Opinion ID: 894625
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Harmful Error Analysis

Text: As noted above, the parties vigorously disputed causation in this case. Whereas the plaintiffs contended that a defective bearing assembly led to a catastrophic bearing failure that caused the accident, Volkswagen argued that driver error caused the accident and that the bearing failure was the result, not the cause, of the accident. The main dispute at trial centered around whether the bearing failure occurred in the eastbound lanes, thereby causing the Passat to enter the median and collide with the Mustang, or in the westbound lanes, as a result of the impact at the end of the accident sequence. The trial court admitted into evidence a local news crew's videotaped interview of a witness at the accident scene. In the interview, the witness stated: The station wagon was headed from here toward over there and apparently had a blown-out tire.... The tire blew up and it crossed the median and it hit the car that was headed from over there toward over here. The witness refused to identify himself and was never located or deposed. The court of appeals held that, if the trial court committed error in admitting the witness's testimony, the error was harmless because the appellant did not show that the error probably resulted in an improper judgment. 79 S.W.3d at 122. I disagree. The unidentified witness's testimony was not merely cumulative of other evidence in this case. The witness's statements constituted the only disinterested, eyewitness account that the plaintiffs offered to support their causation theory  that the bearing failure occurred at the beginning of the accident sequence, thereby leading Sperling to lose control of the Passat, which crossed the median and collided with the Mustang. Although Cox also provided some evidence of causation, his testimony was derived not from direct observation of the accident, but from post-accident analysis and testing. Moreover, unlike the unidentified witness, Cox conducted his research and formed his opinion solely for the purpose of litigating this case. See E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co. v. Robinson, 923 S.W.2d 549, 559 (Tex.1995) ([O]pinions formed solely for the purpose of testifying are more likely to be biased toward a particular result.); Nissan, 145 S.W.3d at 144 (noting that we have consistently required competent expert testimony and objective proof in product defect cases). Finally, whereas Volkswagen was able to challenge the credibility of Cox's testimony through cross-examination, it did not have the same opportunity with the unidentified witness. See Davidson v. Great Nat'l Life Ins. Co., 737 S.W.2d 312, 314 (Tex.1987) (Cross-examination is a safeguard essential to a fair trial and a cornerstone in the quest for truth.); State v. Hilton, 412 S.W.2d 41, 42-43 (Tex.1967) (holding that error in denying cross-examination of witness was harmful because witness was the real supporting witness). At trial, Plaintiffs' counsel repeatedly emphasized the importance of this evidence. Counsel presented the evidence in three forms: (i) the videotaped interview of the witness at the scene of the accident; (ii) a transcript of the interview read to the jury; and (iii) live testimony of the reporter who interviewed the unidentified eyewitness. In arguing for the admission of the evidence, counsel asserted that the videotape containing the interview was a very important piece of evidence for the plaintiffs and that they were only going to show the video clips of the evidence that [they] need [ed] to prove their case.  (Emphasis added.) They referred to the evidence in their opening statement, and it was the first evidence presented at trial. Most notably, plaintiffs' counsel made the following statements during closing argument: We heard from an eyewitness, an eyewitness who gave some testimony, testimony that hasn't been controverted, hasn't been disputed in this case, hasn't even been addressed. It's just kind of been ignored by Volkswagen. And what did that man say? That man told us very clearly, very simply and very honestly ... that what he saw from his position looked like a blowout to him; that a tire blew out, a car went out of control, it skidded across a median, it killed two girls and permanently damaged another one. He has no ax to grind. He has no beef with anybody. He's not being paid to say any of this. He's just an honest man giving an opinion, an opinion that was captured on film and was given to you just minutes, minutes after he experienced it. It wasn't like he went back out to the scene to measure. It wasn't like he looked at a bunch of photographs. It wasn't like he ran hundreds of tests and lots of exhibits. He told you that just minutes after he witnessed what he thought was a blowout. What does that mean to us? It means something very, very, very clearly. It means that something obviously went wrong with this tire. This man didn't get to see an accident that took place in two seconds stopped frame by frame. What he saw was something come loose, and that's exactly what Mr. Walker told you..... Additionally, the unidentified witness's testimony was very likely calculated to overcome contradictory evidence. To support its causation theory and discount the opposing theory, Volkswagen, like the plaintiffs, offered extensive expert witness testimony through an accident reconstructionist and metallurgist. It also presented an eyewitness who testified that the car appeared to be bouncing as it crossed the median and that its back end lifted off of the ground upon impact with the Mustang. Finally, the sergeant who investigated the accident testified that the inspection indicated, albeit not definitively, that the Passat left four tire marks in the median and westbound lanes. In sum, the evidence in question was not merely cumulative, it was heavily emphasized by the Ramirez's counsel, and it was very likely calculated to overcome contradictory evidence at trial. Considering these factors, I would hold that its erroneous admission was harmful and therefore necessitates reversal. III