Opinion ID: 853776
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: facts

Text: On September 1, 1993, Priscilla Wood and her friend and co-worker, Patricia Brittain, were walking in downtown Indianapolis and stopped at the southeast corner of Illinois and New York streets. When the pedestrian Walk signal appeared, Brittain and Wood prepared to cross New York Street, with Brittain walking to the immediate left of Wood. As the two women crossed the street, Defendant Carl Conder was driving a truck northbound on Illinois Street and was attempting a right turn onto New York Street. Wood noticed the truck coming toward them and yelled that the truck was not going to stop. Wood then jumped out of the path of the oncoming truck and attempted to pull Brittain out of harm's way. However, before Brittain had a chance to react, the right front wheel of Conder's truck struck her, hurling her to the pavement. As the truck continued to roll forward, it came close to where Wood was standing. Brittain was lying in the direct path of the truck's rear wheels. Fearing that the truck would run over Brittain again, Wood began pounding on the panels of the truck trailer as it moved past her, trying to get the driver's attention. The truck came to a stop just before the rear wheels ran over Brittain's head. Brittain died at the scene. On August 31, 1995, Wood and her husband filed a complaint for damages against Conder and Moore-Langen Printing Company, Inc. [1] They sought recovery for physical and emotional injuries resulting from the incident, including bruises to Wood's left arm, emotional and psychological trauma, stress-related headaches, insomnia, and personality changes. In addition, they sought recovery for her husband's loss of consortium. At trial, Defendants moved for summary judgment, which the trial court denied. The Court of Appeals reversed, finding that because Wood had not suffered any direct physical impact from Conder's negligence, she was precluded under the modified impact rule from recovering for her emotional distress. Conder v. Wood, 691 N.E.2d 490, 493 (Ind.Ct.App. 1998).