Bogdan v. Pappas
Bogdan v. Pappas
Opinion of the Court
The purpose of this action was to recover damages for injuries sustained by the plaintiff, due to the negligence of the defendant George Pappas in the operation of an automobile. Recovery is also sought against the defendant Pacific Coast Casualty Company upon the bond upon which that company was surety and Pappas was principal. From a verdict and judgments in favor of the plaintiff, the defendants appeal.
The respondent opens his brief with a motion to dismiss the appeal because the briefs of the appellants were not served within the time required by law. The appellants’ opening brief was served on the 6th day of July, 1916, and was filed in this court on the day following. The respondent’s brief was served on the 4th day of August, 1916, and was filed in this court on the 10th day of the same month. The appellants’ reply brief was served on August 28, 1916, and was filed in this court on the 31st day of the same month. The cause was heard here on the 15th day of November, 1916, at which time a motion to dismiss was first presented. Upon these facts, we think the motion should not be granted.
Upon the merits, as to the Pacific Coast Casualty Company, there is no liability, because the accident did not occur in the city where the operation of the automobile was covered by the bond. This question is fully discussed in the recent case of Bartlett v. Lanphier, 94 Wash. 354, 162 Pac. 532. Upon the authority of that case, there is no liability upon the bond in the present case, because the accident happened upon a county highway, and not within the corporate limits of the city of Everett.
In the case last cited, it was said:
“The object of the traffic ordinance is to protect pedestrians and vehicles and to avoid collisions. ... We have held that similar ordinances had no application unless the one invoking the ordinance can say that the ordinance was enacted for his benefit. Wherefore, it has been frequently held that it is not negligence per se for a person to drive at an unlawful rate of speed, or upon the wrong side of the street, if the nonobservance of the traffic ordinance did not result in injury to the one for whose benefit it had been enacted.” (Citing authorities.)
The instruction was not applicable to the facts in this case. As to the Pacific Coast Casualty Company, the judgment will be reversed, and the cause remanded with direction
Ellis, C. J., Mount, and Chadwick, JJ., concur.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Joseph A. Bogdan v. George Pappas
- Cited By
- 8 cases
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- Appeal — Briefs—Time for Filins. An appeal will not be dismissed for failure to file briefs in time where the appellants’ brief was served July 6 and filed the following day, the respondent’s brief was served August 4th and filed August 10th, and the appellants’ reply brief was served August 28th and filed August 31st. Carriers — Regulation—Automobiles—Surety Bonds — Liability of Surety — City Limits. A surety bond covering the operation of an automobile for passengers for hire in cities of the first class does not cover accidents upon a public highway outside of the city limits. Highways — Use—-Negligence—Traffic Regulations— Violation. It is not negligence per se to fail to observe the traffic statute, Rem. Code, § 5562-26, requiring automobiles to keep to the right of the center of street intersections in turning to the right, where the accident resulted in injury to a passenger in a jitney, which skidded from the road in rounding a turn and passing another automobile going in the same direction; since the statute was passed to avoid collisions and injury to persons in the street, and the complaining party was not one for whose benefit the law was enacted.