Opinion ID: 1806129
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: reckless operation

Text: VI. Plaintiff complains of the court's action in telling the jury it had removed all the question of intoxication as an issue or a ground for recovery and, further, of the court's action in sustaining objection to plaintiff's counsel's attempt to talk about intoxicating liquor in final argument to the jury. [2] The divisions submitted were negligence and recklessness. We have consistently considered evidence of drinking as a material circumstance in connection with the issue of recklessness. Berge v. Harris, supra; Christopherson v. Christensen, supra; Maland v. Tesdall, 232 Iowa 959, 967, 5 N.W.2d 327; Bohnsack v. Driftmier, supra; Thornbury v. Maley, supra; Shoop v. Hubbard, 259 Iowa 1362, 147 N.W.2d 51; Martin v. Cafer, 258 Iowa 176, 138 N.W.2d 71. The manner of ruling on the directed verdict in the jury's presence and the instruction regarding withdrawal of the intoxication issue was no doubt considered necessary in light of the directed verdict. If such action was necessary it should have been explained and should not have removed the evidence from jury consideration on the recklessness issue. Defendant's complaints as to the manner of ruling on the motion before the jury and subsequent treatment of the intoxication issue have merit but are moot except insofar as plaintiff's right to argue the points before the jury is concerned. The evidence of weather conditions, speed of the car under the circumstances and plaintiff's requests to slow down made a submissible issue of recklessness. The evidence of consumption of intoxicating liquor was germane to the issue. Thus plaintiff's counsel should have been allowed to discuss such evidence. VII. Other errors assigned need only be briefly noted. Plaintiff's objections to instruction 20 included an objection to the inclusion of persistent course of conduct as a necessary element of recklessness without sufficient explanation. On retrial the court will have the benefit of what has been said in Winkler v. Patten (Iowa) 175 N.W.2d 126, opinion filed March 4, 1970. The problem is not likely to reoccur. Plaintiff's complaint as to undue restriction on his damage argument and submission of interrogatories regarding the status of plaintiff are both now moot in light of our remand for retrial. They are also unlikely to reoccur. VIII. Ordinarily, when a retrial is ordered, the parties are entitled to retry all of the issues. We see no reason to deviate from the general rule in this case. Motion for new trial should have been granted. Reversed and remanded. All Justices concur, except UHLENHOPP, J., who takes no part.