JOSEPH F. STEELE
v.
INDEPENDENT FISH COMPANY, INC., A CORPORATION

Fla. | 1943-04-16
BUFORD, C. J., CHAPMAN and ADAMS, JJ., concur.
152 Fla. 739 Florida Supreme Court (1943) Positive Treatment
Also reported at: 13 So. 2d 14
Cited by 14 cases

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Synopsis

In this 1943 Florida case, the court reversed a demurrer ruling that had dismissed plaintiff's negligence action against a company for injuries caused by its improperly parked truck with bright lights on a highway at night. The court held that leaving a truck parked in a curve on a traveled highway at night with headlights shining across the roadway and no warning signals constitutes negligence per se, and that contributory negligence is a jury question.


Holding

The court held that parking a truck in a curve on a traveled highway at night with lights shining across the path and no warning flares constitutes negligence per se. The court further held that contributory negligence is a question of fact for the jury, and that the defendant's creation of a hazard in the plaintiff's path required submission to the jury rather than dismissal by demurrer.


Key Quotes

“It is negligence per se to leave a truck parked in a curve on a traveled highway at night with the lights shining and no flares out.”

Establishes the court's holding that defendant's conduct constitutes negligence per se as a matter of law.

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Facts & Procedural History

Plaintiff was driving a truck loaded with blueberries along a highway toward Crestview at night when he encountered defendant's truck parked wholly on…

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Opinion of the Court
TERRELL, J.:

TERRELL, J.:

Appellant brought a common law action against appellee to recover damages for injury to his truck and its contents resulting from negligence on the part of defendant. A demurrer to the declaration was sustained, final judgment was entered for the defendant, and the plaintiff appealed.

It appears from the declaration that plaintiff was driving his truck loaded with blueberries along the highway leading to Crestview, that defendant’s truck was parked in a curve wholely on the highway, that it was in the night time and defendant’s truck was parked in such a way that the bright lights from it shown across the curve in the direction from which plaintiff was approaching. There were no flares or warnings out and as plaintiff approached the curve, he thought defendant’s truck was moving toward him but when he found that it was not, the light from it was at such a position that he became confused. In attempting to pass it (defendant’s truck) he turned too far off the shoulder and overturned his truck damaging it and its contents. The declaration also alleges that the plaintiff was driving his truck in a lawful manner, at a reasonable speed, that it was under control for all ordinary contingencies and that the *740negligence of defendant in parking his truck was the cause of the accident.

In fine, the declaration is grounded on these acts of negligence: (1) The parking of defendant’s truck wholely on the highway at night, (2) Leaving the lights shining so that they fell across the.path of the plaintiff, and (3) Neglecting to set out flares or other signals to warn the public. These acts are all condemned by the statute and the demurrer raising the defense of contributory negligence admits their commission.

This Court has repeatedly held that contributory negligence is a question of fact for the jury. It is negligence per se to leave a truck parked in a curve on a traveled highway at night with the lights shining and no flares out. It throws the light in an unnatural position across the highway; it blinds and is confusing to those passing; they can never be certain what is in the rear of the parked truck or what the condition of the curve is and passing at any speed is accompanied with a degree of uncertainty and suspense that is uselessly imposed. The law does not require one approaching a beam thus thrown athwart his path to dismount, park, and penetrate it afoot or dispatch a- courier to ascertain the state of the terrain on the other side.

In our view, the allegations of the declaration show that defendant erected a hazard in the path of the plaintiff who may or may have not been negligent in attempting to pass it. At any rate, this was a question for the jury which under the facts related should have been submitted to them with appropriate instructions.

Reversed.

BUFORD, C. J., CHAPMAN and ADAMS, JJ., concur.


Cases With Similar Vibessemantic neighbors from the corpus


Citator

Cited By

  • Mertz v. Krueger, 58 So.2d 160 (Fla. 1952)
    …nder appropriate instructions. Wells et ux. v. Palm Beach Kennel Club, 160 Fla. 502, 35 So. 2d 720. This court has repeatedly held that the question of contributory negligence is a question of fact for the jury. Steele v. Independent Fish Co., Inc., 152 Fla. 739, 13 So. 2d 14. A large volume of evidence was taken in support of the allegations in the declaration. The question of negligence on the part of defendants and contributory negligence on the part of the plaintiff were questions for the jury if there…
  • Rainbow Enters., Inc. v. Thompson, 81 So. 2d 208 (Fla. 1955)
    …jury under appropriate instructions. Wells v. Palm Beach Kennel Club, 160 Fla. 502, 35 So. 2d 720. This court hás repeatedly held that the question of contributory negligence is a question of fact for the jury. Steele v. Independent Fish Co., Inc., 152 Fla. 739, 13 So. 2d 14.” When the relationship between the parties is considered together with the particular negligence alleged, to wit: failure to maintain a stairway in a safe condition or in the alternative' failure to warn of an alleged dangerous condi…
  • Redwing Carriers, Inc. v. Helwig, 108 So. 2d 620 (Fla. 2d DCA 1959)
    …ida has held many times that contributory negligence is ordinarily and peculiarly a question of fact for the jury. Frash v. Sarres, Fla.1952, 60 So. 2d 924; Goldin v. Lipkind, Fla.1950, 49 So. 2d 539, 27 A.L.R.2d 816; Steele v. Independent Fish Co., 152 Fla. 739, 13 So. 2d 14; Turner v. Modern Beauty Supply Co., 152 Fla. 3, 10 So. 2d 488; L. B. McLeod Construction Co. v. Cooper, 101 Fla. 441, 134 So. 224; Florida East Coast R. Co. v. Lassiter, 59 Fla. 246, 52 So. 975; City of Williston v. Cribbs, Fla.1955,…

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