Opinion ID: 1631067
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 8

Heading: Exclusion of expert testimony on visibility and causation

Text: ś 42. Coupled with the previous argument on whether the truck was out of service, Carla argues that the trial court erred by excluding expert testimony from Mark Mori, Mark Dunlap, Dane Maxwell, and Tim Corbitt on the issues of (1) the visibility of the truck, where the truck had no reflective tape, and (2) causation. ś 43. R & R argues, in part, that Carla's complaint was based on a theory of negligence. However, as the case progressed, R & R contends that Carla intended to present a theory of strict liability. R & R bases its' argument on the opinions expressed by Mori, Dunlap, and Maxwell. The common root of Carla's experts' opinions, R & R claims, was that the trailer was in violation of the FMCSRs for failure to have reflective tape, therefore, the trailer was illegally on the road at the time of the accident. Further, had the trailer not been on the road, then the collision and Preston's subsequent death never would have occurred and, consequently, R & R and Hunter were liable for Preston's death.
ś 44. The trial court qualified Mori as an expert truck driver in pretrial procedures. [5] Carla asserts that Mori's expert report stated that the truck should not have been on the road because it had no reflective tape on it. Mori further opined that it was reckless to have the truck on the road, and Preston was killed as a result of the truck being on the road with no reflective tape, as the truck was barely visible and in violation of the FMCSRs. ś 45. As for the issue of visibility, Mori stated during his deposition testimony that he could not testify whether a person other than himself could have seen the trailer without reflective tape. In keeping with this, Mori also stated that he would have been able to see the trailer lights more than a half mile away under similar conditions on the night of the accident, those being a flat Delta road in the wintertime. ś 46. Mori also stated in his deposition that the truck was required to have reflective tape, however, photographs of the accident showed the truck without any reflective tape. Because the truck had no reflective tape, the truck should not have been on the road and the accident would not have happened. When asked whether any of those issues affected the trailer's visibility, Mori stated Well, it â it wasn't supposed to be on the road, so whether it's visible or not, it â it's not supposed to be on the road. Mori also stated that R & R and Hunter would be at fault if the truck was on the roadway without reflective tape, regardless of whether the truck was visible to Preston, because the truck was not legally on the road. Mori was not called as a witness at trial. ś 47. On the issue of visibility, the trial court granted R & R's request to exclude Mori's testimony. The trial court reasoned that Mori's opinion, that [b]y driving at night without reflective tape on the back of the trailer, the driver and operator allowed the trailer to be unrecognizable at night from the rear, thus allowing it to be struck by a following car. I believe that is what happened in this case, was inadmissible, in part, because expert testimony was not needed to assist the jury about driving at night behind a tractor-trailer truck, as it is a common experience. The trial court further stated: This witness bases his opinion that [Preston] did not see the trailer primarily, if not solely, on the fact that there was an absence of reflective or conspicuity tape on the back of the trailer. In the view of this court, such an opinion, based solely thereon, is not based on sufficient facts. Logically, such an opinion would lead to the conclusion that in the absence of reflective tape, it is impossible for any driver to see any commercial transport tractor trailer at night. For these reasons, Mori is precluded from testifying as to the cause of the accident. To this extent, the motions for the defendants to strike the opinion of this witness is GRANTED.
ś 48. As previously stated, the trial court qualified Dunlap as an expert in State and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Codes. Dunlap's expert report opined that Preston's death was due to the truck not being in compliance with the FMCSRs. In addition, Dunlap opined that the truck should not have been on the road and that it posed a hazard to any driver approaching the truck from the rear. In his deposition testimony, Dunlap stated that he was unable to give an opinion on visibility on the night of the accident. Without being there, I wouldn't be able to say. He also stated that the lack of reflective tape does not make a vehicle invisible. As discussed in the preceding issue, Dunlap's proffered testimony at trial on the issue of causation was that [t]he only thing that I could comment on is the fact the truck should never have been on the road in the first place. That would be my causation. ś 49. The trial court stated: In reviewing the depositions of this witness, it appears that like the witness Mori, Dunlap anticipates offering opinion testimony concerning the visibility of the subject truck at night [citation omitted] and the cause of the accident. While the court will permit this witness to state opinions as to the purpose of certain state and federal regulations, the court remains of the view that testimony regarding the visibility of the trailer at night will not assist the trier of fact and, again, it does not appear to this court that there are sufficient facts and/or data for the witness to testify as to whether the deceased would have been able to see the trailer prior to the accident or as to the cause of the accident. Thus, opinions along those lines will not be permitted, and to the extent the defendants' motion seeks to prohibit this witness from testifying and/or offering opinions regarding the visibility of the trailer at night, whether the deceased would have been able to see the trailer prior to the accident and/or the cause of the accident, such motion is hereby GRANTED.
ś 50. The trial court qualified Maxwell as an expert on Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations. Maxwell opined in his report that the cause of Preston's death was operating the truck without reflective tape. In his deposition testimony, Maxwell stated that the truck was invisible without the reflective tape. In addition, Maxwell stated that, in order for Preston to have seen the truck, the reflective tape would have had to have been on the bottom and the top right and left hand corners of the truck. He stated that if reflective tape was only on the bottom of the truck, then Preston would not have been able to see the truck because it did not comply with the regulations. When asked whether strict compliance with the regulations was required in order for Preston to have an awareness that the trailer was in the highway, Maxwell answered in the affirmative. In other words, the truck would not have been visible to Preston, in Maxwell's opinion, because it was not in strict compliance with the regulations. At trial, Maxwell proffered testimony that the cause of the accident was a [v]iolation of the conspicuity regulations and [t]hat the fault lies with the Defendants. ś 51. Like Mori and Dunlap, the trial court excluded testimony from Maxwell on the issues of visibility and causation for the same reasons. The trial court determined that there were insufficient facts and/or data for Maxwell to testify whether Preston would have been able to see the trailer prior to the accident and what was the cause of the accident.
ś 52. Tim Corbitt was offered as an expert in accident reconstruction. The trial court qualified Corbitt as follows: While this witness will be permitted to interpret any evidence found or not found ( i.e. skid marks) at the scene of the accident and offer testimony and opinions regarding such evidence and how such evidence relates to the accident, the court remains of the opinion that there are insufficient facts and/or data to allow the witness to give testimony and/or provide opinions as to whether the deceased actually saw the truck prior to the impact, This witness will be permitted to offer testimony regarding the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations, their application to the facts of this case and any deficiencies regarding compliance with such regulations by such truck and/or trucking firm. As with the other witnesses, the court is of the view that opinions regarding the visibility, or lack of visibility, of the truck at night would not assist the trier of fact. For that reason, this witness will not be permitted to offer testimony or opinions as to whether this truck was visible to the deceased prior to the accident. However, the witness will be permitted to offer an opinion regarding the visibility of the trailer from the point of view of a reasonably prudent driver, including how far away from the trailer a reasonable prudent driver would have been able to see the trailer at night if it was properly equipped with reflective tape. (Emphasis in original.) ś 53. As to visibility, Corbitt testified at trial that a reasonably prudent person would have seen only the lights of the trailer on the night of the accident as opposed to the entire outline of the trailer, had it had the required conspicuity tape. He also testified to a silhouette effect that occurs mainly at night in dimly lit areas which acts to hide the trailer. [6] ś 54. Corbitt also stated that he had reviewed the FMCSRs, and that R & R had an obligation to have reflective tape on the truck on the night of the accident. Corbitt testified that a reasonably prudent person would not have been able to see the truck at the time of the accident. He stated that to solve red dot confusion, where lights appear as reddish dots in the distance, conspicuity tape should be added to a vehicle. Also, Corbitt testified that conspicuity tape would aid to alert a reasonably prudent person that a trailer is ahead on the roadway. In general, he stated that reflective tape would give greater visibility of the trailer at a further distance. ś 55. The trial court did not err by limiting all experts' opinions on the issue of whether the truck was visible to Preston on the night of the accident. Mori and Dunlap stated in one form or another that they were not present at the time of the accident and, therefore, could not state what Preston may have seen. Maxwell stated that the truck was invisible because it lacked the reflective tape. However, Maxwell was of the opinion that if the truck was in compliance with the FMCSRs, then the truck would have been visible. The trial court permitted Corbitt to testify at trial as to visibility with regard to what a reasonably prudent person, not Preston in particular, would have seen on the night of the accident. The trial court's decision, and its more lenient admission of testimony from Corbitt on the issue of visibility, was proper. None of the expert witnesses had the requisite knowledge to know what Preston may or may not have seen on the night of the accident. Any opinion on what Preston would have seen would be mere speculation. ś 56. The jury heard testimony from various witnesses that the trailer had no reflective tape in violation of the FMCSRs. The jury also heard that reflective tape was designed to alert drivers to the presence of trucks ahead on the roadway, and that the absence of the tape would reduce visibility. Accordingly, the issue of visibility, or lack thereof, of the trailer was presented to the jury for consideration. The testimony on visibility was not expressed in terms of Preston's actual ability to see the truck on the night of the accident, however, without Preston's testimony, which unfortunately was not possible in this case, any testimony concerning this was properly excluded. Therefore, the trial court did not err by refusing this testimony pursuant to Rules 401, 403, and 702. ś 57. As to causation, the trial court properly excluded testimony from Mori, Dunlap, Maxwell, and Corbitt pertaining to causation. [7] The trial court reasoned that there was not sufficient facts or data upon which to base an opinion as to causation. These witnesses basically held R & R and Hunter to a strict-liability theory that the truck should never have been on the road because it had no reflective tape in violation of FMCSRs and, consequently, the reduced visibility of the truck caused Preston's death. As some of the witnesses agreed, they could not testify what Preston saw on the night of the accident. Since they could not testify concerning Preston's visibility, they could not state whether the lack of reflective tape caused the accident. Therefore, the trial court did not err by excluding their proposed theories as to causation.