Opinion ID: 880014
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: instructions relating to vehicle-pedestrian collision

Text: On the subject of the relative duties between a pedestrian on a highway and a driver approaching such a pedestrian, the District Court gave the following instructions: INSTRUCTION NO. 18 A Montana statute provides a person operating or driving a vehicle of any character on a public highway of this state shall drive it in a careful and prudent manner, and at a rate of speed no greater than is reasonable and proper under the conditions existing at the point of operation, taking into account the amount and character of traffic, weight of vehicle, grade and width of highway, condition of surface, and freedom of obstruction to view ahead, and he shall drive it so as not to unduly or unreasonable [sic] endanger the life, limb, property, or other rights of a person entitled to the use of the street or highway. INSTRUCTION NO. 19 A Montana statute provides that a person operating or driving a vehicle of any character on a public highway of this state shall drive it in a careful and prudent manner so as not to unduly or unreasonably endanger the life, limb, property, or other rights of a person entitled to the use of the street or highway. INSTRUCTION NO. 20 A Montana statute provides that every pedestrian crossing a roadway at any point other than within a marked crosswalk or within an unmarked crosswalk at an intersection shall yield the right-of-way to all vehicles upon the roadway. Notwithstanding the foregoing provision, every driver of a vehicle shall exercise due care to avoid colliding with any pedestrian upon any roadway and shall give warning by sounding the horn when necessary. INSTRUCTION NO. 22 It is the duty of every person using a public street or highway, whether as a pedestrian or as a driver of a vehicle, to exercise ordinary care at all times to avoid placing himself or others in danger and to use like care to avoid an accident from which an injury might result. In addition, Smith's counsel requested the District Court to give the following instruction: A Montana statute provides that a driver of a vehicle shall drive at an appropriate reduced speed when a special hazard exists with respect to pedestrians. The proposed instruction is based upon § 61-8-303(5), MCA. The District Court denied the proposed instruction on two grounds: (1) that the statute does not apply to pedestrians not in a crosswalk; and, (2) under the evidence of the case, the driver, prior to the accident, did not perceive any special hazard with respect to a pedestrian. However, the statute applies to all pedestrians, whether or not in a crosswalk, and the second reason given by the district judge was an issue for determination by the jury. Although the other instructions given by the District Court relate to the several duties between a driver and a pedestrian on a public highway, none of those instructions told the jury that when a special hazard exists with respect to a pedestrian, the driver must reduce his speed. This was an important part of the theory of the plaintiff in this case. It is reversible error to refuse to instruct on an important part of a party's theory of a case. Northwestern Union Trust Company v. Worm (1983), 204 Mont. 184, 663 P.2d 325, 327, 40 St.Rep. 758, 761.