Yobido Vs CA

Alberta Yobido and Cresencio Yobido v.
CA, Leny Tumboy, Ardee Tumboy and

Jasmin Tumboy
G.R. No. 113003 October 17, 1997
Romero, J.
FACTS:
Spouses Tito and Leny Tumboy and their minor children named Ardee and Jasmin, boarded
a Yobido Liner bus bound for Davao City. Along the trip, the left front tire of the bus
exploded. The bus fell into a ravine around 3 ft. from the road and struck a tree. The
incident resulted in the death of Tito and physical injuries to other passengers.
Factual backdrop based on testimony of Leny: the winding road the bus traversed was not
cemented and was wet due to the rain; it was rough with crushed rocks. The bus which
was full of passengers had cargoes on top. Since it was running fast, (at a speed of 5060kph based on another witness testimony) she cautioned the driver to slow down but he
merely stared at her through the mirror.
A complaint for breach of contract of carriage was filed by Leny and her children
against Alberta Yobido, the owner of the bus, and Cresencio Yobido, its driver; Yobidos
raised the affirmative defense of caso fortuito; they also filed a third-party complaint
against Philippine Phoenix Surety and Insurance, Inc.
Upon a finding that the third party defendant was not liable under the insurance contract,
the lower court dismissed the third party complaint.
ISSUE: Whether the tire blow-out is a fortuitous event
HELD: No.
Characteristics of fortuitous event:
a) The cause of the unforeseen and unexpected occurrence, or the failure of the debtor to
comply with his obligations, must be independent of human will;
b) It must be impossible to foresee the event which constitutes the caso fortuito, or if it
can be foreseen, it must be impossible to avoid;
c) The occurrence must be such as to render it impossible for the debtor to fulfill his
obligation in a normal manner; and
d) the obligor must be free from any participation in the aggravation of the injury resulting
to the creditor
Art 1174: no person shall be responsible for a fortuitous event which could not be
foreseen, or which, though foreseen, was inevitable
tire blowout - mechanical defect of the conveyance or a fault in its equipment which was
easily discoverable if the bus had been subjected to a more thorough or rigid check-up
before it took to the road
When a passenger boards a common carrier, he takes the risks incidental to the mode of
travel he has taken. After all, a carrier is not an insurer of the safety of its passengers and
is not bound absolutely and at all events to carry them safely and without injury.
However, when a passenger is injured or dies while travelling, the law presumes
that the common carrier is negligent. (see Art. 1756)
Art. 1755 provides that a common carrier is bound to carry the passengers safely as
far as human care and foresight can provide, using the utmost diligence of very cautious
persons, with a due regard for all the circumstances. In culpa contractual, once a
passenger dies or is injured, the carrier is presumed to have been at fault or to have acted
negligently. This disputable presumption may only be overcome by evidence that the
carrier had observed extraordinary diligence as prescribed by Arts. 1733, 1755 and
1756 or that the death or injury of the passenger was due to a fortuitous event.
The explosion of the new tire may not be considered a fortuitous event; there are human
factors involved in the situation; the fact that the tire was new did not imply that it was
entirely free from manufacturing defects or that it was properly mounted on the vehicle
Yobido v CA (Torts)
YOBIDO v CA [G.R. No. 113003. October 17, 1997.] ALBERTA YOBIDO and CRESENCIO
YOBIDO, petitioners, vs. COURT OF APPEALS, LENY TUMBOY, ARDEE TUMBOY and JASMIN
TUMBOY, respondents.
FACTS:
On April 26, 1988, spouses Tito and Leny Tumboy and their minor children, Ardee and
Jasmin, boarded at Mangagoy, Surigao del Sur, a Yobido bus bound for Davao City. Along
Picop road in Km. 17, Sta. Maria, Agusan del Sur, the left front tire of the bus suddenly
exploded. The bus fell into a ravine around three (3) feet from the road and struck a tree
which resulted in the death of Tito Tumboy and physical injuries to other passengers.
Thereafter, a complaint for breach of contract of carriage, damages and attorney's fees was
filed by Leny and her children against Alberta Yobido, the owner of the bus, and Cresencio
Yobido, its driver in the Regional Trial Court of Davao City.
Defenses:
Abundio Salce, who was the bus conductor when the incident happened, testified that 1. the
42-seater bus was not full as there were only 32 passengers, such that he himself managed
to get a seat;
2. the bus was running at a speed of "60 to 50" and that it was going slow because of the
zigzag road.
3. the left front tire that exploded was a "brand new tire" that he mounted on the bus on
April 21, 1988 or only five (5) days before the incident.
DECISION:
(1) Trial Court: dismissing the action for lack of merit
(2) Court of Appeals: rendered a decision reversing that of the lower court
ISSUE:
Whether the tire blow-out is a fortuitous event
RULING:
No.
A fortuitous event is possessed of the following characteristics:
(a) the cause of the unforeseen and unexpected occurrence, or the failure of the debtor to
comply with his obligations must be independent of human will;
(b) it must be impossible to foresee the event which constitutes the caso fortuito, or if it can
be foreseen, it must be impossible to avoid;
(c) the occurrence must be such as to render it impossible for the debtor to fulfill his
obligation in a normal manner; and
(d) the obligor must be free from any participation in the aggravation of the injury resulting
to the creditor.
As Article 1174 provides, no person shall be responsible for a fortuitous event which could
not be foreseen, or which, though foreseen was inevitable. In other words, there must be an
entire exclusion of human agency from the cause of injury or loss.
There is no reason to overturn the findings and conclusions of the Court of Appeals.
Petitioners' contention that they are exempted from liability because the tire blowout was a
fortuitous event that could not have been foreseen, must fail. It is settled that an accident
caused either by defects in the automobile or through the negligence of its driver is not a
caso fortuito that would exempt the carrier from liability for damages. Accordingly, the
challenged decision is affirmed subject to modification that petitioners shall additionally pay
herein, respondents P20,000.00 as exemplary damages.
The explosion of the new tire may not be considered a fortuitous event. There are human
factors involved in the situation. The fact that the tire was new did not imply that it was
entirely free from manufacturing defects or that it was properly mounted on the vehicle.
Neither may the fact that the tire bought and used in the vehicle is of a brand name noted
for quality, resulting in the conclusion that it could not explode within five days' use. Be that
as it may, it is settled that an accident caused either by defects in the automobile or through
the negligence of its driver is not a caso fortuito that would exempt the carrier from liability
for damages.
It was incumbent upon the defense to establish that it took precautionary measures
considering partially dangerous condition of the road. As stated above, proof that the tire
was new and of good quality is not sufficient proof that it was not negligent. Petitioners
should have shown that it undertook extraordinary diligence in the care of its carrier such as
conducting daily routinary check-ups of the vehicle's parts. As the late Justice J.B.L. Reyes
said: "It may be impracticable, as appellee argues, to require of carriers to test the strength
of each and every part of its vehicles before each trip, but we are of the opinion that a due
regard for the carrier's obligations toward the traveling public demands adequate periodical
tests to determine the condition and strength of those vehicle portions the failure of which
may endanger the safety of the passengers."
It is interesting to note that petitioners proved through the bus conductor, Salce, that the
bus was running at "60-50" kilometers per hour only within the prescribed lawful speed limit.
However, they failed to rebut the testimony of Leny Tumboy that the bus was running so fast
that she cautioned the driver to slow down. These contradictory facts must, therefore, be
resolved in favor of liability in view of the presumption of negligence of the carrier in the
law.

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Alberta Yobido and Cresencio Yobido v.

CA, Leny Tumboy, Ardee Tumboy and

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