Case Name: Nathan FREEMAN v. Kevin TATE, Bill Ortego and Wayne Morein
Court: Louisiana Court of Appeal
Jurisdiction: Louisiana
Decision Date: 2003-06-04
Citations: 847 So. 2d 800
Docket Number: No. 02-1361
Parties: Nathan FREEMAN v. Kevin TATE, Bill Ortego and Wayne Morein.
Judges: Court composed of SYLVIA R. COOKS, JOHN D. SAUNDERS, BILLIE COLOMBARO WOODARD, MARC T. AMY and BILLY HOWARD EZELL, Judges.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 847
Pages: 800–805

Head Matter:
Nathan FREEMAN v. Kevin TATE, Bill Ortego and Wayne Morein.
No. 02-1361.
Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Third Circuit.
June 4, 2003.
Sera Hearn Russell III, Attorney at Law, Lafayette, LA, for Plaintiff/Appellant, Nathan Freeman.
Michael Voorhies Matt, Eunice, LA, for Plaintifi/Appellant, Nathan Freeman.
Lisa Eve Mayer, Borne, Wilkes & Brady, LLP, Lafayette, LA, for Defendants/Appellees, Kevin Tate, Bill Ortego and Wayne Morein.
Court composed of SYLVIA R. COOKS, JOHN D. SAUNDERS, BILLIE COLOMBARO WOODARD, MARC T. AMY and BILLY HOWARD EZELL, Judges.

Opinion:
|, EZELL, Judge.
This appeal involves a pedestrian who was struck by a drunk driver while detained by two Evangeline Parish Sheriffs' Deputies. The pedestrian, Nathan Freeman, sued the deputies and the sheriff. The trial court dismissed the suit on summary judgment. Freeman appeals. For the following reasons, we affirm the decision of the trial court.
On December 25, 2000, at about 4:00 a.m., Freeman and his cousin were walking along Louisiana Highway 29 in a northerly direction, toward Ville Platte. At that time, Sheriffs' Deputies Kevin Tate and Bill Ortego were driving on the same highway in a southern direction in an Evangeline Parish Sheriffs Department patrol car. Earlier in the evening, the deputies had been notified that a black male had escaped from the jail and that all units should be on the lookout for the escapee. Upon seeing Freeman and his cousin, both black males, walking alongside the road at such a late hour, the deputies turned their vehicle around to investigate. They did so in order to determine if either Freeman or his cousin was the escapee, or if they were stranded and in need of assistance.
The deputies pulled up behind the men, facing north in the southbound lane, partially on the road and partially on the shoulder. They then turned on their overhead rotator lights and alternating flashing headlights. Freeman and his cousin were asked to step toward the cruiser. They complied. As the deputies were questioning the two men, the cousin saw a vehicle approach at a high rate of speed. He shouted to warn everyone as the vehicle got closer. The approaching vehicle, driven by Daniel Thomas, veered to the right, narrowly avoided the patrol car, and struck Freeman, severely injuring his leg. After he got out of his vehicle, Thomas was immediately taken into custody and charged with driving while intoxicated. His blood alcohol | Jevel was later found to be .135 on the blood alcohol test.
Freeman sued the deputies and the sheriff, claiming the deputies were negligent in their parking of the police cruiser, and that this negligence caused the accident. Freeman settled with Thomas and his insurer out of court. The deputies filed a motion for summary judgment, claiming their actions were not negligent under La. R.S. 32:24, and that the accident was the sole fault of the drunk driver, Daniel Thomas. The trial court granted the summary judgment in favor of the deputies, dismissing the suit. From this decision, Freeman appeals.
On appeal, Freeman asserts two assignments of error, which are essentially one, that the trial court erred in granting the summary judgment, as he claims genuine issues of material fact exist, and the trial court misinterpreted the provisions of La. R.S. 32:24. We disagree.
An appellate court reviews summary judgments de novo, applying the same criteria as the district court in determining whether summary judgment is appropriate. Schroeder v. Bd. of Supervisors of Louisiana State Univ., 591 So.2d 342 (La.1991); Haley v. Calcasieu Parish Sch. Bd., 99-883 (La.App. 3 Cir. 12/8/99), 753 So.2d 882, writ denied, 00-54 (La.2/24/00), 755 So.2d 242. Article 966(B) of the Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure provides that summary judgment shall be granted where the pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, admissions on file and affidavits show that there is no genuine issue of material fact and that the mover is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Accordingly, this is the standard which we will apply.
Louisiana Revised Statute 32:24 states, in pertinent part:
A. The driver of an authorized emergency vehicle, when responding to an emergency call, or when in the pursuit of an actual or suspected violator of the law, or when responding to, but not upon returning from, a fire alarm, may exercise the privileges set forth in this Section, but subject to the conditions herein stated.
laB. The driver of an authorized emergency vehicle may:
(1) Park or stand, irrespective of the provisions of this Chapter;....
C. The exceptions herein granted to an authorized emergency vehicle shall apply only when such vehicle is making use of audible or visual signals sufficient to warn motorists of their approach, except that a police vehicle need not be equipped with or display a red light visible from in front of the vehicle.
The Louisiana Supreme Court recently addressed the standard of care to be applied to an emergency vehicle driver who qualifies under the provisions of La.R.S. 32:24(A) through (C) in Lenard v. Dilley, 01-1522, pp. 6-7 (La.1/15/02), 805 So.2d 175, 180.
La.Rev.Stat. 32:24(D) sets out two standards of care for an emergency vehicle driver depending on the circumstances of the case. If, and only if, an emergency vehicle driver's actions fit into subsections A, B and C of La.Rev. Stat. 32:24, will an emergency vehicle driver be held liable only for actions which constitute reckless disregard for the safety of others. On the other hand, if the emergency vehicle driver's conduct does not fit subsections A, B and C of La.Rev.Stat. 32:24, such driver's actions will be gauged by a standard of "due care."
"Due care" is synonymous with ordinary negligence. "Reckless disregard," however, connotes conduct more severe than negligent behavior. "Reckless disregard" is, in effect, "gross negligence." Gross negligence has been defined by this court as "the want of even slight care and diligence. It is the want of that diligence which even careless men are accustomed to exercise." State v. Vinzant, 200 La. 301, 7 So.2d 917 (1942). "Reckless disregard" or "gross negligence" is the standard to be applied if the emergency vehicle driver's actions fit La.Rev.Stat. 32:24(A) through La. Rev.Stat. 32:24(C). Otherwise, the standard is ordinary negligence.
Thus, if the provisions of subsections A, B and C of La.Rev.Stat. 32:24 apply to the accident or incident in question, then the driver will be held liable only for his conduct which constitutes reckless disregard for the safety of others.
The deputies, in investigating whether either Freeman or his cousin was potentially the wanted escapee, were clearly in pursuit of a suspected violator of the law. It is undisputed that the deputies activated their overhead lights and flashing headlights, in compliance with subsection C. Therefore, under subsection B(l), the Ldeputies were able to park their vehicle in violation of the ordinary rules of the traffic code. Because the deputies had met the requirements of subsections A, B, and C of La.R.S. 32:24, they can be held liable only for conduct that constituted reckless disregard for the safety of others.
We find that their conduct did not constitute gross negligence. The officers were investigating whether either Freeman or his cousin was the jail escapee. They pulled their cruiser as close to the men as possible to avoid further escape if the men fled. The road in question had a very small shoulder, preventing the deputies from pulling completely off the road. They engaged their flashing lights, as required by La.R.S. 32:24. The position of the police car did not constitute gross negligence or reckless disregard for the safety of others, as an approaching vehicle could have seen the lights of the patrol car and could have proceeded with appropriate caution. Even Thomas admitted that he saw the lights on the patrol car as he approached.
This accident was caused solely by the actions of Daniel Thomas. As noted above, Thomas saw the lights of the deputies' car as he approached them on the road. However, Thomas testified in his deposition that he "blanked out" or fell asleep after seeing the lights. Thomas testified that he awoke to find his "foot was gassing" the accelerator and that he had slid off of the road. Thomas stated that he did not try to swerve to avoid the patrol car but that he drifted off the road because he was asleep or blacked out. He said his only chance to avoid the cruiser was to "stay on the side of the ditch." Thomas did not even know that he had struck Freeman until he was told after-wards. Clearly this accident was caused by Thomas's drunk driving, not the actions of the deputies. Accordingly, we find that there is no genuine issue of material fact in this case.
IsThe decision of the trial court is affirmed. Costs of this appeal are assessed against the appellant, Mr. Freeman.
AFFIRMED.
COOKS, J., dissents and assigns written reasons.
WOODARD, J., dissents. As addressed by Judge Cooks, there are numerous material facts in dispute, anyone of which should preclude summary judgment.