Opinion ID: 1631067
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Dane Maxwell

Text: ś 50. The trial court qualified Maxwell as an expert on Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations. Maxwell opined in his report that the cause of Preston's death was operating the truck without reflective tape. In his deposition testimony, Maxwell stated that the truck was invisible without the reflective tape. In addition, Maxwell stated that, in order for Preston to have seen the truck, the reflective tape would have had to have been on the bottom and the top right and left hand corners of the truck. He stated that if reflective tape was only on the bottom of the truck, then Preston would not have been able to see the truck because it did not comply with the regulations. When asked whether strict compliance with the regulations was required in order for Preston to have an awareness that the trailer was in the highway, Maxwell answered in the affirmative. In other words, the truck would not have been visible to Preston, in Maxwell's opinion, because it was not in strict compliance with the regulations. At trial, Maxwell proffered testimony that the cause of the accident was a [v]iolation of the conspicuity regulations and [t]hat the fault lies with the Defendants. ś 51. Like Mori and Dunlap, the trial court excluded testimony from Maxwell on the issues of visibility and causation for the same reasons. The trial court determined that there were insufficient facts and/or data for Maxwell to testify whether Preston would have been able to see the trailer prior to the accident and what was the cause of the accident.