Opinion ID: 1262763
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Did the District Owe Brenda a Common Law Duty of Care?

Text: In a negligence action the plaintiff must establish that the defendant has a duty to conform to a particular standard of conduct to protect the plaintiff against unreasonable risks of harm. See Markowitz v. Arizona Parks Bd., 146 Ariz. 352, 354, 706 P.2d 364, 366 (1985); Ontiveros v. Borak, 136 Ariz. 500, 667 P.2d 200 (1983). As Chief Judge Cardozo stated in Palsgraf v. Long Island Railroad Co., 248 N.Y. 339, 162 N.E. 99, 100 (1928): The risk reasonably to be perceived defines the duty to be obeyed. See also Schnyder v. Empire Metals, Inc., 136 Ariz. 428, 430, 666 P.2d 528, 530 (Ct.App. 1983) (The scope of the risk created by one's conduct defines the group of potential plaintiffs to whom a duty is owed). The question of duty is generally a matter of law for the court. Markowitz, 146 Ariz. at 354, 706 P.2d at 366; Beach v. City of Phoenix, 136 Ariz. 601, 667 P.2d 1316 (1983). As we have previously stated, the concept of duty should not be equated with specific details of conduct. Markowitz, 146 Ariz. at 355, 706 P.2d at 367; Coburn v. City of Tucson, 143 Ariz. 50, 52, 691 P.2d 1078, 1080 (1984). Duty refers to the relationship between individuals; it imposes a legal obligation on one party for the benefit of the other party. Id. The specific details of conduct involved do not determine the duty owed but bear on the issue of whether a defendant has breached a duty owed. Markowitz, 146 Ariz. at 355, 706 P.2d at 367. The District argues that Cordova students were the only intended beneficiaries of the school crossing and that it is only those students, and not other users of the crosswalk, with whom it had a relationship that could impose a duty of care. The District asks why it should be forced to take on the responsibility of protecting not only its students but any person using the crosswalk. The answer, of course, is that the District applied for and established a specially marked crosswalk, where none previously existed. Certainly, the finder of fact could conclude that foreseeable users of the crosswalk might rely on the safety precautions normally attending such crosswalks. School crosswalks are not limited by statute to use by the students of the school but are available for use by the general public, because they are on public thoroughfares. At the time it applied for establishment of this crosswalk, the District was aware that the crosswalk would be open to the general public and that nothing limits the use of a school crossing solely to students. Furthermore, the District took no steps to attempt to limit the use of this crosswalk to students of the abutting school or to disclaim any responsibility it might have to other crosswalk users. Although pedestrians are not absolutely required to use crosswalks to cross a street, [5] it is certainly foreseeable that pedestrians might conclude they are required to use a crosswalk where one exists, or at least that use of a marked crosswalk would be the prudent thing to do. [6] A pedestrian might reasonably rely on the added safety of a marked crosswalk  particularly a school crosswalk, with its additional protections. We conclude, therefore, that in creating the marked crosswalk where none previously existed, the District created a relationship with those who would use the crosswalk and thereby assumed a duty of reasonable care with respect to its operation. Markowitz; see also Palsgraf. The particular facts of the case  the age of the injured person, the time of the accident, the configuration of the street near the crosswalk, what school activities were going on at the time, what the District agreed to do with respect to operating the crosswalk, such as posting signs during school hours, etc.  are the circumstances under which the reasonableness of the District's conduct is to be judged. [7] We conclude that the District owed Brenda a common law duty of care.