Dowdell v. Beasley, 3 Div. 323 [*]

CourtAlabama Court of Appeals
Writing for the CourtBROWN, P.J.
Citation82 So. 40,17 Ala.App. 100
Docket Number3 Div. 323 [*]
Decision Date22 April 1919
PartiesDOWDELL et al. v. BEASLEY.

82 So. 40

17 Ala.App. 100

DOWDELL et al.
v.
BEASLEY.

3 Div. 323 [*]

Court of Appeals of Alabama

April 22, 1919


Rehearing Denied May 6, 1919

Appeal from Circuit Court, Montgomery County; Gaston Gunter, Judge.

Action by Wilbur F. Beasley against James S. Dowdell and another for damages for injuries sustained in a collision with an automobile of the defendants. Judgment for plaintiff, and defendants appeal. Reversed and remanded.

The following charges were refused to the defendant:

(6) If you believe from the evidence that Mr. Beasley was operating the motorcycle at a rate of speed in excess of 10 miles an hour at the intersection of Mobile and Mildred streets, then I charge you that as a matter of law the operation of said motorcycle at such speed was negligence on his part
(7) If you believe from the evidence that Mr. Beasley was operating the motorcycle at a rate of speed in excess of 10 miles an hour at the intersection of Mobile and Mildred streets, then I charge you that as a matter of law such operation was negligent, and if you believe from the evidence that such negligence on Mr. Beasley's part contributed proximately to his injuries, then you cannot find for the plaintiff under the first count of the complaint
(8) I charge you that under the evidence in this case Mr. Beasley was negligent as a matter of law in operating the motorcycle at a rate of speed in excess of 10 miles an hour at the intersection of Mobile and Mildred streets, and if you believe from the evidence that such negligence contributed proximately even in the remotest degree to his injuries, you cannot find for the plaintiff under the third count of the complaint.
(13) If you believe the motorcycle was being operated at a speed in excess of 10 miles an hour at the time of the collision, you cannot find for the plaintiff under the first or second counts of the complaint.

Rushton, Williams & Crenshaw, of Montgomery, for appellants.

Goodwyn & McIntyre, of Montgomery, for appellee.

BROWN, P.J.

The plaintiff's injuries, made the basis of this action, resulted from the collision of the defendant's automobile and the plaintiff's motorcycle at the intersection of Mobile and Mildred streets in the city of Montgomery. The evidence shows without dispute that the automobile was at the time in charge of and being operated by the defendant's regular chauffeur, Arthur Baldwin, and tends to show that he was guilty of negligence which proximately caused the collision. There can be no question as to the logic of the rule that--

"Where a servant, who is employed for the special purpose of operating an automobile for the master, and is found operating it in the usual manner such machines are operated, the presumption naturally arises that he is running the machine in the master's service. If he is not so running it, this fact is peculiarly within the knowledge of the master, and the burden is on him to overthrow this presumption by evidence which the law presumes he is in possession [82 So. 41] [17 Ala.App. 101]
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    • United States
    • Mississippi Supreme Court
    • December 7, 1925
    ...F. 763; Foundation Co. v. Henderson, 264 F. 483; Alabama--Penticost v. Massey, 201 Ala. 261, 77 So. 675; Dowdell v. Beasley (Ala. App.), 82 So. 40; California--Chamberlain v. Southern Cal. Edison Co., 167 Cal. 500; Colorado--Ward v. Teller Reservoir & I. Co., 60 Colo. 47; Georgia--Fielder v......
  • Schneiderman v. Sesanstein, No. 21290.
    • United States
    • United States State Supreme Court of Ohio
    • May 29, 1929
    ...establishing a lower maximum rate of speed for automobiles than that [Ohio St. 100]provided by statute’-citing Dowdell v. Beasley, 17 Ala. App. 100, 82 So. 40, which held: ‘The fact that the ordinance enlarges upon the provisions of a statute by requiring more than the statute requires crea......
  • City of Kosciusko v. No Equal Textile Co., 24953
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    • Mississippi Supreme Court
    • May 11, 1925
    ...to require a license for operating motor vehicles. See also Standard Chemical Co. v. Troy (Ala.), 77 So. 386; Dowdwell v. Beasley (Ala.) 82 So. 40; Sampson v. City of Sheridan, 25 Wyo. 347, 170 P. 1, 1 A. L. R. 959; People v. Beakes Dairy, 222 N.Y. 416, 119 N.E. 115, 3 A. L. R. 1265; Coffma......
  • Brownell-O'Hear Pontiac Co. v. Taylor, BROWNELL-O
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    • Supreme Court of Alabama
    • May 21, 1959
    ...So. 232; Newell Contracting Co. v. Berry, 223 Ala. 111, 134 So. 868; Cooper v. Agee, 222 Ala. 334, 337, 132 So. 173; Dowdell v. Beasley, 17 Ala.App. 100, 82 So. We consider, however, that the fallacy in the position of appellee is that sufficient consideration is not given to the particular......
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