Opinion ID: 1124286
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: proof on record

Text: The general testimony about the roadway preceding the accident site, southbound LA 107 approaching the curve near mile post 43, indicated it had once been a concrete road which had been widened. The concrete road was overlaid with asphalt which extended approximately 3 feet onto the former shoulders of both the north and southbound lanes. Thus, the overlaid expansion area at the edge of the lanes, i.e., the 18 to 20 inches along the edge of the asphalt roadway, was not supported by concrete. The expansion area in the southbound lane tended to sink about one-half to one inch. This sinkage created a fracture line parallel to the edge of the road which was punctuated by cracking, splitting or buckling. The surface of the southbound lane also had occasional perpendicular fracture lines and a fracture line near and parallel to the center line. Official investigation photographs of the accident scene reveal a sizeable asphalt overlay patch in the southbound lane, across from the point of impact. This asphalt patch was several feet long, sunken and the width of the expansion. It was on a portion of the southbound lane which Flint's vehicle could not have traversed because the physical evidence, the gouging at the point of impact, proved Flint's small vehicle was not in the expansion portion of the southbound lane at that point in the road, but rather was one-third into the northbound lane. See R-3, R-9. [6] Official investigation photographs validate the existence of two small holes or potholes which Flint's vehicle might have traversed on the night of the accidentone approximately 10 feet north of the point of impact and the other approximately 100 feet north of it. See R-2, R-6 and R-9. Since the night of the accident, portions of the surface of the roadway in the vicinity of mile post 43 have been overlayed. DOTD records reveal that, on November 8, 1988, two large asphalt overlay patches were placed in the southbound lane, extending from the center line to the road's edge. One is situated 100 feet or so north of the accident site, and the other one starts immediately south of the small pothole pictured in R-2 and continues approximately 60 feet south past the point of impact. See DOTD-6C, DOTD-6F, DOTD-6G. Thus, the pothole located approximately 10 feet north of the point of impact had not been filled or overlayed prior to trial. Trial testimony and pre-trial interrogatories reveal no known citizen complaints about roadway defects on LA 107 in the vicinity of mile post 43 for the years 1986 through 1991. Further, no other accidents have occurred on this portion of southbound LA 107, although there was one northbound single-car accident on LA 107 south of the curve. This nonexistent complaint history and low accident rate existed despite the vicinity's average daily traffic count, tallied for both the north and southbound lanes as follows: 1985-2750 vehicles; 1986-no data; 1987-2160 vehicles; 1988-2920 vehicles; XXXX-XXXX vehicles; and XXXX-XXXX vehicles. At trial, to establish the DOTD's liability, the Rylands called as their witnesses: a mechanical engineer, two employees of the DOTD, one of the two Louisiana State Troopers who investigated and photographed the accident scene, a deputy sheriff hired by plaintiffs to photograph the scene, Flint's fiancee and several local residents. To refute its liability, the DOTD called the other Louisiana State Trooper who investigated the accident and a civil engineer. Flint's fiancee, Henry W. Lucas, III, testified that he occasionally travelled LA 107 prior to the accident. Speaking about the southbound lane near mile post 43, he told the Court that, right before the curve of the accident, there's a bad place in the road. He described the big pothole as being 3 feet by 2½ feet, he tried to go around this spot. He said it was like a very bad pothole and when I hit it before, it would send my car to the left. You had to be paying attention. He testified that when he viewed the area 3 days after the accident, the bad pothole was covered with asphalt. He admitted that he did not know whether the pothole had been filled prior to the accident. When he viewed photograph R-6, taken by a state trooper the morning after the accident, he identified this bad pothole as the dark spot on the edge of the roadway shown in the photograph. As a point of reference, we note that this patched pothole is on the expansion section of the southbound lane, almost directly across from the point of impact. Flint's vehicle could not have traversed it. See R-1, R-3, R-10. Plaintiffs' second witness was Diane Ryland, a court reporter and sister-in-law to plaintiff J.B. Ryland. A life-long resident of the area who daily traveled LA 107, she testified that the condition of the roadway prior to the accident was bad simply because of the overlay, the splitting and the cracking ... To avoid the roughness, she testified she had to slow down or compensate by driving near the center line. She, too, described a large pothole in the road that she tried to avoid because she did not want to ruin the tires of her car. When her 1986 Thunderbird, the mid-sized car she was driving in 1988, would hit the large pothole she said it would get thrown a little bit. She indicated her memory was vague, but she thought she remembered more than one pothole. Describing the cracks and uneven areas, she said they ran parallel to the edge of the roadway, before and through the curve. She drove to the center to avoid the crack. These road conditions, however, never caused her to lose control of her vehicle or to cross the center line. She indicated that the condition of the roadway around the curve is pretty much the same as the rest of LA 107 throughout Rapides and Avoyelles Parishes. She testified she did not know the particular spot where the two cars collided. The Louisiana State Trooper plaintiffs called was Trooper Wayne Riche. He said Trooper Anderson was the primary investigating officer of the accident, but indicated they both took photographs on the night of the accident and on the following morning. He conceded that their investigation did not include an in-depth investigation to determine whether the roadway's condition was a contributing factor to the accident. On the many occasions he had driven LA 107 prior to the accident, he had noticed the roadway's unevenness which he attributed to the cracking which ran parallel and perpendicular to the edge of the road. Sometime after the accident, he observed a small, shallow pothole which he identified for the court in photograph R-6. He testified that the photograph was taken from a vantage point approximately 100 feet north of the point of impact, and he circled the pothole which is shown about 10 feet north of the large asphalt overlay patch located opposite from where the vehicles impacted in the northbound lane. [7] When asked by plaintiffs' counsel whether he had to veer around this area to avoid the pothole, Trooper Riche responded, I never had any problems in the area. Furthermore, he did not consider the road's condition hazardous to most motorists. But, in response to plaintiffs' queries, he conceded that if he were filling out the accident report today, he would probably indicate the bumps in his accident report, i.e., the small pothole and the unevenness of the road surface. He also might indicate on the report that the conditions of the roadway were a contributing factor. [8] Nevertheless, he stated he definitely would leave the violation of Flint as the primary factor of the accident. Glenn Martin Ducote, the 44 year old owner of Moncla Auto Sales and Salvage and a lifelong resident of the area also testified for plaintiffs about the highway's condition in 1988. He said he traveled the road daily and considered it to have a couple of bad spots. He described the road as having cracks and unevenness where the road surface buckled up. He described buckles extending across the road in the area preceding the curve. He testified that he would go around the worst spot where it was rough and uneven, veering his car into the other lane. However, on cross examination, he admitted he would not cross the center line if another car was approaching. Rather, he would drive through the bad spot, never losing control of his vehicle even when hitting those holes and cracks. Near the close of his testimony, Mr. Ducote disclosed that he did not actually know where the two cars impacted. The place he described as the point of impact was near where Ryland's car burned, south of the point of impact. We recognize his testimony shows he was unaware that the sizeable asphalt overlay patch was opposite the collision site and, therefore, could not have been traversed by Flint. Detective Kenneth Smith, an Avoyelles Parish Deputy Sheriff, did not testify in his official capacity. He related to the court that, on October 12, 1988, at plaintiffs' attorney's request he visited the accident site. See generally R-12 through R-19. He observed the condition of the southbound roadway, approaching the curve, and described it as having a 2 or 3 inch wide crack running parallel 18 to 20 inches from the edge of the road. He said this expansion area was lower than the remaining portion of the roadway. He compared it to a gully. When he encountered it, his car would veer to the right, so he would have to veer the car to the left. He also described cracks running across the roadway and several potholes. See R-12. [9] He said that at the time of the accident, he was driving a Chevrolet Camaro Z-28. To miss the potholes, he would either enter into the middle portion of the road or slow down if there was oncoming traffic. He admitted, however, that on the occasions he drove over the rough areas, he never lost control of his vehicle. He believed the road's condition in 1988 was dangerous and the danger was greater for small cars. Nonetheless, he did not report this hazardous condition to the DOTD or to the Louisiana State Police because it was not his jobhe said the Louisiana State Police pass that area practically every day like he did. While Detective Smith initially had informed the court that he knew where the cars had impacted, when pointedly questioned, it was revealed he believed the point of impact occurred near the burned trees located 10 to 15 feet south of where the automobiles actually impacted. See R-19. [10] Accordingly, we discern that when Smith testified about the very large pothole and bad expansion area he claimed he veered to avoid, see R-17 and R-18, he was describing the stretch opposite the genuine point of impact, where Flint's vehicle could not have traversed. Lulie Diane Ryland Bordelon, the younger sister of plaintiff J.B. Ryland, also testified. A life-long resident of Effie, she told the court she drives LA 107 three or four times a week. She testified that she always slows down as she approaches the curve. In 1988, she felt the cracks along the side of the road, which ran through the curve, were dangerous. The cracks ran both parallel and perpendicular to the road. She would drive to the left, which would place her near the center line. But she never crossed the center line, even while driving her Lincoln Continental. Nor did she ever lose control of her vehicle while traversing the area. She viewed photograph R-16 and indicated that the cracks pictured were the cracks she slowed down for or tried to avoid. She considered the curve dangerous because of the roughness experienced all the way through the curve. In clarification, we note R-16 presents a view of LA 107 taken from a vantage point south of the point of impact looking north. The dark patched area in the photograph is across from the point of impact and the foreground was not an area traveled by the Flint vehicle. Roderick Vidrine, the highway asphalt maintenance foreman for the DOTD's Avoyelles Parish Maintenance Unit since 1987, testified his primary job function is to asphalt the highways in Avoyelles Parish. [11] Vidrine testified his work records reflect that a few months after the accident, his crew patched the road surface of LA 107 in two spots somewhere between mile post 39-41 and 43-12. The daily work report for November 9, 1988, indicates his crew used 15 tons of asphalt and 25 gallons of cationic, a tar-like substance which tacks the asphalt to the road surface to make the two patches which extended from the edge to the center line of the southbound lane. He testified he did not consider 15 tons of hot mix a substantial overlay job; the work took his crew only 4 hours. Lawrence D. Adams, the Avoyelles Parish Maintenance Superintendent, testified he supervises three foremen, one of whom is Vidrine. He testified that once every 2 weeks, he drives the 367 miles of parish roads to inspect them for road and shoulder defects. Thus, during the two weeks prior to the accident he would have inspected LA 107 near mile post 43 and determined it to be in at least fair condition. The day after the accident, he went to the scene to verify the curve road signs were in place, to look for road damage and low shoulders, and to photograph the roadway. He testified that he did not recall seeing any potholes, cracks etc. His report did not indicate any shoulder or road unevenness or any defects in the roadway. Instead, his report affirmatively stated no roadway defects, which he said did not imply the roadway had no cracks or wear and tear. Rather, it meant there were no dangerous defects in the roadway which required routine maintenance at that time. He also informed the court that, prior to the accident, the DOTD did not receive any complaints from citizens or from law enforcement agencies concerning the condition of the roadway. Plaintiffs' expert witness, Stephen Killingsworth, [12] testified he inspected the accident scene on 3 occasions between January 1991 and the day of trial. When he was shown the photograph R-9, which pictures the Flint vehicle in its final resting spot, he concluded its tires were turned sharply between 30 and 45 degrees. This sharp rotation of the tires indicated to him that immediately prior to the accident, Flint had been involved in a quick, reactionary type movement. Since there were no skid marks, he considered the movement was fairly instantaneous. Rather than simply driving across the center line, he believed a defective condition of the roadway triggered Flint's vehicle crossing the center line. He found a series of voids in the road, openings in the roadway that varied in length and in width, and ran along a crack approximately 2 feet inside the road surface. Some voids were patched and others were unpatched. He believed Flint either reacted violently to a void and tried to regain control of her car, or felt a rough area and tried to avoid the next rough area which was 50 to 100 feet down the road. [13] Under either scenario, he found the road surface contributed to or triggered her crossing the center line. Hence, he believed the roadway was hazardous. Killingsworth based his determination that the roadway was hazardous on the road's uneven surface either imparting forces on the vehicle for which the driver had to compensate, or providing forces on the vehicle which the driver reacted to when approaching the next rough patch. He admitted that both his theories were based on Flint overreacting, as the road's conditions were not sufficient to divert her vehicle and force it across the center line. [14] He also admitted he had no evidence that Flint's Chevette traveled across the voids in the expansion portion of the southbound lane, pictured in R-2. We note that R-2 views LA-107 from south of the point of impact, with the point of impact in the foreground and the portion of the southbound lane traveled by Flint in the background. In its defense, the DOTD called Louisiana State Trooper Douglas Andrew Anderson. Trooper Anderson, a life-long resident of Avoyelles Parish, informed the court that since 1981, he has investigated about 2,000 accidents. Along with Trooper Riche, he investigated and photographed the Ryland-Flint accident. See generally R-1 through R-11. Using the photographs, Trooper Anderson identified for the court the point of impact and the path taken post-impact by Flint's vehicle which was labeled veh # 2 on the road's surface. He determined the vehicles hit headlight to headlight, nearly head-on. He found no evidence of skid or yaw marks. Based upon the amount of damage to the vehicles and the distance they traveled after impact, he estimated both vehicles had been traveling at 55 m.p.h. Following his investigation, he concluded the driver of vehicle No. 2 [Flint] was inattentive or distracted for some reason and crossed the center line and struck vehicle No. 1 [Ryland]. Contrary to Killingsworth's conclusions, Trooper Anderson found no physical evidence of a sharp turning maneuver into the northbound lane on the part of Flint's vehicle. He said the pavement was dry and he checked visibility and confirmed it was unobscured in the southbound lane from a distance prior to the accident site. He testified he searched for, but did not observe, any conditions on the pavement surface north of the point of impact that he felt could have contributed to causing Flint's vehicle crossing the center line. Trooper Anderson reaffirmed the conclusions of his accident report that the primary factor or cause of the accident was Flint driving left of the center line, and the secondary factor was Flint being inattentive or distracted. [15] On cross examination, Trooper Anderson was shown photograph R-2 for him to identify the cracks which run parallel to the edge of the southbound lane and the potholes shown in the southbound lane north of the point of impact. He testified he is certain he observed those road irregularities during his investigation, but he did not presently recollect seeing them. He conceded to plaintiffs' counsel that the combination of the pictured pothole, the transverse cracks and the parallel cracks, possibly could be factors which might be a hazard to a person driving a small vehicle who is not familiar with the roadway. Nevertheless, when asked if, with hindsight, he would now indicate on the accident report that the road condition was bumpy, Trooper Anderson responded he would not. [16] He maintained that he did not feel the roadway surface had anything to do with Flint crossing the center line of LA 107. The DOTD's expert witness, John Michael Mounce, was accepted by the court as an expert in traffic engineering, highway design and accident reconstruction. [17] He testified that based upon the troopers' photographs, Smith's photographs and his own inspection and photographs, he saw nothing on the roadway that would constitute a defect of significant degree which would influence vehicle stability in traversing [the roadway] at prevailing highway speeds. See generally DOTD-6A through DOTD-6G, taken August 22, 1991. Based on his familiarity with the results of vehicle stability tests made with small cars, he found no defects which would cause a vehicle to traject out of the southbound lane, or create an out-of-control situation. Further, he found no evidence of an over-corrected steering maneuver. He disagreed with Killingsworth's opinion that Flint would have veered to the center to avoid the next patch of road irregularities. He stated that the normal pattern of avoidance is to the shoulder which is a safe area. He found no significant elevation difference between the expansion area and the road's main surface, finding only one-half inch to an inch difference in its vertical face. He opined that if Flint drove straight, driving through the tangent and not reacting to or making any steering adjustments to accommodate the curvature of the road, she would have driven through the point of impact. In explanation of why Ryland did not show a defensive reaction, Mounce testified that since she was in the curvature of the road, or coming around the curve, she may not have perceived that Flint's approaching car had entered into her lane.