Opinion ID: 1197854
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: whether summary judgment was properly granted to long

Text: On appeal, the Rifes argue Long had various statutory duties, as well as a duty to use ordinary care, and the question of whether Long breached any of these duties is one for the jury.
The Rifes argue Long owed a duty to yield based upon I.C. § 49-729 [I.C. § 49-707]. This statute required a driver to yield the right of way to a pedestrian on a sidewalk. Long correctly points out there is no evidence in the record indicating Long crossed over a sidewalk. The Rifes asserted below, and again at oral argument, that the wheels of Long's trailer went up over the curb and struck Jacob on the sidewalk. They make this assertion with no supporting evidence. The uncontroverted evidence in the record indicates Jacob did not stop at the curb and instead walked into the street and under the rear wheels of the trailer. Therefore, I.C. § 49-729 [I.C. § 49-707] is not applicable in this action.
The Rifes argue I.C. § 49-724 [I.C. § 49-615] imposes a duty upon Long. This statute provided: Driver to exercise due care.Notwithstanding other provisions of this title or the provisions of any local ordinance, every driver of a vehicle shall exercise due care to avoid colliding with any pedestrian or any person propelling a human-powered vehicle and shall give an audible signal when necessary and shall exercise proper precaution upon observing any child or any obviously confused, incapacitated or intoxicated person. The district court determined that Long did not have a duty to sound his horn because Jacob was not near the curb at the time Long passed through the intersection. Additionally, the district court found that Jacob and Nick had not reached the intersection when Long entered, and any duty to sound his horn at this point would negate the importance of sounding horns. The Rifes argue Nick's deposition creates a genuine issue of material fact as to whether Long should have sounded his horn. In his deposition, Nick testified that he believed the sounding of the horn would have startled Jacob out of his daze, and thus may have avoided the accident. Long argues this statement by Nick is not admissible evidence and therefore cannot be used to survive summary judgment. However, there is no indication that the district court refused to consider it and in fact there is a confusing comment by the court that Nick's deposition removes any issue of Long's duty to use his horn, ... Thus, without an appropriate objection and ruling, we must take the statement into consideration. Long also argues the noise made by the truck as it approached the intersection met the definition of giving an audible signal, and thus there was not violation of the statute. Finally, Long argues he had no duty to give an audible signal if a pedestrian knows or should have known of the vehicle, or if the driver does not see the pedestrian enter the roadway. Long argues Jacob knew or should have known of his truck, and that he did not see Jacob because he had passed the intersection. I.C. § 49-724 [I.C. § 49-615] clearly imposes a duty on a driver to sound his horn when necessary. All of Long's arguments relate to whether he breached this duty of care by failing to sound the horn when necessary. Through Nick's statement the Rifes have raised the question of whether Long's failure to sound his horn resulted in Jacob's injuries. A motion for summary judgment must be denied if the evidence is such that conflicting inferences may be drawn therefrom, and if reasonable people might reach different conclusions. Doe v. Durtschi, 110 Idaho 466, 470, 716 P.2d 1238, 1242 (1986). Whether Long breached this duty is determined by a jury measuring the party's conduct against that of an ordinarily prudent person acting under all the circumstances and conditions then existing. Alegria v. Payonk, 101 Idaho 617, 619 P.2d 135 (1980). The record indicates Long knew children had just been let out of school for the day; he saw children approaching the crosswalk; and he knew he was operating a vehicle that off-tracks several feet. For all of these reasons, viewing all reasonable inferences in favor of Jacob as the non-moving party, we find there are genuine issues of material fact precluding summary judgment.
Next the Rifes argue Long breached a common law duty. They assert a driver owes a duty to operate a vehicle using due care, and has a duty to keep a proper lookout. Again, the questions of whether Long breached this duty, and whether that breach was the cause of Jacob's injuries, are ones for the jury. Additionally, the question as to what degree Jacob's actions caused the accident is one of comparative negligence, and is therefore not a determination to be made on summary judgment. See Robinson v. Westover, 101 Idaho 766, 620 P.2d 1096 (1980).