Court Opinion

ID: 9676062
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-24 05:13:33.395606+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:16:43.277801
License: Public Domain

W. O. MURRAY, Chief Justice.
I do not concur in the opinion of the majority. The jury found, in answer to Question No. 1, that the driver of the Powell truck drove said truck to his left side of the highway' as he approached the point of the accident in question, and in answer to Question No. 2, found that such act was a proximate cause of the accident and damages resulting therefrom. There was no doubt about the Powell truck being upon the left side of the highway at the time of the collision, but the question to be decided by the jury was, how did it get on the left side of the highway? The jury answered that it got there by its driver driving it there. This finding precludes the idea that it was thrown or pulled to the left side. The collision occurred at a point on the highway where it was unlawful to drive upon the left side of the road at all, it being in an underpass, in a no-passing zone, and upon a curve. Art. 6701d, §§ 52, 57a and 58, Vernon’s Ann.Civ.Stats.
Appellees’ theory was that a bloiw-out occurred to the tire on the left front wheel of the Powell truck, thus throwing or pulling the Powell truck to the left side of the highway. This is not a plea of justification in driving on the left side of the highway, but a plea that the driver of the Powell truck did not drive the truck to the left side of the highway. The jury decided this contention against appellees, when it found that the driver of the Powell truck drove it to the left side of the highway. One might be justified in driving to the left side of the road to avoid an obstruction in the highway, but if he is thrown to the left side he has not driven there.
The jury having found that the driver of the Powell truck drove to the left-hand side of the highway and that such act was a proximate cause of the collision, the jury’s further finding that the driver’s act of driving the Powell truck to the left side of the highway was not negligence, is immaterial, as such conduct was in violation of the penal code and negligence per se. Art. 6701d, §§ 57a and 58, supra; Arts. 801(A) and 801(B), Vernon’s Texas Penal Code; Texas Co. v. Betterton, 126 Tex. 359, 88 S.W.2d 1039; 5 Tex.Jur. 714; Shaver v. Mason, Tex.Civ.App., 13 S.W.2d 450; Harbert v. Mathis, Tex.Civ.App., 230 S.W.2d 380; Wright v. McCoy, Tex.Civ.App., 131 S.W.2d 52; Jessee Produce Co. v. Ewing, Tex.Civ.App., 213 S.W.2d 750; Chesshir v. Nall, Tex.Civ.App., 218 S.W.2d 248.
The trial court in rendering the judgment which he 'did, impliedly found that the Powell truck was on its right side of the road at the time the blow-out occurred and was thus thrown or pulled to the left side. In my -opinion there is no evidence to sustain such a finding, and if there were, such finding is in conflict with the jury’s finding that the Powell truck was driven to the left side of the road. In any event, from the evidence in this case it is just as reasonable to suppose that the Powell truck was on the left side of the highway at the time the blow-out occurred as to suppose that it was on the right side.
I respectfully dissent from the opinion of the majority.