Central of Georgia Ry. Co. v. Luther, 47631

• Decision Date: 22 January 1973
• Docket Number: No. 47631,No. 3,47631,3
• Citation: 196 S.E.2d 149,128 Ga.App. 178
• Parties: CENTRAL OF GEORGIA RAILWAY COMPANY v. Nellie F. LUTHER et al
• Court: Georgia Court of Appeals

Page 149

196 S.E.2d 149

128 Ga.App. 178

CENTRAL OF GEORGIA RAILWAY COMPANY v. Nellie F. LUTHER et al.

No. 47631.

Court of Appeals of Georgia, Division No. 3.

Jan. 22, 1973.

Rehearing Denied Feb. 15, 1973.

Syllabus by the Court

1. Reversals by reason of erroneous jury charges to which no exceptions are taken are generally those in which (1) there was an erroneous presentation of the sole issue for decision or (2) of a kind which would have been likely to influence unduly the jury or (3) blatantly prejudicial to the extent of raising a question as to whether the losing party has thus been deprived of a fair trial or (4) a gross injustice resulted therefrom.

2. The negligence of a driver of an automobile is imputable to the owner riding therein as a passenger with an inference therefrom that the owner was in control of the car's operations. But this inference applies only where nothing else appears and is not applicable where the evidence eliminates the inference.

3. Although an expert's evidence is inadmissible when it is a mere restatement of a textbook, such expert testimony is admissible when it is an independent personal opinion derived from study of authorities, personal investigation of the facts, and individual experience.

4. Where a witness testifies to a fact several times without objection the exclusion thereafter of repetition is not error warranting a new trial even though the testimony originally might have been excluded as a conclusion.

5. Withdrawal of an erroneous charge by the court is not error. If counsel desires an additional charge in the nature of an explanatory correction it is incumbent upon him to request same. No complaint having been made as to the withdrawal and no exception taken to its form and content, such conduct constitutes an acquiescence.

6. Where several photographs and other evidence have been admitted it is not error to reject another photograph showing the same elements when the rejected picture contains possible prejudicial material.

7. As a trial judge has discretion with reference to permitting a jury to view the scene, a change of mind is not an abuse thereof. Where the jury has learned of the plan to visit the scene it is proper for the trial to assume full responsibility for his reversal with an explanation as to his reason and to exonerate all counsel of any participation in the change that deprives them of the anticipated group visual visit.

Beck, Goddard, Owen, Squires & Murray, Stephen O. Squires, Howard P. Wallace, Griffin, for appellant.

Barwick, Bentley & Binford, Thomas S. Bentley, M. Cook Barwick, Warren W Wills, Jr., Long, Weinberg, Ansley & Wheeler, Ben. L. Weinberg, Jr., Atlanta, for appellees.

CLARK, Judge.

Central of Georgia Railway Company brings this appeal from an adverse verdict and judgment thereon rendered in a crossing accident. Plaintiff is the widow of Eugene Luther whose death occurred when the automobile owned by him in which he was riding as a passenger when it was being driven by a friend collided with a train which resulted in the deaths of both. Plaintiff named as co-defendants the railroad and the administrator of the driver with gross negligence being claimed against the driver. The jury verdict was against the railroad alone.

1. Enumeration of error No. 1 is based upon the judge having included in his charge to the jury the provisions of Code § 94-1108 after having charged the jury concerning the requirements of due care. No exception to this was made at the conclusion of the charge but counsel argues we should give effect to the provisions of Code Ann. § 70-207(c) which provides for review by the appellate courts of 'erroneous charges where there has been a substantial error in the charge which was harmful as a matter of law, regardless of wherher objection was made hereunder or not.'

In Nathan v. Duncan, 113 Ga.App. 630, 149 S.E.2d 383 this court stated the philosophy with which the appellate courts should consider an appeal where errors in a charge are asserted but without counsel having taken exception as required by Code Ann. § 70-207(a, b). It was there stated at p. 638, 149 S.E.2d at p. 391, that 'It is the view of this court that the error in that frame of reference is not harmful unless a gross miscarriage of justice attributable to it is about to result. Generally, if counsel, who are skilled and trained in the law and who have prepared and tried the case, fail to see the error and enter an exception as provided in subsections (a) and (b), it is not to be regarded as harmful. Instances when the charge will be found ground for reversal under subsection (c) are likely to be very, very rare.' That approach was approved in Newcomb v. Pattillo, 119 Ga.App. 495, 167 S.E.2d 665 and Seabolt v. Cheesborough, 127 Ga.App. 254 193 S.E.2d 238. Consideration of the cases in which our appellate courts exercised this prerogative were either those in which there was an erroneous presentation of the sole issue for decision (Brown v. Brown, 222 Ga. 446, 150 S.E.2d 615; McCurry v. McCurry, 223 Ga. 334, 155 S.E.2d 378; Tabor v. Fowler, 119 Ga.App. 259, 167 S.E.2d 220) or 'whether it is of a kind which would have been likely to influence the jury either to find against the defendant or to return a larger verdict than it might have otherwise done' (Yale and Towne, Inc. v. Sharpe, 118 Ga.App. 480, 487, 164 S.E.2d 318, 325).

In those cases in which review was refused we find the interpretation of the words 'substantial error . . . harmful as a matter of law' to be construed as 'blatantly apparent and prejudicial to the extent that it raises the question of whether the losing party has, to some extent at least, been deprived of a fair trial because of it' (Hollywood Baptist Church of Rome v. State Highway Dept., 114 Ga.App. 98, 100, 150 S.E.2d 271, 274) or 'a gross injustice is about to result or has resulted directly attributable to the alleged errors' (Nathan v. Duncan, supra; Barlow v. Rushin, 114 Ga.App. 304, 151 S.E.2d 199; Bryant v. Housing Authority of Atlanta, 121 Ga.App. 32, 172 S.E.2d 439).

We do not regard the erroneous inclusion here of Code § 94-1108 to be within the category of 'gross injustice' or 'blatantly harmful' nor 'likely to influence the jury'. This Code section merely states a rule of evidence as to railroads that the proof of injury 'shall be prima facie evidence of the want of reasonable skill and care.' The railroad here sought to rebut plaintiff's case by its own evidence but was unsuccessful. The Code rule does not conflict with the general duty imposed upon everyone to exercise ordinary care.

Analogous to the case sub judice is Roberts v. Halpern's Home Stores of Ga., Inc., 119 Ga.App. 826(1), 169 S.E.2d 177 where the giving of the evidence rule as to the presumption raised by failure to produce a witness was held 'not palpably harmful as a matter of law.'

Our ruling that it was not harmful to the extent required to come within the necessity of noting an exception as required by § 70-207(c) is not in contradiction to those cases holding that the 'presumptive negligence statute' should not be given in charge to the jury as illustrated by A.C.L.R. Co. v. Thomas, 83 Ga.App. 477, 64 S.E.2d 301; A.C.L.R. Co. v. Rowe, 83 Ga.App. 540, 64 S.E.2d 216, and S.A.L. Ry. Co. v. Fountain, 173 Ga. 593, 160 S.E. 789.

2. The second assignment of error contends the court should have charged the railroad's defenses that the plaintiff could be barred from recovering under comparative negligence and under avoidance of consequences doctrine, both of which were pleaded in their answer. This contention is based upon the general principle that the negligence of his driver is imputable to the owner of an automobile in which he is riding as a passenger. Rogers v. Johnson, 94 Ga.App. 666, 96 S.E.2d 285; Morris v. Cochran, 98 Ga.App. 786(2a), 106 S.E.2d 836. We recognize the presence of the owner in his vehicle results in an inference that the driver was the owner's agent or servant and that the owner was thus in control of the operation of the car. Trawick v. Chambliss, 42 Ga.App. 333(3), 156 S.E. 268. But this inference applies only where nothing else appears. Blount v. Sutton, 114 Ga.App. 767, 152 S.E.2d 777; Floyd v. Colonial Stores, Inc., 121 Ga.App. 852, 176 S.E.2d 111. This was expressly stated in headnote 1 of Floyd v. Colonial Stores, supra: 'However, this inference may be drawn only whether nothing else appears' and the court went on to say in its opinion at p. 855, 176 S.E.2d at p. 115, 'So far as we know it is nowhere held that the negligence of a driver is ipso facto imputable to the owner simply because he may be a passenger at the time of the collision.' Under the evidence in the transcript concerning the condition of the owner and his incapacity the inference was rebutted. There was accordingly no error in failing to charge either comparative negligence or avoidance of consequences because the general rule applied that the negligence of the driver, if any, is not imputable to the passenger even though he was the owner.

3. The third and fourth assignments of error deal with admission into testimony over timely objection of an expert witness presented by plaintiff. Fifty-two pages of the transcript is devoted to the testimony of Georgia Tech Professor James Hardy Lucas. His qualifications were established by professional credentials and experience with railroad equipment and operations including collision investigation and reconstruction including investigation of railroad grade crossing collisions. His testimony revealed a detailed investigation of the collision scene and all other pertinent facts.

Defendant railroad asserts that certain evidence presented by this expert came from a scientific textbook and therefore was inadmissible since it is either hearsay or violated the principle that 'The (expert) witness' opinion must be his own; he cannot act as a mere conduit for the opinions of others.' (...