Opinion ID: 1823719
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: city of alexandria

Text: Crowell alleges that the City was strictly liable and/or negligent in its failure to protect motorists from the drainage culvert. The premise of strict liability is found in La.Civ.Code art. 2317 which provides in pertinent part: We are responsible, not only for the damage occasioned by our own act, but for that which is caused by the act of persons for whom we are answerable, or of the things which we have in our custody. An injured party seeking damages under art. 2317 need not prove negligence, that is, that any particular act or omission on the part of the defendant caused the injuries. He must only prove that the thing which caused the damage was in the care or custody of the defendant, that the thing had a vice or defect, that is, that it occasioned an unreasonable risk of injury to another, and that the injury was caused by the defect. Once these elements are proven, the custodian can escape liability only by showing that the harm was caused by the fault of the victim, by the fault of a third person, or by an irresistible force. Riche v. City of Baton Rouge, 515 So.2d 765 (La.1987); Shipp v. City of Alexandria, 395 So.2d 727 (La.1981). Municipalities and other public bodies have been held strictly liable for damages caused by things in their custody. Jones v. City of Baton Rouge, 388 So.2d 737 (La.1980). Moreover, this court has approved the application of comparative fault principles to strict liability cases involving public property. Landry v. State, 495 So.2d 1284 (La.1986). First, Crowell's testimony that Hill Street is located in the City of Alexandria was not contradicted. A police officer with the Alexandria Police Department was dispatched to investigate the accident. Further, Anthony S. D'Angelo, the Director of the Public Works Department for the City of Alexandria in September 1984, testified that the city department was doing repair work on culverts along Hill. Thus, the evidence supports a finding that the culverts along Hill Street were in the care or custody of the City. Second, the photographs of drainage culverts along Hill Street show that the culvert which Crowell hit appears to extend twice as far into the street from the curb as the other drains pictured. This opinion is supported by D'Angelo. He testified that the culvert, known as a cross drain, may be twice as wide as others along Hill Street. The photographs show that the cross drain extends beyond the gutter into the travel portion of the street. Also, the photographs show that Hill Street is not striped to designate travel lanes so no markings prohibit motorists from driving along their far right side of the street. No signs are seen which would alert drivers to the location of the cross drain. Photograph No. 15 is reproduced to help visualize the accident scene: Moreover, D'Angelo testified that the City was doing repair work on other culverts to prevent people from falling off into them. Hence, the evidence supports a finding that the cross drain is defective, that is, it occasioned an unreasonable risk of injury to Crowell. Finally, Marzula's eyewitness testimony that she saw Crowell go off to the right and hit the drain is not controverted. Photographs of the car show that both tires on the right side of the car blew out, which is consistent with impact with a drainage culvert causing Crowell to lose control of the car. Thus, the evidence supports a finding that the cross drain was a cause of Crowell's injuries. Consequently, Crowell has proven, by a preponderance of the evidence, the elements of a strict liability claim against the City. The trial judge was clearly wrong in granting the City's motion for involuntary dismissal. The court of appeal erred in affirming that judgment. The case must be remanded to the district court to complete the trial. Having thus concluded, we do not reach the issue of the City's alleged negligence.