Opinion ID: 2495846
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Byrd's version of the accident

Text: ¶ 12. The defendants contended that Leah had rear-ended Byrd while he was completing his turn. ¶ 13. According to Byrd, he had followed fellow employee Patrick Keys to Smith's home to pick up a piece of equipment. In turning into a driveway leading to Smith's home, Byrd did not turn widely enough to the left to complete the right turn. As he attempted the turn, he went partially off the left side of the driveway; consequently, his left front wheel went into a ditch. Byrd stalled in this position, which left the left rear part of his trailer protruding in the road approximately five and a half feet. According to Byrd, he tried unsuccessfully to drive the truck and trailer in reverse to avoid hitting Smith's mailbox. ¶ 14. Byrd explained that Keys already had parked and had walked toward Byrd's stalled truck and trailer. Byrd testified that he asked Keys to check Smith's mailbox to make sure that he would not hit it as he made the turn. According to Byrd, Keys walked toward the road, and in the process of checking the mailbox, he directed three cars to pass Byrd. Byrd testified that Keys returned to the front of Byrd's truck and was guiding him into the driveway to ensure that he did not hit the mailbox. The accident happened about thirty seconds after Byrd began moving forward. Byrd testified that, after the accident, Leah approached him and said that she had not seen the trailer because she had been picking up Jonathan from the passenger's side floorboard. ¶ 15. Keys provided a similar description of the events. According to Keys, Byrd had no reason to back up, and he did not recall whether Byrd attempted to back up. Keys did recall that two to three cars had passed before the accident, but he denied that he had directed the cars to pass around the trailer. According to Keys, he had watched the cars pass when he had walked to the truck's rear-passenger-side tires to check the mailbox. He denied that he had walked behind Byrd's trailer. ¶ 16. The jury unanimously found that Byrd and Independent Roofing were not liable. The trial court denied Leah's and Dewey's alternative motions for a judgment notwithstanding the verdict (JNOV) or a new trial, and they appealed.