Opinion ID: 1096128
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: defense instruction

Text: Instruction D-11, given over the objection of the plaintiff, reads as follows: The Court instructs the jury that when a motorist is driving at a reasonable rate of speed, is obeying the rules of the road, and operating her automobile with due care she is not liable for any injuries to a child who dart s out from behind a parked car so suddenly that the driver cannot stop or otherwise avoid injuring the child. If you believe that on the day of the accident Patsy Bolden was driving at a reasonable rate of speed and obeying the rules of the road, and if you believe that Treshika Dennis ran out from the front of Jack Wilson's parked car so suddenly that Patsy Bolden could not stop or otherwise avoid collision with the child, then the Court instructs you that Patsy Bolden is not liable for any injuries received by Treshika Dennis, and you should return a verdict for the Defendant, Patsy Bolden. (Emphasis added) The circuit judge gave this instruction based upon the statement Mildred allegedly made to the nurse on duty at the emergency room. After a careful study of this record, we conclude that granting this instruction was error. Mildred was an uneducated, 39-year old woman at the time of trial, and she consistently and repeatedly made two points, namely: (1) that she never took her eyes off this child, and (2) Treshika was standing still when struck by the car. Keeping a close eye on her small grandchild was natural, and what any normal grandmother would have done under the circumstance. Her testimony was clear and positive, and repeated that Treshika was not moving when struck, but standing there at the edge of the parking area. The remark she made at the emergency room when she did not know if Treshika would live or die should not in this case discount her positive, unequivocal testimony. Had there been a more complete relation of events, we could have a different matter. The circumstances under which the statement was made, and its brevity, however, lead us to conclude it should not discount the positive testimony she gave in court. Fortifying this conclusion is the testimony of Joyce Wyatt that Treshika was standing still when the car struck her. Moreover, accepting as true that neither Joyce nor Patsy saw Treshika prior to the car striking her, this also is more consistent with the little child simply standing there than moving. Had Treshika in fact run out into the car's path, in all likelihood one or both these individuals would have seen her at least an instant before the impact. Had there been evidence to support such instruction, it would have been proper. Rester v. Lott, 566 So.2d 1266, 1269 (Miss. 1990); Copeland v. City of Jackson, 548 So.2d 970, 976 (Miss. 1989). Because there is no substantial, credible evidence supporting the theory that Treshika suddenly ran or darted in front of a car, the instruction should not have been given.