Kayo Oil Company v. Sammons, No. 19770.

CourtUnited States Courts of Appeals. United States Court of Appeals (5th Circuit)
Writing for the CourtCAMERON and WISDOM, Circuit , and DeVANE
Citation321 F.2d 729
PartiesKAYO OIL COMPANY and Max Cook, Appellants, v. Annette SAMMONS, Appellee.
Docket NumberNo. 19770.
Decision Date04 September 1963

321 F.2d 729 (1963)

KAYO OIL COMPANY and Max Cook, Appellants,
v.
Annette SAMMONS, Appellee.

No. 19770.

United States Court of Appeals Fifth Circuit.

September 4, 1963.


Thomas C. MacDonald, Jr., Tampa, Fla., for appellants.

E. B. Rood, Tampa, Fla., Wm. C. Grimes, Bradenton, Fla., for appellee.

Before CAMERON and WISDOM, Circuit Judges, and DeVANE, District Judge.

DeVANE, District Judge.

Annette Sammons, appellee, instituted a wrongful death action under Section 768.01, Florida Statutes, F.S.A., in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, Tampa Division, against Kayo Oil Company, a corporation, and Max Cook, an employee of Kayo, appellants. Appellee claimed that her husband met his death in a motor vehicle accident through the negligence of appellant Cook while operating a tractor-trailer owned by appellant Kayo. Federal jurisdiction is based upon diversity of citizenship of the parties.

By answer appellants denied negligence of Cook and asserted contributory negligence of the decedent. Upon jury trial before the Court a verdict was returned in favor of appellee and against appellants and appropriate final judgment entered thereon. Timely post-trial motions were made and overruled and this appeal from the final judgment ensued.

321 F.2d 730

The facts for the purpose of this appeal are quite simple. The decedent, while driving his truck north on Florida State Road 43 on July 2, 1960, at approximately 1:25 A. M., collided with the tractor-trailer owned by appellant Kayo, which was being driven south by appellant Cook. Decedent was alone at the time of the accident and met his death almost instantly. It is undisputed in this record that the point of collision was in the northbound lane or the lane in which decedent's truck lawfully belonged.

Appellant Cook was alone in his tractor and was the only eye witness to the accident. Cook explained his presence in the northbound lane as an effort on his part to avoid the oncoming truck of appellee's decedent after observing the lights of the same approaching him in his lane. He testified he waited for the truck to return to its proper lane as long as he could when he veered to the left into the other lane. He testified further that at the same time decedent turned back into his proper lane and he hit the decedent's truck headon in that lane.

Appellants' theory of the accident was supported by the testimony of an expert witness who testified from the physical facts as he found them to be by photographs and other evidence in the record. Conversely, appellee through an expert witness and the investigating highway trooper submitted evidence to the effect that the physical facts satisfied them that Cook negligently veered into the wrong lane and struck the truck operated by decedent in decedent's proper lane.

The width of the road where the accident occurred...

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12 practice notes
  • Reyes v. Wyeth Laboratories, No. 72-2251.
    • United States
    • United States Courts of Appeals. United States Court of Appeals (5th Circuit)
    • 31 Julio 1974
    ...43 See note 27 supra. 44 Delancey v. Motichek Towing Service, Inc., 5 Cir. 1970, 427 F.2d 897, 902; Kayo Oil Co. v. Sammons, 5 Cir. 1963, 321 F.2d 729, 45 See McClendon v. Reynolds Electrical & Engineering, 5 Cir. 1970, 432 F.2d 320, 323; Government Employees' Insurance Co. v. Davis, 5 ......
  • U.S. v. Ruppel, No. 80-1962
    • United States
    • United States Courts of Appeals. United States Court of Appeals (5th Circuit)
    • 25 Enero 1982
    ...So long as the charge correctly states the law to the jury it matters not what words the judge chooses to employ. Kayo Oil Co. v. Sammans, 321 F.2d 729, 730 (5th Cir. The instruction given by the judge correctly expresses the law of this circuit. The jury was told that they should "con......
  • Parker v. S/S DOROTHE OLENDORFF, No. 72-2112.
    • United States
    • United States Courts of Appeals. United States Court of Appeals (5th Circuit)
    • 8 Noviembre 1973
    ...choice of language used to convey to the jury in a clear and correct fashion the applicable law\'. Kayo Oil Co. v. Sammons, 5 Cir., 1963, 321 F.2d 729, 730. See also Nowell v. Dick, 5 Cir., 1969, 413 F.2d 1204. If the instruction as given sufficiently covers the case so that a jury can inte......
  • Minnehoma Financial Co. v. Pauli, No. 4737
    • United States
    • United States State Supreme Court of Wyoming
    • 14 Junio 1977
    ...be noted that the failure to use this optional procedure may have adverse effects on an appeal. See Kayo Oil Company v. Sammons, 5 Cir., 321 F.2d 729, 731 Related to appellees' argument is the fundamental rule, applicable to appeals from summary judgments, that parties may not advance new t......
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12 cases
  • Reyes v. Wyeth Laboratories, 72-2251.
    • United States
    • United States Courts of Appeals. United States Court of Appeals (5th Circuit)
    • 31 Julio 1974
    ...43 See note 27 supra. 44 Delancey v. Motichek Towing Service, Inc., 5 Cir. 1970, 427 F.2d 897, 902; Kayo Oil Co. v. Sammons, 5 Cir. 1963, 321 F.2d 729, 45 See McClendon v. Reynolds Electrical & Engineering, 5 Cir. 1970, 432 F.2d 320, 323; Government Employees' Insurance Co. v. Davis, 5 Cir.......
  • U.S. v. Ruppel, 80-1962
    • United States
    • United States Courts of Appeals. United States Court of Appeals (5th Circuit)
    • 25 Enero 1982
    ...So long as the charge correctly states the law to the jury it matters not what words the judge chooses to employ. Kayo Oil Co. v. Sammans, 321 F.2d 729, 730 (5th Cir. The instruction given by the judge correctly expresses the law of this circuit. The jury was told that they should "consider......
  • Parker v. S/S DOROTHE OLENDORFF, 72-2112.
    • United States
    • United States Courts of Appeals. United States Court of Appeals (5th Circuit)
    • 8 Noviembre 1973
    ...choice of language used to convey to the jury in a clear and correct fashion the applicable law\'. Kayo Oil Co. v. Sammons, 5 Cir., 1963, 321 F.2d 729, 730. See also Nowell v. Dick, 5 Cir., 1969, 413 F.2d 1204. If the instruction as given sufficiently covers the case so that a jury can inte......
  • Delancey v. Motichek Towing Service, Inc., 27401.
    • United States
    • United States Courts of Appeals. United States Court of Appeals (5th Circuit)
    • 1 Junio 1970
    ...choice of language used to convey to the jury in a clear and correct fashion the applicable law". Kayo Oil Co. v. Sammons, 5 Cir. 1963, 321 F.2d 729, 730. See also Nowell v. Dick, 5 Cir. 1969, 413 F.2d 1204. If the instruction as given sufficiently covers the case so that a jury can intelli......
  • Request a trial to view additional results

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