Opinion ID: 2037499
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: GLITTENBERG v DOUGHBOY

Text: David Glittenberg was permanently paralyzed when he struck his head on the bottom on an aboveground swimming pool. Mr. Glittenberg testified that he intended to make a shallow or surface dive from the shallow end of the pool toward his wife who was on a floating chair in the deep end of the pool. The pool, located in the backyard of the plaintiff's neighborhood friends, the Wilcenskis, was built into the side of a hill at the rear end of the house so that the top edge of the pool itself was approximately two feet above the ground level on the west end, and approximately four feet above the ground level on the east end. Doughboy Recreational Industries manufactured the pool, which was surrounded by an attached redwood deck and fence. The water level was approximately three and one-half feet in the shallow end and seven and one-half feet at the deepest point. There was a ledge three and one-half feet below the water line to allow easy access to the water. There was no ladder, no diving board, no depth markings, and no warnings against diving posted on or near the pool. [35] It is undisputed that the plaintiff was an experienced swimmer and diver, and that he was familiar with the pool, including its depth, having been in the pool at least twice before the accident. He was aware that a deep dive into shallow water was dangerous because he could hit the pool bottom and possibly break an arm or suffer a concussion. However, he considered it safe to make a shallow dive in shallow water, if you were versed in diving and knew what type of dive you were doing.... Mr. Glittenberg brought an action against the defendant, Doughboy, and others, alleging in pertinent part that he was seriously and permanently injured as a result of the defendants' negligent conduct in failing to warn of the grave risk of paralysis or death that is inherent when diving into an aboveground pool. The trial court granted Doughboy's motion for summary disposition on the basis that, because the swimming pool was a simple product and the hazards of diving into its shallow water were open and obvious, the defendant had no duty to warn the plaintiff under these facts. [36] Plaintiff's subsequent motion for rehearing was denied. [37] The Court of Appeals reversed the decision of the trial court, 174 Mich App 326, holding that the open and obvious danger rule is no longer viable in Michigan and that, under the facts of this case, the swimming pool was not a simple tool, and the danger of paraplegia was not open and obvious: Nothing in the appearance of the pool itself gives a warning of the very serious consequences to which a mundane dive can lead. Nor are we convinced that the danger of serious injury from a dive is a risk of which the public is generally aware.[ [38] ] Doughboy appealed, and we granted leave to appeal, 433 Mich 880 (1989). [39] However, because the majority was unable to agree on the viability of the open and obvious danger doctrine in cases raising a negligent failure to warn claim, the Court ordered the case remanded to the trial court for a determination of the threshold question whether the duty of reasonable care required a warning.