200 A. 893 | Pa. Super. Ct. | 1938
Argued April 29, 1938. This is an action of trespass arising out of a collision between defendant's street car and an automobile owned and operated by plaintiff. From the judgment in favor of plaintiff, defendant has appealed, contending that plaintiff was guilty of contributory negligence as a matter *416 of law, and that accordingly judgment should be entered in defendant's favor non obstante veredicto.
Because plaintiff has the verdict, we are required, in reviewing the testimony, to apply the familiar rule that it must not only be read in the light most favorable to plaintiff, all conflicts therein being resolved in his favor, but he must be given the benefit of every fact and inference of fact pertaining to the issues involved which may reasonably be deduced from the evidence. Kovacs et al. v. Ajhar et al.,
While there was no direct evidence to that effect, inferentially, the traffic signal for the street car was *417 red at the time it was green for plaintiff, and in its statement of the question involved, defendant assumes that such was the case.
Defendant does not contend that its street car was not negligently operated. The sole question involved is whether plaintiff must be held contributorily negligent as a matter of law.
Plaintiff was obliged to present a case which disclosed that he exercised due care or was free from negligence (Adams v.Gardiner,
Plaintiff testified that he first observed the street car proceeding in an easterly direction on Liberty Avenue about 15 or 20 feet away when his automobile was about 15 or 20 feet from the first rail of the car tracks, and that at that time the street car was slowing down. As he reached the first rail, he saw the street car about 13 1/2 feet distant. Under all the circumstances he had a right to assume that it was going to stop, or at least that the motorman had the car under control. Plaintiff had the green light in his favor, and from the evidence it may be inferred that the street car had the red light against it. The automobile which preceded plaintiff crossed the tracks 5 or 6 feet ahead of him.
It is true that plaintiff's testimony was somewhat conflicting as to distances. However, the distance of 13 1/2 feet, which was the distance of the street car from his automobile as the latter reached the first rail of the car track, was established by plaintiff's indicating two points in the courtroom. A witness for plaintiff *418 testified substantially to the same effect. Defendant places much emphasis on the fact that plaintiff testified as follows: "Q. Now, was that car in motion or stopped, and, if so, what was the speed of the street car, what was it doing? A. First going. I think myself the car is going to stop and me take a chance, because I got a green light." But plaintiff also testified: "Q. With the street car that distance away [13 1/2 feet] when you were on the first rail, you did what? A. When I saw that the street car was slowing down, and I seen it was going to stop, then I made my attempt to pass on the rails."
We think the testimony considered in its entirety presents a case for the jury as to plaintiff's contributory negligence. See Adams v. Gardiner, supra. Plaintiff had difficulty in expressing himself in English, and his expression "take a chance" was not in itself sufficient to require the court below to find that he was guilty of contributory negligence as a matter of law. The jury could properly conclude that plaintiff meant to convey by this expression the same thought he expressed when he testified "then I made my attempt to pass on the rails." The proper course in interpreting the testimony of witnesses is to adopt that sense of the words which best harmonizes with the context. Ferguson v. Charis,
It was plaintiff's duty to approach the crossing with his automobile under such control that it could be stopped if danger was imminent. But he was not required to wait until defendant's street car had passed simply because it was in sight as he approached the car tracks, if, under the circumstances, there was a reasonable opportunity to cross. Elements entering into the question of reasonable time are the distance the street *419
car was from him, and the speed at which the street car and his automobile was traveling. Flounders v. Southern PennsylvaniaTraction Co.,
Although plaintiff did not estimate the speed of the approaching street car in miles per hour, that was not necessary to establish his case free from contributory negligence. "The test must be whether he acted as a reasonably prudent person would act under all the circumstances. If the testimony left that question in doubt, and we think it did, the case was for the jury: Weschler v. Buffalo and L.E.T. Co.,
supra [
While, as defendant contends, the green or "go" signal was merely a qualified permission to proceed lawfully and carefully in the direction indicated, and did not relieve plaintiff of the duty to look, we are of the opinion that the facts in the instant case warranted the jury in finding that plaintiff complied with this requirement. Cf. Byrne et al. v. Schultz etal.,
It was the duty of defendant to stop its street car in obedience to the traffic signal, as the superior right of way belonged to plaintiff whose course was favored by the signal, and who arrived at the intersection first. See Galliano v. EastPenn Electric Co.,
Plaintiff had reached the intersection in advance of the street car, which was the only traffic on Liberty Avenue in the vicinity of the intersection. He had the green light to proceed. He had observed the approaching street car both before and at the time he entered upon the street car tracks. At the time of the last *421
observation the car was more than 13 feet away and slowing down as if to stop in obedience to the red signal. Plaintiff was entitled to rely on those circumstances. See Graff v. ScottBros., Inc.,
Giving consideration to all the testimony, this is not a case where plaintiff can be declared guilty of contributory negligence as a matter of law.
Judgment is affirmed.