Coverrubias v. Brown
Coverrubias v. Brown
Opinion of the Court
A Chevrolet automobile owned by 'Juan Gonzales and driven by his brother Basilio Gonzales
The only question requiring consideration is whether findings to the effect that the appellant was guilty of negligence which was a proximate cause of the accident, are sustained by the evidence. No substantial conflict appears in the evidence in so far as material matters are concerned.
Placentia Avenue runs north and south. Center Street comes into it from the southwest at slightly less than a 90-degree angle, but does not extend beyond Placentia Avenue. The paved portion of each street is about 18 feet wide. The intersection was entirely surrounded by orange trees, except for a garage and service station at the northwest corner. At the time of the accident, which happened shortly after 9 o’clock at night, the Chevrolet car containing the three boys, all of whom had been drinking and one of whom was moderately drunk, was coming south on Placentia Avenue while the appellant’s ear, which had been coming east on Center 'Street, was making a turn to the north on Placentia. The night was clear and the pavement was dry. The appellant testified that as he approached the intersection he was driving on the right-hand or southerly side of Center Street; that he checked his speed and was almost stopped as he arrived at the intersection; that as he entered the intersection he looked both ways and saw the Chevrolet ear coming; that that car was then about 50 feet north of a 15-mile speed limit sign on Placentia Avenue, which sign was 300 feet north of the intersection; that he gave a left turning signal, shifted into second gear and proceeded to cross toward the easterly edge of
While some of the witnesses testified that the appellant’s car was still moving at the time it was struck by the Chevrolet, it was either stopped or nearly so and whether or not it was moving at the time is not material here. It appears, without conflict, that there was no stop sign at this intersection; that the appellant had crossed to the east side of Placentia Avenue; that his automobile was on the extreme east portion of the pavement with the right front wheel on the shoulder at the time he was struck; that the collision occurred on the appellant’s right-hand side of Placentia and at a point almost exactly opposite the north line of Center Street; that there were no skid' marks behind the Oldsmobile; that the Chevrolet had skidded with locked brakes a distance of 55 feet before the point of the impact; that the Chevrolet had crossed over almost to the east edge of the pavement on Placentia Avenue where the impact occurred; and that it then struck the Oldsmobile with sufficient force to shove that ear 10 or 12 feet in a southerly direction, at which point the Chevrolet overturned.
The driver of the Chevrolet admitted that he passed over to his wrong side of the street, where the collision occurred. This driver testified that he saw the appellant’s car several hundred feet before it arrived at the intersection; that it was then going about 25 miles an hour; and that he then pulled over to the east side of the road because he thought the appellant would be unable to stop. While he testified at one time that he was 30 feet from the intersection, and at another time that he was 100 feet away, when he first saw the other car, he stated very positively that he was unable to estimate distances and always came back to the statement that he knew that he was farther north than the 15-mile sign when he saw the other car. It appears without conflict that this 15-mile sign was 300 feet north of the intersection. The driver of the Chevrolet further testified that he did not put on his brake immediately after he saw the other car, but that when he did put on the brake he was only going 15 miles an hour.
In support of the judgment the respondents contend that the appellant's testimony to the effect that he saw the other ear when his own front wheels were about even with the west line of Placentia Avenue and that he then proceeded at a low rate of speed across to the east side of Placentia Avenue is, in itself, sufficient to show negligence which is a proximate cause of the accident. This argument leaves out of consideration the position of the other car at that time and it is apparent that this evidence alone is not sufficient to sustain these findings. The respondents also rely upon the evidence of two witnesses who were at the time coming along Center Street in an automobile, being about 600 feet west of the intersection at the time the collision occurred. Their testimony was to the effect that the appellant’s car was moving at the time of the collision. As we have already pointed out, this fact is immaterial. These witnesses also testified that immediately before the impact they observed the lights of the appellant’s car reflected on the side of the Chevrolet. While it is argued that this indicates that the Chevrolet must have been practically at the intersection when the appellant pulled into that street and started to make his left-hand turn, it is at once apparent that this testimony can relate only to the position of the cars for a split second before the impact and that it throws no light on how or when they got into that position. The impact occurred near the north side of the intersection and since the Chevrolet was proceeding at an angle toward the easterly side of Placentia Avenue and since the appellant’s car was at that time on the east half of Placentia and facing in a northerly direction, the appellant’s lights would be reflected on the side of the other car, although the time during which this could be seen by these witnesses, who were 600 feet back on a road lined with orange trees, would be very brief. However, these witnesses did not claim to have seen this for any length of time and it is apparent from their testimony that they saw the same just as the collision occurred. We see nothing in the testimony of these witnesses to justify the
Aside from the suggestion of speed, last referred to, the only negligence attributed to the appellant by the respondents is that he entered the intersection when he saw another car coming. If it can be said to have been negligence for the appellant to have entered this intersection when he saw another car more than 300 feet away or in “going pretty fast” while so doing, we are unable to see how either of these could be ■ held to have been a proximate cause of the accident under these circumstances. The appellant had practically completed his turn and was proceeding north
The appellant’s further contention that the evidence shows contributory negligence on the part of the two passengers, which contention is based upon the claim that they knew prior to the accident that the driver of the Chevrolet was so under the influence of liquor as not to be able to drive properly, is not sustained by the evidence.
For the reasons given the judgment is reversed.
Marks, J., and Jennings, J., concurred.
A petition by respondents to have the cause heard in the Supreme Court, after judgment in the District Court of Appeal, was denied by the Supreme Court on February 4, 1935'.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.