Opinion ID: 1631067
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Tim Corbitt

Text: ś 52. Tim Corbitt was offered as an expert in accident reconstruction. The trial court qualified Corbitt as follows: While this witness will be permitted to interpret any evidence found or not found ( i.e. skid marks) at the scene of the accident and offer testimony and opinions regarding such evidence and how such evidence relates to the accident, the court remains of the opinion that there are insufficient facts and/or data to allow the witness to give testimony and/or provide opinions as to whether the deceased actually saw the truck prior to the impact, This witness will be permitted to offer testimony regarding the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations, their application to the facts of this case and any deficiencies regarding compliance with such regulations by such truck and/or trucking firm. As with the other witnesses, the court is of the view that opinions regarding the visibility, or lack of visibility, of the truck at night would not assist the trier of fact. For that reason, this witness will not be permitted to offer testimony or opinions as to whether this truck was visible to the deceased prior to the accident. However, the witness will be permitted to offer an opinion regarding the visibility of the trailer from the point of view of a reasonably prudent driver, including how far away from the trailer a reasonable prudent driver would have been able to see the trailer at night if it was properly equipped with reflective tape. (Emphasis in original.) ś 53. As to visibility, Corbitt testified at trial that a reasonably prudent person would have seen only the lights of the trailer on the night of the accident as opposed to the entire outline of the trailer, had it had the required conspicuity tape. He also testified to a silhouette effect that occurs mainly at night in dimly lit areas which acts to hide the trailer. [6] ś 54. Corbitt also stated that he had reviewed the FMCSRs, and that R & R had an obligation to have reflective tape on the truck on the night of the accident. Corbitt testified that a reasonably prudent person would not have been able to see the truck at the time of the accident. He stated that to solve red dot confusion, where lights appear as reddish dots in the distance, conspicuity tape should be added to a vehicle. Also, Corbitt testified that conspicuity tape would aid to alert a reasonably prudent person that a trailer is ahead on the roadway. In general, he stated that reflective tape would give greater visibility of the trailer at a further distance. ś 55. The trial court did not err by limiting all experts' opinions on the issue of whether the truck was visible to Preston on the night of the accident. Mori and Dunlap stated in one form or another that they were not present at the time of the accident and, therefore, could not state what Preston may have seen. Maxwell stated that the truck was invisible because it lacked the reflective tape. However, Maxwell was of the opinion that if the truck was in compliance with the FMCSRs, then the truck would have been visible. The trial court permitted Corbitt to testify at trial as to visibility with regard to what a reasonably prudent person, not Preston in particular, would have seen on the night of the accident. The trial court's decision, and its more lenient admission of testimony from Corbitt on the issue of visibility, was proper. None of the expert witnesses had the requisite knowledge to know what Preston may or may not have seen on the night of the accident. Any opinion on what Preston would have seen would be mere speculation. ś 56. The jury heard testimony from various witnesses that the trailer had no reflective tape in violation of the FMCSRs. The jury also heard that reflective tape was designed to alert drivers to the presence of trucks ahead on the roadway, and that the absence of the tape would reduce visibility. Accordingly, the issue of visibility, or lack thereof, of the trailer was presented to the jury for consideration. The testimony on visibility was not expressed in terms of Preston's actual ability to see the truck on the night of the accident, however, without Preston's testimony, which unfortunately was not possible in this case, any testimony concerning this was properly excluded. Therefore, the trial court did not err by refusing this testimony pursuant to Rules 401, 403, and 702. ś 57. As to causation, the trial court properly excluded testimony from Mori, Dunlap, Maxwell, and Corbitt pertaining to causation. [7] The trial court reasoned that there was not sufficient facts or data upon which to base an opinion as to causation. These witnesses basically held R & R and Hunter to a strict-liability theory that the truck should never have been on the road because it had no reflective tape in violation of FMCSRs and, consequently, the reduced visibility of the truck caused Preston's death. As some of the witnesses agreed, they could not testify what Preston saw on the night of the accident. Since they could not testify concerning Preston's visibility, they could not state whether the lack of reflective tape caused the accident. Therefore, the trial court did not err by excluding their proposed theories as to causation.