendant *300intended to disregard the law in a manner likely to create a hazardous situation. Under the circumstances here presented, the plaintiff was not bound to anticipate the hazard created by the defendant’s negligence in time to avoid the second collision. Zettle v. Lutovsky, 72 N.D. 331, 7 N.W.2d 180.
We agree with the trial court in his finding that the plaintiff’s damages were caused by the negligent operation of defendant’s automobile and that; the defendant faiied to establish a defense of contributory negligence on the part of the plaintiff. The judgment is affirmed.
■BURKE and SATHRE, JJ., concur.