Opinion ID: 2001797
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Jury instruction on safety statutes.

Text: Over the Estate's objection, the court instructed that the jury could consider as negligence a violation of SDCL 49-32-11, 49-32-12, or 49-32-14. These statutes prohibit activity within six feet of high voltage electrical lines. An unexcused violation of a statute enacted to promote safety constitutes negligence per se. Engel v. Stock, 88 S.D. 579, 225 N.W.2d 872, 873 (1975); Bothern v. Peterson, 83 S.D. 84, 155 N.W.2d 308 (1967); Blakey v. Boos, 83 S.D. 1, 153 N.W.2d 305 (1967). The Estate contends these are not safety statutes. We need not determine this issue because the jury found Bell to have assumed the risk and did not answer the special verdict form questions concerning Bell's possible negligence. A party must prove not only error in the instructions, but prejudicial error to the effect that under the evidence, the jury probably would have returned a different verdict. Darrow v. Schumacher, 495 N.W.2d 511 (S.D.1993). As the jury never reached the question of Bell's contributory negligence, Bell's Estate has failed to show how these instructions relating to contributory negligence would have resulted in a different verdict on assumption of the risk had they not been given. Affirmed. MILLER, C.J., and SABERS, AMUNDSON and GILBERTSON, JJ., concur.