Opinion ID: 1832864
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: facts

Text: After the accident, Wright was ticketed for operating his vehicle in a careless, reckless, or negligent manner. Wright pleaded not guilty, and the matter went to trial in the county court. At trial, Stevenson testified that on November 29, 2003, he was driving his Chevrolet Suburban west on Vine Street toward his residence, which was on the north side of Vine Street between East Avon and Colony Lanes. Vine Street, at the time of the accident, had three lanes at that location: one traffic lane in each direction and a middle turn lane. Stevenson testified that he signaled a right turn and was in the right lane, turning into his driveway, when his vehicle was struck on the right side by another vehicle that approached from behind. Stevenson's son, who was waiting in a parking lot across the street for his father to pull into the driveway, testified that he witnessed the accident, and he corroborated his father's testimony. Wright, the driver of the other vehicle, testified that he was driving west on Vine Street behind Stevenson when Stevenson's vehicle went into the middle turn lane. Wright said he did not see a turn signal. Wright testified that Stevenson made a right turn from the middle lane and that Wright was unable to stop, resulting in a collision in the right lane. Essentially, Wright's theory was that in order for Stevenson's Chevrolet Suburban to make a 90-degree right turn into his driveway, Stevenson had been required to take his vehicle into the center lane and make a wide right turn, causing the collision. The county court found Wright guilty of operating his vehicle in a careless, reckless, or negligent manner in violation of § 10.14.290 and fined him $60 plus court costs. Later, Stevenson brought a civil action against Wright in the county court for the damages allegedly caused to Stevenson's vehicle by Wright's negligence. Wright denied that he was negligent, alleged as an affirmative defense that Stevenson's own negligence was the cause of the accident, and specifically alleged the ways in which he claimed Stevenson was negligent. Stevenson filed a motion for summary judgment based on the traffic infraction conviction. The county court found that the issue of Wright's negligence as the proximate cause of Stevenson's damages was finally resolved in the traffic infraction proceeding. The county court concluded that Wright was collaterally estopped from asserting that Stevenson's negligence was the cause of the collision. Because Wright had admitted that the amount of Stevenson's damages was $2,708.70, the county court entered summary judgment in that amount, plus court costs and postjudgment interest. On appeal, the district court partly reversed the judgment of the county court. The district court found that although evidence of the traffic infraction conviction was admissible, the issues in that proceeding were not identical to those in the civil action, because the issues of contributory negligence and allocation of liability were not presented in the traffic infraction proceeding. The district court also noted that although Stevenson testified in the traffic infraction proceeding, he was not a party to that proceeding. The district court concluded that collateral estoppel was inapplicable and affirmed the county court's order with respect to the admissibility of the conviction, but reversed the order with respect to the summary judgment.