Opinion ID: 900804
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: The injury is foreseeable

Text: [¶ 12.] Common law duty depends on foreseeability of the injury. The risk defines the duty to be obeyed. A person is not required to take measures against a risk which would not be anticipated by a reasonable person. Peterson, 1998 SD 60 at ¶ 14, 578 N.W.2d at 592. [¶ 13.] Examining the facts of this case, it is foreseeable that airplanes will land at the airport. After all, that is the purpose of an airport. City encourages people to use its airport. It is also foreseeable that people will park their airplanes at the airport and City provides parking spaces for airplanes. [¶ 14.] It is foreseeable that the wind will blow in South Dakota and that when the wind blows, unsecured airplanes will be damaged. City provided tie-down rings and tie-down ropes for its patrons to secure their airplanes from wind damage. When wind warnings were in effect, the airport manager would double-tie parked airplanes. If City did not foresee wind damage, tie-downs and double-tying would not be necessary. [¶ 15.] It is also foreseeable that the tie-down ropes could break. The airport manager selected and fabricated the tie-down ropes to secure parked airplanes. If City did not foresee rope breakage, care in selection of the rope and fabrication of the tie-downs would not be necessary to prevent damage. Any old rope would do. In addition, when wind warnings were in effect, the airport manager would double-tie parked airplanes. If City did not foresee rope breakage, double-tying would not be necessary. [¶ 16.] It is also foreseeable that the ropes would wear out from use and exposure to the elements. The airport manager claimed he replaced the ropes whenever the thought occurred to him, sometimes annually. If City did not foresee that the ropes would wear out, replacement would not be necessary. [¶ 17.] Therefore, it was foreseeable that the ropes would wear and that worn ropes would break and an airplane could blow away. Consequently, City had a duty to use reasonable care in selecting the ropes, fabricating the tie-downs and detecting and replacing worn tie-downs.