Court Opinion

ID: 9852689
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-24 05:34:54.903387+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:22:32.060094
License: Public Domain

Evans, Judge,
dissenting.
James Edwin Scogin, Jr., aged 19, was riding on top of a truck loaded with hay as it proceeded along a public road in Houston County, Georgia. The truck was driven by an adult, who was aware that certain telephone wires crossed above the road, but Scogin had no such knowledge. When the truck was driven under the wires, Scogin was brought abruptly against the wires and injured. He filed suit against the owner of the wires, to wit: Southern Bell Telephone & Telegraph Company.
The wires were thirteen feet and nine inches above the roadway according to defendant’s testimony. (R. p. 94). The law provided that the combined height of vehicles and load should not exceed thirteen feet and six inches. Code Ann. § 68-405. That law has since been repealed but was fully effective on the date of the injury.
It was not proven that the combined height of the truck and load exceeded thirteen feet and six inches ("between twelve feet six inches and thirteen feet one inch,” according to plaintiffs testimony. R. p. 45), but defendant takes the position that the boy on top of the load was a part of such load, and his height should be added, and if the boy was a part of the load, the total would have been more than thirteen feet six inches.
A summary judgment was denied to the defendant, and it appeals to this court and contends the lower court should have granted its motion.
*3221. The burden of defendant’s contention is that as its wires were higher (thirteen feet nine inches) than the combined height the truck and load were allowed to be (thirteen feet six inches), that plaintiff was violating the law and thus has no standing to sue defendant, that is, no valid cause of action. But in this connection, defendant obviously overlooks certain controlling authorities which provide that a plaintiff may be guilty of violating a law (per se) and yet he may be entitled to recover. Schofield v. Hatfield, 25 Ga. App. 513, 514 (103 SE 732); Jones v. Tanner, 26 Ga. App. 140, 142 (105 SE 705); Louisville & N. R. Co. v. Stafford, 146 Ga. 206, 209 (91 SE 29); Tyson v. Shoemaker, 208 Ga. 28, 31 (65 SE2d 163). Simply because one party to litigation commits negligence per se, while the other party, at most, commits negligence that is not a violation of a law, gives no superior rights to the one who did not commit negligence per se. Such negligence may be equal to or greater than negligence per se, depending on the facts and how the jury decides such questions. See Tyson v. Shoemaker, 208 Ga. 28, 31, supra; Louisville & N. R. Co. v. Stafford, 146 Ga. 206, 209, supra.
2. Questions of negligence, whose negligence, what negligence, proximate cause, responsibility for negligence, etc., are questions peculiarly for determination by a jury. See Hanchey v. Hart, 120 Ga. App. 677, 680 (171 SE2d 918); Wakefield v. A. R. Winter Co., 121 Ga. App. 259 (174 SE2d 178).
3. Another factor in this case which is very important is that the defendant had established its own rules, which provided that its wires should be at least 18 feet above ground level. (R. p. 76) If defendant had complied with its own rules, the injury would not have occurred. It is no excuse to say such rule is solely for guidance of the telephone company in constructing wires, as it has been clearly held that a plaintiff may take advantage of violations of rules of defendant. There is no question whatever here but that defendant violated its own rules. It gave as an excuse that some other company had wires higher than the telephone company’s wires, but it was for the jury to decide whether the telephone company should have built and constructed its wires even higher and over the wires of the third party. As to the *323law on violation of rules of the defendant, see Pollard v. Roberson, 61 Ga. App. 465, 470 (15) (6 SE2d 203); Callaway v. Pickard, 68 Ga. App. 637, 650 (23 SE2d 564).
4. Of great importance, also, is the fact that the minor-plaintiff occupied the status of a guest, and was without knowledge of the low-hanging wires across the roadway, which knowledge was possessed by the adult driver. But the, passenger is not responsible for, nor is he to be charged with, the negligence of the host-driver. Code § 105-205; Fuller v. Mills, 36 Ga. App. 357 (2) (136 SE 807); Jones Mercantile Co. v. Copeland, 54 Ga. App. 647 (3), 649 (188 SE 586); Sheppard v. Ga. R. & Bkg. Co., 68 Ga. App. 697-698 (23 SE2d 441). If the minor-plaintiff had known of the wires and how low they were, he could have taken steps to protect himself by getting off the load of hay; but the record does not show that any warning whatever was given to him.
5. The majority opinion places great reliance on the concept of foreseeability and holds that the telephone company could not foresee that someone might be injured as a result of these wires being too low. Yet, the record discloses that in 1967 defendant was requested to raise the height of the wires so that equipment might be used without damage in paving Old Hawkinsville Road. (R. p. 50) Thus, even if the doctrine or concept of foreseeability controlled here (which I do not admit), there is some evidence the telephone company was well aware of the height of these wires as being too low in one instance when the road was paved; and it was a jury question as to notice to the defendant as to probability of someone being damaged in using the road.
6. This being a summary judgment case, all of the evidence, and all inferences from the evidence must be construed most favorably toward the party opposing same (the plaintiff here); and negligence is a question peculiarly for determination by a jury.
7. We do not find it necessary to decide whether the height of the minor-plaintiff was to be added to the height of the loaded truck in computing its total height. We find no authorities cited by either party on this question, and we make no research ourselves because it is not necessary in this case.
*3248. Therefore, I vote to affirm the lower court in denying summary judgment to defendant, and respectfully dissent from the majority opinion.
I am authorized to state that Presiding Judge Pannell joins in this dissent.