Maez

Defendant William Maez has appealed from a judgment entered against him and in favor of plaintiff George A. Hormel & Company following a court trial. Judgment was entered for plaintiff in the sum of $1,910.85 plus costs against defendant William Maez only.

Summary of the Facts

On July 22, 1975, appellant was operating a motor vehicle on a public street in La Mirada, California. He was traveling at approximately 60-65 miles per hour when he lost control of the vehicle and struck a power pole. As a result of the collision, the power pole was broken and power lines were downed. Defendant was arrested some short time after the accident and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, leaving the scene of an accident, and operating a motor vehicle without a valid driver’s license.

A witness, Albert Thomas, testified that he saw defendant’s vehicle strike the power pole and that the lights in the area immediately went out. The witness testified that the power pole was broken off three to four feet above the ground, wires from it were sparking, and the transformer was broken.

An employee of plaintiff testified that at the time of defendant’s accident, a power surge…