Opinion ID: 1263029
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Whether the court erred in excluding the deposition testimony of Raymond Ziolkowski.

Text: Andrews contends that the court erred in excluding the deposition of Raymond Ziolkowski. He argues that his accident and Ziolkowski's accident were substantially similar. We agree. The plaintiff has a right in a strict liability action to introduce evidence of a substantially similar accident to prove that the design of the product involved in the accident is defective. Ginnis v. Mapes Hotel Corp., 86 Nev. 408, 415, 470 P.2d 135, 139 (1970). Whether the jury may be allowed to draw an inference as to the defectiveness of a product from prior failures depends on whether the factors which produced the prior failures were substantially similar to the factors which produced the present failure. See Jones & Laughlin Steel Corporation v. Matherne, 348 F.2d 394, 400 (5th Cir.1965). Ziolkowski and Andrews had similar injuries. Both men testified that their injuries occurred when they were thrown against the gas tank of their motorcycles after it separated from the frame. Both men drove into the back of a car while traveling around 30 miles per hour. Andrews' and Ziolkowski's motorcycle had an identical frame, engine, and fuel system. The differences in their accidents are trivial and would have little or no effect on their injuries. Therefore, we conclude that the accidents were substantially similar and the court erred in not allowing Ziolkowski's deposition into evidence.