Opinion ID: 2357315
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Admissibility of Expert Witness Testimony on Causation

Text: [¶ 27] MDOT argues that the court erred in admitting certain expert testimony. Specifically, MDOT challenges the testimony of Laurent Lavigne and Sergeant James Estabrook as it relates to causation.
[¶ 28] The Maine Rules of Evidence provide: If scientific, technical, or other specialized knowledge will assist the trier of fact to understand the evidence or to determine a fact in issue, a witness qualified as an expert by knowledge, skill, experience, training, or education, may testify thereto in the form of an opinion or otherwise. M.R. Evid. 702. To be admissible, the expert must be able to provide some insight beyond the kind of judgment an ordinarily intelligent juror can exert. Field & Murray, Maine Evidence § 702.2 at 350 (2000 ed.1999). The qualification of an expert witness and the scope of his opinion testimony are matters within the discretion of the trial court. State v. Tibbetts, 572 A.2d 142, 143 (Me.1990) (quotation marks and alteration omitted). [¶ 29] We have established a two-part test, originally articulated in State v. Williams, 388 A.2d 500, 504 (Me. 1978), for determining when expert testimony is admissible: A proponent of expert testimony must establish that (1) the testimony is relevant pursuant to M.R. Evid. 401, and (2) it will assist the trier of fact in understanding the evidence or determining a fact in issue. Searles v. Fleetwood Homes of Pa., Inc., 2005 ME 94, ¶ 21, 878 A.2d 509, 515-16. Further, to meet the two-part test, the testimony must also meet a threshold level of reliability. Id. ¶ 22, 878 A.2d at 516 (quotation marks omitted). This is because [i]f an expert's methodology or science is unreliable, then the expert's opinion has no probative value. State v. Irving, 2003 ME 31, ¶ 12, 818 A.2d 204, 208. We review a court's finding that an expert's testimony is sufficiently reliable for clear error. Searles, 2005 ME 94, ¶ 24, 878 A.2d at 516. With these standards in mind, we turn to consider the testimony of each expert challenged by MDOT on appeal.
[¶ 30] Lavigne was designated as an expert witness by Tolliver, and testified that he was currently working as a road construction consultant. Lavigne testified that he had previously worked for a paving company that performed road construction in Maine, including paving and striping activities. He graduated from college around 1965 with a degree in civil engineering with a major in transportation. Since then, he has worked on numerous highway construction projects, many of which involved striping and paving. Lavigne testified that while he was working in Maine, his company was the MDOT subcontractor responsible for striping on some state road projects, and that when his company was responsible for doing the striping on a road, MDOT expected that it be done within two or three days, a week at the most. He also stated that when MDOT itself was doing the striping on the road, as opposed to using a subcontractor, it usually completed the striping within two days to a week after paving on a job had been completed. Lavigne testified that the reason why it was important to get the striping done within this timeframe was primarily the safety of drivers and pedestrians. [¶ 31] After Lavigne had testified to his experience working on highway construction projects in general, and specifically as an MDOT subcontractor, Tolliver asked Lavigne if, based upon [his] training, education, experience and [his] examination of the site conditions at the scene of the accident, he had an opinion as to whether or not the failure of [MDOT] to stripe the fog line or sideline prior to the accident on June 20th was a substantial contributing factor in causing the accident. MDOT's objection to the question was overruled, and Lavigne stated that he believed the lack of an edge line would be confusing to drivers and pedestrians in general. He then stated, over MDOT's objection, that he believed the lack of an edge line was a substantial contributor to the accident. [¶ 32] On cross-examination, Lavigne admitted that he had visited the accident site only once and had only basic knowledge of the area in which the accident occurred. He also stated that he did not take Lucas's inebriation or Knight's account of the accident into consideration when forming his opinion. On redirect, Lavigne testified that it would be more important that there be a line delineating the breakdown lane for a person who had been drinking than for someone else. MDOT's objection to this testimony was overruled. [¶ 33] MDOT contends that Lavigne was not qualified to testify that the lack of an edge line was a substantial contributing factor to the accident in this case. We agree. [¶ 34] Lavigne's experience, training, and education qualified him as a road construction expert with knowledge of MDOT's standards and operating procedures. He was, therefore, qualified to testify as to MDOT's usual timeframe for striping a road, based on his experience with this department. He was also qualified to testify, based on his education and experience, that edge lines are important on roadways for the safety of the public and pedestrians. This is the kind of knowledge a road construction expert would generally possess. [¶ 35] It is clear, however, that Lavigne lacked the foundation necessary to offer an opinion as to the cause of this particular accident. He had limited knowledge about the accident scene and the condition of the individuals involved in the accident. He was not an accident reconstructionist whose training and experience would allow him to make scientifically reasonable and supportable conclusions about causation based on a careful examination of the accident scene. Lavigne's training and experience may have permitted him to opine that the lack of an edge line created an unsafe condition that was a possible cause of the accident, but not that it was a proximate cause of the accident. The mere possibility of causation is not enough to establish proximate cause, or, in Lavigne's words, substantial contribut[ion]. See Merriam v. Wanger, 2000 ME 159, ¶ 8, 757 A.2d 778, 780-81. Lavigne's opinion that the lack of an edge line substantially contributed to the accident was speculation and did not assist the jury; rather, it infringed on the function and role of the jury. For these reasons, the court erred in admitting Lavigne's testimony regarding causation.
[¶ 36] Tolliver called Sergeant Estabrook as an expert witness at trial. As part of Estabrook's training after joining the sheriff's department, he received instruction in basic accident investigation techniques, and had investigated hundreds of accidents in the course of his career. He acknowledged, however, that he was not an accident reconstructionist and that he believed an accident reconstructionist was necessary to investigate the cause of the accident involving Tolliver. [7] [¶ 37] Estabrook testified that he had been on patrol on Route 302 in the days prior to the accident, and had observed vehicles traveling at high rates of speed in what he knew to be the breakdown lane. His testimony that, based on his observations, he believed that the lack of an edge line could have been a contributing factor in the accident was objected to by MDOT and ordered stricken by the court. MDOT did not also ask for a curative instruction or move for a mistrial at that time. [¶ 38] MDOT asserts that Estabrook was not qualified to address causation. Nonetheless, he was allowed [to] opine that the lack of a side edgeline was a possible contributing factor in the accident. However, our examination of Estabrook's testimony establishes that Estabrook was not, in fact, permitted to testify that the lack of an edge line was a contributing factor to the accident. Indeed, the court sustained MDOT's objection and ordered the testimony stricken. [8] Accordingly, we find no error with regard to Estabrook's testimony.
[¶ 39] Our finding that Lavigne's expert testimony was erroneously admitted does not automatically require that we vacate the judgment. We will not disturb a judgment if an error is harmless. M.R. Civ. P. 61; see also MR. Evid. 103(a); DiPietro v. Boynton, 628 A.2d 1019, 1024 (Me.1993). A preserved error will be treated as harmless if it is highly probable that the error did not affect the judgment See Bennett v. Forman, 675 A.2d 104, 106 (Me.1996). [¶ 40] In the present case, it is not highly probable that the admission of Lavigne's testimony that the lack of an edge line was a substantial contributor to the accident did not affect the judgment. His opinion that the absence of the edge line was a substantial contributor to the accident closely foreshadowed the court's jury instruction that to prove proximate cause, it must be shown that the act or failure to act played a substantial part in bringing about or actually causing the injury or damage. [9] Although an expert witness's testimony may generally embrace[] an ultimate issue to be decided by the trier of fact, M.R. Evid. 704, such an opinion is permissible only if the testimony satisfies all the requirements for admissible expert testimony, see Castine Energy Constr., Inc. v. T.T. Dunphy, Inc., 2004 ME 129, ¶ 13, 861 A.2d 671, 677. Lavigne's testimony on causation did not satisfy this foundational test. There is a high degree of probability that his testimony embracing an ultimate issue affected the jury's evaluation of, and ultimate finding on, the element of proximate cause. [¶ 41] Therefore, we vacate the judgment because the admission of Lavigne's expert opinion was not harmless. However, whether we remand for a new trial or for judgment in favor of MDOT turns on whether Tolliver otherwise presented sufficient additional evidence on proximate cause such that a fact-finder could reasonably conclude that the lack of an edge line on Route 302 was a proximate cause of the accident in this case. We turn to examine this issue.
[¶ 42] A judgment as a matter of law is improper if any reasonable view of the evidence could sustain a verdict for the opposing party. Merriam, 2000 ME 159, ¶ 7, 757 A.2d at 780 (quotation marks omitted). The question of whether a defendant's acts or omissions were the proximate cause of a plaintiff's injuries is generally a question of fact, reserved for the jury's determination. Houde v. Millett, 2001 ME 183, ¶ 11, 787 A.2d 757, 759. We have consistently explained that the principle of proximate cause contains two elements, substantiality and foreseeability: Evidence is sufficient to support a finding of proximate cause if the evidence and inferences that may reasonably be drawn from the evidence indicate that the negligence played a substantial part in bringing about or actually causing the injury or damage and that the injury or damage was either a direct result or a reasonably foreseeable consequence of the negligence. Merriam, 2000 ME 159, ¶ 8, 757 A.2d at 780-81. Although a jury is not permitted to find proximate cause based only on speculation, it does not follow that jurors are prohibited from drawing reasonable inferences based on their own experience as to whether a particular act or omission is a proximate cause of an injury. See id. ¶¶ 16-17, 757 A.2d at 782; W. PAGE KEETON, PROSSER & KEETON ON THE LAW OF TORTS 270 (5th ed. 1984) (If as a matter of ordinary experience a particular act or omission might be expected, under the circumstances, to produce a particular result, and that result in fact has followed, the conclusion may be permissible that the causal relationship exists.); see also Marcoux v. Parker Hannifin/Nichols PortlandDiv., 2005 ME 107, ¶¶ 25-26, 881 A.2d 1138, 1146. Our precedents also indicate that in cases involving complex facts beyond the ken of the average juror, or those potentially involving multiple causes, more substantial evidence of proximate cause may be required. [10] [¶ 43] In the present case, Tolliver presented substantial evidence that the purpose of the white edge line of a road was, at least in part, to make the road safer for drivers and pedestrians. Lavigne testified to this fact, as did an MDOT traffic engineer called by MDOT. Further, the toxicologist called by MDOT testified to the process of tracking, whereby a driver or pedestrian uses markers in the road to help stay in the proper lane of travel. [11] Although Tolliver argues that this evidence allows an inference of causation, this evidence more accurately establishes the foreseeability component of proximate cause, but not the substantiality component of proximate cause. Given the conflicting and inconsistent theories of what caused the accident in this case, such evidence regarding foreseeability does not support an inference that the lack of an edge line played a substantial part in bringing about or actually causing the accident that resulted in Lucas's injuries. [¶ 44] We conclude that any inference that the lack of an edge line was an actual cause of the accident would amount to nothing more than speculation on the part of the jury. Although he testified to his damages, Lucas was unable to give his account of the circumstances of the accident because he had no memory of it. Therefore, Knight was the only eyewitness able to testify about the accident. Although the jury was free to disregard her arguably self-serving version of events, any additional testimony the jury received regarding what actually happened came from expert testimony, and not a single qualified expert concluded that the lack of an edge line was a substantial contributor to this accident. The testimony regarding the need for an edge line for safety purposes established that the accident was foreseeable, and the jury was permitted to conclude as such. However, to allow the jury to also infer actual causation from the conflicting and inconclusive evidence in this case, from expert and lay witnesses alike, would be to replace fact-finding with sheer conjecture. [¶ 45] For the foregoing reasons, we conclude that MDOT was entitled to judgment as a matter of law in its favor. Accordingly, we do not address Tolliver's cross-appeal regarding the measure of damages. The entry is: Judgment vacated. Remanded for entry of judgment for MDOT. ALEXANDER, J., with whom SAUFLEY, C.J., and CLIFFORD, J., join, concurring. [¶ 46] I concur with the Court that we must vacate the Superior Court's judgment in this matter. In support of the decision to vacate, I concur with the Court's analysis of the expert witness issue in Part B, subparts 1-4, of the Court's opinion. I do not join the Court's analysis of the discretionary function immunity issue in Part A of its opinion, including its determination that government priority setting, scheduling, and resource allocation decisions are ministerial acts rather than discretionary decisions pursuant to 14 M.R.S. § 8104-B(3) (2007). [¶ 47] I agree with the Court that the act of repainting the fog line, separating the travel lane from the breakdown lane, is a ministerial act. I also agree with the Court that the decision as to whether this road, with a breakdown lane, needs a fog line is a ministerial decision. But those decisions are not the decisions at issue in this case. [¶ 48] The road in question, Route 302, was subject to an ongoing reconstruction and repaving project. No one suggests that while this project was ongoing, the Maine Department of Transportation (MDOT), or its contractors, were obligated to replace the fog line every day or night. Once the construction project was deemed complete, fog line replacement is not something that must occur instantly. MDOT, a government agency with limited staff and resources, must be accorded a reasonable time within which to complete repainting the fog line after the completion of construction. [¶ 49] Here, several discretionary decisions, unique to the functions of MDOT as a government agency, were required prior to replacement of the fog line. The first decision, and one about which the record is unclear, is whether, or not, the construction and repaving project was complete. Before MDOT decided, as a matter of discretion, that the construction and repaving project was complete or at least sufficiently complete to replace the fog line, MDOT had no obligation to replace the fog line. Once MDOT had decided that the construction and repaving project was complete, it then would have discretion to schedule replacement of the fog line within a reasonable time, considering: the time it takes new asphalt pavement to cure before painting is appropriate; MDOT's staff and resources available to replace the fog line; the competing needs of other projects to be served by the available staff and road lining equipment; and imponderables such as weather. A relining project, even in the summer, could be appropriately deferred if rains were anticipated at a time that would cause the relining to be completed in a less than satisfactory manner. [¶ 50] Discretionary function immunity extends to protect determinations made by executives or administrators in establishing plans, specifications or schedules of operations. Where there is room for policy judgment and decision there is discretion. Darling v. Augusta Mental Health Inst., 535 A.2d 421, 425-26 (Me.1987), [12] (quoting Dalehite v. United States, 346 U.S. 15, 35-36, 73 S.Ct. 956, 97 L.Ed. 1427 (1953)). The planning and scheduling of relining operations, once repaving was complete and the asphalt was sufficiently cured, is the essence of discretionary decision-making protected by section 8104-B(3). [¶ 51] Our most recent review of the discretionary immunity issue occurred in Rodriguez v. Town of Moose River, 2007 ME 68, 922 A.2d 484. There, we reviewed whether a decision of a town clerk to replace a handrail on a stairway to her home, when the home also served as the town office, was protected by the employee discretionary function immunity provisions of the Maine Tort Claims Act, 14 M.R.S. § 8111(1)(C) (2007). Rodriguez, 2007 ME 68, ¶¶ 18-26, 922 A.2d at 489-92. We held that the town clerk's decision to replace, or not to replace, the previously removed handrail was not a discretionary decision. To support this conclusion, we held that [in] cases where the questioned conduct has little or no purely governmental content but instead resembles decisions or activities carried on by people generally, there is an objective standard for judgment by the courts and the doctrine of discretionary immunity does not bar the action. Id. ¶ 22, 922 A.2d at 490 (quoting Adriance v. Town of Standish, 687 A.2d 238, 241 (Me., 1996)). Thus, we observed that choices regarding the performance of routine maintenance that are similar or identical to choices made by people generally in society are not entitled to discretionary function immunity. [¶ 52] The decisions regarding when to replace the fog line after a construction and repaving project are discretionary decisions very different than the decisions or activities carried on by people generally in the private sector. See Rodriguez, 2007 ME 68, ¶ 22, 922 A.2d at 490. The decisions here involve priority setting, planning, and scheduling of government operations that are essential discretionary functions. See Darling, 535 A.2d at 425-26. Accordingly, I would hold that the decisions as to whether the construction and repaving project was complete, whether the new paving was sufficiently cured, and, if so, when to schedule and commit resources, within a reasonable time, to replace the fog line, are inherently discretionary decisions, unique to the functions of MDOT as a government agency and subject to discretionary function immunity pursuant to the Maine Tort Claims Act, 14 M.R.S. § 8104-B(3). For this reason, I would vacate the judgment of the Superior Court. SILVER, J., dissenting in part and concurring in part. [¶ 53] I agree that MDOT is not entitled to discretionary function immunity and concur in Part A of the Court's opinion, but disagree that the court erred in admitting the expert testimony of Laurent Lavigne, and I therefore respectfully dissent with respect to Part B. I would affirm the jury verdict in favor of Tolliver. Because the issue of Lavigne's testimony ultimately turns on weight rather than admissibility, a distinction the majority fails to make, I would affirm the court's admission of his testimony that the lack of an edge line was a substantial cause of the accident. A. Lavigne's Expert Witness Testimony [¶ 54] Lavigne testified he had forty years of experience as a civil engineer working on road construction of major highway projects and nearly as many years working in paving and striping activities. Lavigne's roles were primarily supervisory, including project engineer, superintendent, regional manager, and vice president of operations. Although the vast majority of Lavigne's experience was with projects outside the State of Maine, he testified that the standard throughout most states is the same; that line striping should be done within two or three days, no longer than a week after the paving of the surface course. [¶ 55] While employed as the regional manager for Barrett Paving in Bangor from 1999-2004, Lavigne supervised thirteen highway construction projects with the State of Maine Department of Transportation. Lavigne testified that the MDOT required that line striping be done within two to three days, and no longer than a week, after the completion of the surface course, to ensure the safety of the pedestrian and driving population. He further testified that he visited the accident site and took photos; he reviewed construction consultant Ken Bun-ill's report; and that in his opinion, the lack of an edge line was a substantial contributing factor to the accident. [¶ 56] According to State v. Williams , the seminal case on the admissibility of the testimony of expert witnesses, and its progeny, it is the judge's role to act as the gatekeeper to determine admissibility and the jury's role to determine the weight of expert testimony. 388 A.2d 500, 504-05 (Me.1978) (holding that as long as the proffered expert is qualified, the controlling criteria regarding admissibility is whether in the sound judgment of the presiding Justice the testimony is relevant and will assist the trier of fact to understand the evidence or to determine a fact in issue). We review a court's finding that an expert's testimony is sufficiently reliable for clear error. Searles v. Fleetwood Homes of Pa., Inc., 2005 ME 94, ¶ 24, 878 A.2d 509, 516. The clear error standard is highly deferential. The trial judge has the best vantage point to make judgments on issues such as credibility. The appellate court's cold transcript is a pale substitute. As such, the facts are considered to be the sole province of the judge or jury. Hon. Andrew M. Mead, Abuse of Discretion: Maine's Application of A Malleable Appellate Standard, 57 Me. L.Rev. 519, 524 (2005). Further, we afford a trial court wide discretion to determine whether the danger of unfair prejudice posed by relevant evidence substantially outweighs the value of proffered evidence under M.R. Evid. 403. See State v. Millay, 2001 ME 177, ¶ 11, 787 A.2d 129, 131-32; Todd v. Andalkar, 1997 ME 59, ¶ 6, 691 A.2d 1215, 1217. [¶ 57] The Maine Rules of Evidence provide: If scientific, technical, or other specialized knowledge will assist the trier of fact to understand the evidence or to determine a fact in issue, a witness qualified as an expert by knowledge, skill, experience, training, or education, may testify thereto in the form of an opinion or otherwise. M.R. Evid. 702. The facts or data in the particular case upon which an expert bases an opinion or inference may be those perceived by or made known to the expert at or before the hearing. If of a type reasonably relied upon by experts in the particular field in forming opinions or inferences upon the subject, the facts or data need not be admissible in evidence. M.R. Evid. 703. [¶ 58] Lavigne's testimony was clearly admissible because his qualifications as a road construction expert and his knowledge of the safety purposes underlying edge lines on roads were established at trial. The touchstones of admissibility, namely (1) whether his testimony was relevant, and (2) whether it was useful to the jury in understanding the evidence or determining a fact in issue, see id, were clearly satisfied here. Cf. Castine Energy Const., Inc. v. T.T. Dunphy, Inc., 2004 ME 129, ¶¶ 13-14, 861 A.2d 671, 677 (former state trooper permitted to testify with regard to trucking safety issues because he had extensive experience with enforcing safety regulations and his knowledge was useful with respect to safety standards and issues). [¶ 59] Federal case law also favors the admissibility of the evidence. F.R. Evid. 702 is identical to M.R. Evid. 702. In Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharm., Inc., the Supreme Court held that expert testimony is admissible only if it is both relevant and reliable, and assigned trial judges the role of gatekeepers. 509 U.S. 579, 590-93, 113 S.Ct. 2786, 125 L.Ed.2d 469 (1993). The Court has reaffirmed these principles many times. See, e.g., Gen. Elec. Co. v. Joiner, 522 U.S. 136, 118 S.Ct. 512, 139 L.Ed.2d 508 (1997); Kumho Tire Co. v. Carmichael, 526 U.S. 137, 119 S.Ct. 1167, 143 L.Ed.2d 238(1999). [¶ 60] The Court in Kumho Tire expanded Daubert's general holding, setting forth the trial judge's gatekeeping function, to apply to testimony based on technical and other specialized knowledge in addition to scientific knowledge. 526 U.S. at 147-48, 119 S.Ct. 1167. The Court quoted Judge Learned Hand, who explained that the role of experts, not just scientific experts, is to help the jury understand principles or theories that are beyond life's common experiences: Experts of all kinds tie observations to conclusions through the use of . . . `general truths derived from . . . specialized experience.' Id. at 148, 119 S.Ct. 1167. Judge Hand further observed that the expert's specialized experience will be confessedly foreign in kind to [the jury's] own. Id. at 149, 119 S.Ct. 1167. Kumho Tire linked Judge Hand's insights to the current role of the trial courts: The trial judge's effort to assure that the specialized testimony is reliable and relevant can help the jury evaluate that foreign experience, whether the testimony reflects scientific, technical, or other specialized knowledge. Id. [¶ 61] In United States v. Salimonu, a criminal case in which the defendant used a code name to illegally import drugs, the First Circuit affirmed a district court's decision to exclude a linguistic expert's testimony. 182 F.3d 63 (1st Cir.1999). Voir dire revealed that the witness had no training in voice recognition, had engaged in voice recognition only two or three times before, did not know whether the voices on the tapes had been disguised, and that a lay person without linguistics training would be able to discern the same differences in the tapes, if any, that he had found. Id. at 73. Relying on Kumho Tire, the First Circuit held that the district court properly exercised its sound discretion to exclude the linguistic expert's testimony because the opinion lacked any indicia of reliability. Id. at 74. [¶ 62] Contrary to the testimony proffered by the expert in Salimonu, Lavigne's testimony offered many indicia of reliability, including his decades of experience as an engineer and supervisor on road construction projects, his firsthand knowledge of the accident site, and his unique expertise as a consultant to MDOT paving and striping projects. See id. There is no question that Lavigne's knowledge as to the requisite MDOT paving/striping timeframe and its implications on safety for both pedestrians and vehicles were clearly specialized and foreign to that possessed by the jury. See Kumho Tire, 526 U.S. at 149, 119 S.Ct. 1167. [¶ 63] It was therefore appropriate for the judge in this case to admit Lavigne's testimony and then allow the jury to determine whether the lack of striping was in fact a proximate cause of this particular accident. The existence of proximate cause is a question of fact, not law, see, e.g., Grover v. Boise Cascade Corp., 2003 ME 45, ¶ 11, 819 A.2d 322, 324, and further, it is permissible for an expert to testify regarding factual issues that also concern legal standards. Castine Energy, 2004 ME 129, ¶ 15, 861 A.2d at 677. [¶ 64] Contrary to the majority's contention that Lavigne's testimony was speculative and therefore infringed on the role of the jury, the primary purpose of witness testimony is to provide the fact-finder with an opportunity to weigh competing evidence from different perspectives. To prevent a witness with the credentials and expertise of Lavigne from testifying altogether, however, would be a considerable impediment to plaintiffs seeking justice. Cross-examination allows opposing counsel to demonstrate to the jury that an expert witness's opinion should not be accorded significant weight if, for example, as in this case, the witness lacked knowledge of the victim's state of intoxication or the tortfeasor's story of how the accident was caused. B. Proximate Cause [¶ 65] The majority also errs in finding that Tolliver failed to otherwise present sufficient evidence on proximate cause such that a reasonable fact-finder could conclude that the lack of an edge line was a proximate cause of the accident in this case. Because there is ample evidence, even absent Lavigne's testimony, to support a finding of proximate cause by the jury, I would affirm the trial court's denial of MDOT's motion for judgment as a matter of law. [¶ 66] We review the denial by the trial court of a motion for a judgment as a matter of law to determine if any reasonable view of the evidence and those inferences that are justifiably drawn from that evidence supports the jury verdict. Kaechele v. Kenyon Oil Co., Inc., 2000 ME 39, ¶ 17, 747 A.2d 167, 173 (citations omitted); see also Houde v. Millett, 2001 ME 183, ¶ 11, 787 A.2d 757, 759 (the question of proximate cause is a question of fact, and a judgment as a matter of law is improper if any reasonable view of the evidence could sustain a finding of proximate cause). [¶ 67] The testimony given by Stephen Landry, the MDOT traffic engineer, that the edge line is intended as a safety measure for vehicles and pedestrians, and Karen Simone, the MDOT toxicologist, about the process of tracking, whereby a driver or pedestrian follows some form of marker on the road, in order to stay in their lane of travel, support the conclusion that the presence of an edge line would have assisted both Ms. Knight in staying out of the breakdown lane and Mr. Tolliver in staying further away from the travel lane. Sgt. Estabrook testified that, on the days preceding the accident, he observed vehicles traveling at high rates of speed on Route 302, in what he knew to be the unstriped breakdown lane, which was atypical, further supporting Tolliver's conclusion that the lack of an edge line created greater confusion for drivers, including Ms. Knight. [¶ 68] The court's denial of the MDOT's motion should be upheld if there is any reasonable view of the evidence that would support the jury's verdict. Kaechele, 2000 ME 39, ¶ 17, 747 A.2d at 173. The evidence presented by Landry, Simone, and Estabrook was clearly sufficient for the jury to conclude that the MDOT's failure to apply an edge line within a reasonable timeframe was a proximate cause of Tolliver's injuries. The majority seeks to circumvent the jury's verdict for the plaintiff by taking away both the trial judge's and jury's discretionary powers in this case for reasons that are unclear.