Opinion ID: 1817293
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: analysis

Text: We agree with the lower court judge in allowing into evidence the so-called personal photo album of the decedent. These pictures were directly relevant to the issue of damages. This is not a case of photographs which are gruesome or inflammatory and lack an evidentiary purpose thus making them inadmissible as evidence. McNeal v. State, 551 So.2d 151 (Miss. 1989); Cabello v. State, 471 So.2d 332, 341 (Miss. 1985); Billiot v. State, 454 So.2d 445, 449-60 (Miss. 1984). Instead, it is a wrongful death case in which an 85-year-old man by every indication appeared healthy and well prior to being hit by a car on February 4, 1980. Not being available to testify at trial, it was critical to plaintiff's case to humanize decedent and demonstrate to the jury that decedent was well and healthy prior to the accident. This, the so-called personal photo album accomplished. Arguably, there are a couple of photographs that may ride the line of prejudicial effect, i.e., picture of the deceased's church pew draped on the day of his funeral and the pictures of the cornerstone at Pleasant Green Mississippi Baptist Church naming the decedent as a deacon. However, when these photographs are viewed singularly or as a whole, we are not struck by a sense of prejudice or emotional upheaval, nor can we surmise how a reasonable juror could otherwise be affected when viewing said photographs. Therefore, even for the sake of argument, if one can conjure a prejudicial effect from the photographs, the prejudice is slight and does not rise to the level of reversible error. Finally, in regard to the testimony of J.D. Broome, Mrs. Holly Broome and Larry Tobias, we agree with appellee that the testimony was essential to determine the state of Tyler's physical condition prior to his death. It is true that some of the testimony given by plaintiff and her son was duplicated by the testimony of the three witnesses in question. However, it should be noted that appellee and her son had much to gain by their testimony and appellee stood on more solid ground in the eyes of the jury if that testimony could be verified and corroborated. This was accomplished with the testimony of the three above mentioned witnesses who, unlike plaintiff and her son, had no financial stake in this matter. Appellants' arguments fail on issues 2.(1) and (2).