Opinion ID: 1764638
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: The $30,000 Award for Ray McGuire.

Text: The record, which includes medical evidence, reflects that the explosions, fire and near loss of his wife [3] was a traumatic experience for Mr. McGuire. Dr. John Perry, a clinical psychologist, diagnosed Mr. McGuire as having anxiety neurosis and depressive neurosis. The condition extended for weeks and months after the accident. Mr. McGuire suffers from Parkinson's Disease and, according to Dr. Perry, his condition was aggravated by the anxiety neurosis and depressive neurosis. Dr. Julian Janes, Mr. McGuire's family physician, also testified that his Parkinson's Disease was aggravated due to the anxiety and resulting neurotic condition caused by the incident. He was unable to sleep at night and frequently had nightmares. He lost interest in doing things that he formerly enjoyed and he was seriously affected by the nervous condition. Mr. McGuire estimated his medical expenses, past and future, at approximately eleven hundred dollars ($1,100) and he had some loss of income. In First National Bank v. Langley, 314 So.2d 324 (Miss. 1975), the Court cited Robb v. Pennsylvania R.R., 58 Del. 454, 210 A.2d 709 (1965), where it was held: When negligence proximately caused fright, in one within the immediate area of physical damage from that negligence, which in turn produced consequences such as would the elements of damage if a bodily injury had been suffered, the injured party is entitled to recover under an application of the prevailing principles of law as negligence and proximate causation. 58 Del. at 464, 210 A.2d at 714-15. [314 So.2d at 333]. The Court further said: We, therefore, abandon the impact doctrine heretofore followed by this Court, so that hereafter genuine cases of injury growing out of the negligent acts of another  which are reasonably foreseeable as in other negligent cases  will not be dismissed simply because there was no trauma nor impact on the body of the injured claimant. We are of the opinion that the facts in the instant case established a genuine claim which was subject to the determination of the jury and that the judgment of the trial court based on the verdict of the jury should be affirmed. [314 So.2d at 339]. The reasoning of the California Court in Dillon v. Legg, 68 Cal.2d 728, 69 Cal. Rptr. 72, 441 P.2d 912 (1968) in setting out the following factors in this type of claim is persuasive: In determining, ... whether defendant should reasonably foresee the injury to plaintiff, or, ... whether defendant owes plaintiff a duty of due care, the courts will take into account such factors as the following: (1) Whether plaintiff was located near the scene of the accident as contrasted with one who was a distance away from it. (2) Whether the shock resulted from a direct emotional impact upon plaintiff from the sensory and contemporaneous observance of the accident, as contrasted with learning of the accident from others after its occurrence. (3) Whether plaintiff and the victim were closely related, as contrasted with an absence of any relationship or the presence of only a distant relationship. [68 Cal.2d at 740-41, 69 Cal. Rptr. at 80, 441 P.2d at 920]. We are of the opinion that, under the facts of this case, the issue of damages sustained by Mr. McGuire was properly submitted to the jury and that the award was not so large or excessive as to evince bias, passion and prejudice on the part of the jury, and we affirm the verdict for him.