Sumner v. Thomas
Sumner v. Thomas
Opinion of the Court
We have given the evidence in substance and in many instances in detail, in order that we might, in the light of it, discuss the contentions. The petition alleges three acts of negligence: (1) That the bus did not have the “red taillight” required by the statute under the Code, § 68-302; (2) that the operator of the bus gave no warning; (3) that the bus was parked
The plaintiff nowhere states in his evidence that the bus was not equipped with lights as required by the law. Neither does he state that an additional flare light was not placed behind the bus after it was parked. The extent of his testimony is that he never saw any lights at all; that he did not even see the bus itself until he was within twelve feet of it. He did testify that his car was equipped with proper headlights which cast a beam a distance of 200 feet.
As to the other act of negligence, it is conceded by the plaintiff that the bus was parked within eight feet of the center line of the highway. The evidence is undisputed that the bus was a passenger-carrying school bus painted yellow; that the night was clear and cool; that the dome lights inside the bus were all burning; that there were three large glass windows in the back of the bus through which the lights from the inside could be seen for a considerable distance; that from the point of the collision to the point in the road for over half a mile from the direction from which the plaintiff was approaching the bus the road was practically straight with a very slight decline; that all the lights on the bus— taillights and other lights — were burning; that in addition thereto there was a flare behind the bus, either immediately back of the bus or within 100 feet back of the bus; that a number of witnesses who were asked the question stated that under all the circumstances there was no reason at all why the plaintiff in the exercise of ordinary care could not have discovered the bus and avoided the injury; that the plaintiff was driving 45 miles per hour, according to his own admission, with no defect in his vision, and approaching a stopped bus, did not slow down, did not sound any warning, and did not see the bus or any of the people behind it until, in his own language, he testified that: “There is nothing that I know of
As to the first two allegations of negligence, the evidence wholly fails to establish either of them. While it is true that no witness positively testified that the taillight measured up to the requirements of the statute, still none of the evidence shows that it did not. There is evidence that the taillights were burning and the presumption is that they met the requirements of the statute. The burden was on the plaintiff to show that they did not. There is considerable evidence as* to just how far to the right of the center line of the road the bus was parked or could have parked safely, and there may be some question as to whether the driver of the bus complied with the provisions of the Code, § 68-314, as construed by the Supreme Court in Kelly v. Locke, 186 Ga. 620 (198 S. E. 754), but under the facts of the instant case we think it might with propriety be conceded but not decided that the driver did not meet such requirements. Even then we think the court properly directed a verdict for the defendant. The fundamental law of
We are mindful that it is only in clear cases that the court has authority to decide questions of negligence as a matter of law. It is generally a jury question. But where, in the evidence, there is no reasonable ground for two opinions it then becomes a matter of law and not a question of fact for the jury. Hnder the record in this case there is no reasonable ground for but one opinion and that is that the plaintiff by the exercise of ordinary care could have avoided the consequences to himself caused by the defendant’s negligence, if indeed the evidence shows any negligence on the part of the defendant. Taylor v. Morgan, 54 Ga. App. 426 (188 S. E. 44). We doubt if there is any one subject-in our law that has given rise to as many decisions and as much research as that of negligence, and it is a general rule that usually each must stand or fall on its own facts. We will not cite at length any further statutes or decisions except to call attention to the decisions which the plaintiff cites. We do this without comment further than to say that on a
Judgment affirmed.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.