It’s appropriate for judges to leave decisions about negligence to the jury when the facts are disputed or reasonable minds could differ on whether a party acted negligently.
Legal standards provide guidance, but jurors assess whether actions met these standards given specific circumstances. Questions of negligence often involve nuance and subjective judgment calls based on testimony and evidence presented at trial.
For example: When a driver hits a pedestrian at night, factors such as lighting, clothing visibility, jaywalking, and reaction times all combine for the jury to decide if the driver was negligent.