Opinion ID: 2239113
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Heading: Landowner's Duty to Passing Motorists

Text: Central to the issue of liability is the duty owed by Valinet and NRC, as landowners, to Ann Eskew, a motorist on a highway adjacent to the defendants' property. The Court of Appeals held that a landowner owes a duty to exercise reasonable care to prevent injury caused by the defective or dangerous condition of the property to travelers on adjacent roadways. Valinet, 557 N.E.2d at 706 (citing Blake v. Dunn Farms, Inc. (1980), 274 Ind. 560, 413 N.E.2d 560; Holiday Rambler Corp. v. Gessinger (1989), Ind. App., 541 N.E.2d 559; Pitcairn v. Whiteside (1941), 109 Ind. App. 693, 34 N.E.2d 943). In their petition to transfer, Valinet and NRC contend that, in contrast to the cases cited by the Court of Appeals, the present case involves a natural condition on their land which they should not be expected to inspect. The defendants also contend that the trial court erroneously instructed the jury pursuant to the RESTATEMENT (SECOND) OF TORTS § 363, which has not been adopted in Indiana. This section provides: § 363. Natural Conditions (1) Except as stated in Subsection (2), neither a possessor of land, nor a vendor, lessor, or other transferor, is liable for physical harm caused to others outside of the land by a natural condition of the land. (2) A possessor of land in an urban area is subject to liability to persons using a public highway for physical harm resulting from his failure to exercise reasonable care to prevent an unreasonable risk of harm arising from the condition of trees on the land near the highway. RESTATEMENT (SECOND) OF TORTS (1965) § 363. The general rule of nonliability for natural conditions on land arose at a time when land was largely unsettled and the burden imposed on a landowner to inspect it for safety was held to exceed the societal benefit of preventing possible harm to passersby. Prosser and Keaton on Torts (5th ed. 1984) § 57 at 390. Courts have imposed liability, however, when landowners had actual knowledge of a dangerous natural condition, regardless of location. Lemon v. Edwards (1961), Ky., 344 S.W.2d 822, 823; Hay v. Norwalk Lodge No. 730, B.P.O.E. (1951), 92 Ohio App. 14, 23, 109 N.E.2d 481, 486; Taylor v. Olsen (1978), 282 Or. 343, 345, 578 P.2d 779, 781. Furthermore, a line of cases developed in which courts imposed a duty on landowners in more heavily populated areas to inspect their trees to try to prevent their posing an unreasonable risk of harm to passing motorists. Brandywine Hundred Realty Co. v. Cotillo (1931), 3d Cir., 55 F.2d 231, cert. denied (1932), 285 U.S. 555, 52 S.Ct. 411, 76 L.Ed. 944; Turner v. Ridley (1958), D.C.Mun.App., 144 A.2d 269, 271; Harris v. Village of East Hills (1977), 41 N.Y.2d 446, 449, 393 N.Y.S.2d 691, 693, 362 N.E.2d 243, 245; Taylor v. Olsen, 282 Or. at 348-49, 578 P.2d at 782-83. The rationale for imposing such a duty on urban landowners is that the risk of harm to highway users is greater and the burden of inspection on landowners is lighter in such populated areas. Prosser, supra, at 391; RESTATEMENT (SECOND) OF TORTS (1965), § 363, Comment e. We agree that the differing duties placed on owners of land with respect to differing demographics is correct. We, therefore, adopt § 363 of the RESTATEMENT. Whether the land is in an area of sufficient population density to invoke the rule requires a factual consideration of such factors as land use and traffic patterns. Also, whether the landowner exercised the requisite reasonable care will require the fact finder to weigh the seriousness of the danger against the ease with which it may be prevented. As this Court has previously held, a landowner need not continually inspect his property for natural dangers. Blake v. Dunn Farms, Inc. (1980), 274 Ind. 560, 566, 413 N.E.2d 560, 564. However, under some circumstances, fulfilling a landowner's duty to passing motorists might reasonably require periodic inspections to be sure that the premises do not endanger those lawfully on the highway. As it appears from the record here that the jury was instructed on these factors, we hold that the trial court committed no error.