Vehicular Accident

 

Vehicular accident; negligence; proximate cause; damages.

LAMBERT S. RAMOS vs. vs . .O.L. REALT! REALT! OR"ORAT#O$% OR"ORAT#O$% &.R. $o. '()*+,% August -(% -++*

 x x.

 Articles -'/* and and -'(, o0 o0 the ivil ivil ode on 1uasi2delicts 1uasi2delicts appl3 in this case%vi45 case%vi45

 Article -'/*. -'/*. 6hen the plainti007s plainti007s o8n negligence negligence 8as the the immediate immediate and proximate proximate cause o0 his in9ur3% he cannot recover damages. But i0 his negligence 8as onl3 contri:utor3% the immediate and proximate cause o0 the in9ur3 :eing the de0endant7s lac o0 due care% the plainti00 ma3 recover damages% :ut the courts shall mitigate the damages to :e a8arded.

 Article -'(,. -'(,. <nless there is proo0 to the contrar3 contrar3%% it is presumed that a person person driving driving a motor vehicle has :een negligent i0 at the time o0 the mishap% he 8as violating an3 tra00ic regulation.

#0 the master is in9ured :3 the negligence o0 a third person and :3 the concurring contri:utor3 negligence o0 his o8n servant or agent% the latter7s negligence is imputed to his superior and 8ill de0eat the superior7s action against the third person% assuming o0 course that the contri:utor3 negligence 8as the proximate cause o0 the in9ur3 o0 8hich complaint is made.='> made.='>

 Appl3ing the 0oregoing  Appl3ing 0oregoing principles principles o0 o0 la8 to the instant instant case% A1uilino7s A1uilino7s act act o0 crossing crossing ?atipunan Avenue via Ra9ah Matanda constitutes negligence :ecause it 8as prohi:ited :3 la8. Moreover% it 8as the proximate cause o0 the accident% and thus precludes an3 recover3 0or an3 damages su00ered :3 respondent 0rom the accident.

 

"roximate cause is de0ined as that cause% 8hich% in natural and continuous se1uence% un:roen :3 an3 e00icient intervening cause% produces the in9ur3% and 8ithout 8hich the result 8ould not have occurred. And more comprehensivel3% the proximate legal cause is that acting 0irst and producing the in9ur3% either immediatel3 or :3 setting other events in motion% all constituting natural and continuous chain o0 events% having a close causal connection 8ith itsaimmediate predecessor% the 0inal event ineach the chain immediatel3 e00ecting the in9ur3 as a natural and pro:a:le result o0 the cause 8hich 0irst acted% under such circumstances that the person responsi:le 0or the 0irst event should% as an ordinar3 prudent and intelligent person% have reasona:le ground to expect at the moment o0 his act or de0ault that an in9ur3 to some person might pro:a:l3 result there0rom.=-> there0rom. =->

#0 A1uilino heeded the MM@A prohi:ition against crossing ?atipunan Avenue 0rom Ra9ah Matanda% the accident 8ould 8ould not have happened. This speci0ic unto8ard event is exactl3 8hat the MM@A prohi:ition 8as intended 0or. Thus% a prudent and intelligent person 8ho resides 8ithin the vicinit3 8here the accident occurred% A1uilino had reasona:le ground to expect that the accident 8ould :e a natural and pro:a:le result i0 he crossed ?atipunan Avenue since such crossing is considered dangerous on account o0 the :us3 nature o0 the thorough0are and the ongoing construction o0 the ?atipunan2 Boni Avenue Avenue underpass. #t 8as mani0est error 0or the ourt o0 A Appeals ppeals to have overlooed the principle em:odied in Article -'/* o0 the ivil ode% that 8hen the plainti007s o8n negligence 8as the immediate and proximate cause o0 his in9ur3% he cannot recover damages.

ence% 8e 0ind it unnecessar3 to delve into the issue o0 Rodel7s contri:utor3 negligence% since it cannot overcome or de0eat A1uilino7s reclessness 8hich is the immediate and proximate cause o0 the accident. Rodel7s contri:utor3 negligence has relevance onl3 in the event that Ramos sees to recover 0rom respondent 8hatever damages or in9uries he ma3 have su00ered as a result; it 8ill have the e00ect o0 mitigating the a8ard o0 damages in his 0avor. #n other 8ords% an assertion o0 contri:utor3 negligence in this case 8ould :ene0it onl3 the petitioner; it could not eliminate respondent7s lia:ilit3 0or  A1uilino7s  A1uilino 7s negligence negligence 8hich 8hich is the the proximate proximate result result o0 the accident. accident.