People v. Santos
People v. Santos
Opinion of the Court
OPINION
The appellant, Henry W. Santos, hereafter called the defendant, was charged in the Island Court of Guam with
Before the accident the defendant had been drinking. The doctor who examined him at Guam Memorial Hospital after the accident was prevented from making a thorough examination because the defendant became violent, but the doctor testified that he noticed the smell of alcohol very strong (Tr. p. 2). The police officer who investigated the accident testified that the defendant had alcohol on his breath and the police officer ordered a sobriety examination (Tr. p. 21).
While the mere act of driving while under the influence of intoxicating liquor is not in itself a sufficient predicate for a conviction of reckless driving the fact that one charged with reckless driving had been drinking is a factor to be considered in determining his guilt, and evidence of such drinking is generally recognized as being admissible in a prosecution for reckless driving. 7 Am.Jur.2d 879.
The defendant and his passenger had attended some racing at Harmon Air Strip when it started to rain and the defendant drove onto the highway, was in the middle lane and “I just miss the car was beside me when I pass him and went inside the first lane” (Defendant’s testimony,
From the totality of the evidence, then, the trial court could find (1) the defendant had been drinking; (2) he passed and just missed another car while going above the speed limit on a wet highway, crossing a solid line in the process; (3) some distance farther on went into a skid to the other side of the highway; (4) did not enter the right
Section 23407 of the Government Code of Guam provides that a defendant to be guilty of reckless driving must drive a vehicle in wilful or wanton disregard for the safety of persons or property. We are cited to a number of California decisions by the defendant and the People in connection with the construction of these words. This opinion would be unnecessarily long if we attempted to discuss the various distinctions involved in terms of the large number of decisions. As the defendant has relied upon the following case in support of his position, we quote from it as controlling here.
While, however, for the reasons stated, the contentions embraced in the defendant’s first three specifications of error appear to us to be without substance, it is otherwise with the fourth specification, namely, that the evidence is insufficient to sustain the judgment. There is no dispute that passengers in the defendant’s car were injured in the accident under investigation. We do not doubt that the defendant’s conduct in weaving back and forth while on a grade, from one traffic lane to the other, taken together with the physical facts disclosed in the evidence, particularly the appearance and length of the skid marks on the road, and the place where his automobile came to rest, made out a prima facie case of negligence and possibly of gross negligence on his part. It was open to the defendant, of course, to show that what happened was attributable to mechanical defects in his automobile or other circumstances beyond his control. The explanation which he attempted was met by other testimony which produced a conflict. This conflict the trial court resolved against the defendant. We must, therefore, for the purpose of the present decision, assume that he was guilty of negligence, and may for the sake of the argument assume that it amounted to gross negligence. This, however, is not enough
In the instant case there is nothing to show that the defendant was guilty of “deliberate, intentional, or wanton conduct in doing or omitting to perform acts, with knowledge or appreciation of the fact, on the part of the culpable person, that danger” was “likely to result therefrom” which is the test of the existence or nonexistence of “wilful misconduct” as laid down in Parsons v. Fuller, 8 Cal.2d 463, 468, 66 P.2d 430, 432. In these circumstances he was not shown to be guilty of “reckless driving.” People v. Thompson, 41 Cal. App. 2d Supp. 965, 108 P.2d 105, 107 (App. Dept. S.Ct. 1940).
We hold that when a drinking and speeding defendant on a wet highway has faced one skid which threw his car in front of any traffic coming from the opposite direction, who then continues the same driving pattern until another skid forced his vehicle into collision with a standing car waiting to make a left turn, certainly had knowledge or appreciation of the fact on his part that danger was likely to result therefrom and that he drove his vehicle upon a highway in wilful or wanton disregard for the safety of persons or property. Affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- THE PEOPLE OF THE TERRITORY OF GUAM v. HENRY W. SANTOS
- Status
- Published