Mugge v. Brackin
Mugge v. Brackin
Opinion of the Court
— Brackin recovered a judgment against Mugge for personal injuries received by being run against by a horse and buggy driven by Mugge in a street in the city of Tampa, Florida, and Mugge took writ of error The briefs state that “it is contended that contributory negligence is apparent from the facts testified to by the plaintiff himself and by his witnesses.”
It appears that as Brackin was crossing Twiggs Street towards the northeast to enter Jefferson Street going-north he saw Mugge’s team coming rapidly from the west about a block away on Twiggs Street. After crossing Twiggs Street Brackin entered Jefferson Street, and the team continuing at the high rate of speed and with much noise turned into Jefferson Street striking Brackin from the rear when he had not looked back or noticed its approach in time to avoid it. It also appears that Mugge made no effort to avoid the collision, and that the team .approaching from the rear was upon Brackin in Jefferson Street before he knew of its approach on that street, though his sight and hearing were good.
While Brackin cannot in law excuse himself from all
Where a person who is not being careless, but who is .properly walking along or across a street and is injured by a vehicle rapidly and negligently driven upon him before he has reasonable opportunity to escape, the party so driving the vehicle is liable in damages for injuries proximately caused by the negligence. Even if Brackin reasonably should have expected that Mugge who was rapidly driving down Twiggs Street would or might turn up Jefferson Street into which street Brackin had passed, the law did not require Brackin to anticipate that Mugge would continue his rapid speed when he turned into Jefferson Street and saw Brackin walking in that street ahead of him. The vehicle Mugge was driving approached Brackin from the rear at a rapid speed while Brackin was walking where and as he had a right to do, with apparently nothing in his surroundings to warn him of the careless rapid driving of the vehicle into the street just behind him. If Brackin had looked behind he would have seen the approaching team, but he was not required to look behind when the surrounding circumstances did not make that precaution reasonably necessary for his safety. He had a right to pass along Jefferson Street and he also had a right to assume that
Among the charges given to the jury at the request ■of the plaintiff was the following:
While the precise language of this charge is not approved, yet it is clear that under the facts in evidence this charge could not reasonably have misled the jury to the injury of the defendant. In view of the injuries shown to have been sustained by the plaintiff it is not clear that the $400.00 damages allowed are excessive.
This discussion disposes of the specific as well as the general contentions of the plaintiff in error, and the cdnclusion follows that there was no reversible error In overruling the demurrer to the evidence, in denying the motion for new trial and in giving the charge assigned and argued as error.
Counsel for the plaintiff in error rely largely upon the following cases: Borg v. Spokane Toilet Supply Co. 50 Wash. 204, 96 Pac. Rep. 1037; Harris v. Commercial Ice Co. 153 Pa. St. 278, 25 Atl. Rep. 1133; Dimuria v. Seattle Transfer Co. 50 Wash. 633, 97 Pac. Rep. 657; Belton v.
The judgment is affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Robert Mugge, in Error v. Henry B. Brackin, in Error
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- ' Where a person who is not careless, but is properly walking along or across a street, is injured by a vehicle rapidly and negligently driven upon him before be has reasonable opportunity to escape, the party so driving the vehicle is liable in damages for injuries proximately caused by the negligence.