Opinion ID: 2053542
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Procedural Background and Findings of Fact

Text: The jury returned a verdict finding that plaintiff proved Hinson was reckless in his operation of the ambulance, entitling plaintiff to a judgment for damages. On motion by defendants, the district court entered a judgment notwithstanding the verdict for defendants. See Iowa R. Civ. P. 243. Because of this ruling, the court did not rule on defendants' supplementary motion for new trial. In its ruling sustaining the motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict the court thoroughly reviewed the law defining recklessness and concluded that the facts were unsupportive of a finding of recklessness. The court surmised that the jury either misunderstood the Court's instructions regarding recklessness or simply ignored the instructions. Viewing the facts, as required, in the light most favorable to the plaintiff, the court said: At trial of the case at bar, evidence showed that John Hinson started driving fire trucks in 1974 and ambulances in 1981. In 1977 he took an Iowa State Patrol sponsored defensive driving class. From 1981 up to the date of the accident, March 17, 1993, John Hinson estimated he had driven the ambulance from Mediapolis down Highway 61 through Burlington on Roosevelt Avenue at least 200 times and had never had an accident. There was additional testimony that the Community Ambulance Service had never been involved in an ambulance accident prior to the one involving Plaintiff Bell. As the ambulance travelled on Roosevelt Avenue, substantial evidence was adduced that the ambulance was utilizing both its flashing red lights and its warning siren. Roosevelt Avenue is a straight thoroughfare with four lanes. It was daytime and sunny. The traffic on Roosevelt was heavier than the traffic the ambulance encountered on Highway 61 north of Burlington. The ambulance was travelling at 40 miles per hour, and at the most 45 miles per hour between the intersection of Mt. Pleasant Street and the intersection of Kirkwood. As the ambulance approached Kirkwood, it decelerated. At the intersection of Roosevelt and Kirkwood, all traffic lights were flashing red. This included the traffic lights controlling vehicles coming from the west and east. As the southbound ambulance approached the intersection, the driver, as he decelerated, looked to the left to check traffic and then to the right, again to check traffic. All traffic was stopped and the intersection was clear. As the ambulance was about to enter the intersection, Plaintiff Bell's vehicle left the east side of the intersection and crossed through Roosevelt Avenue heading to the west. The ambulance driver saw a blur of white and immediately attempted to apply his brakes. The ambulance struck the passenger side of Plaintiff Bell's vehicle. Substantial evidence is in the record that drivers of other vehicles were able to either hear or see the ambulance as it approached this intersection. The red flashing lights on the ambulance are near its roof, and the ambulance itself sits higher than regular passenger vehicles. Additionally, the ambulance driver testified he had a clear view of the intersection and all traffic was stopped as he approached it. He opined that if he had seen a moving car, he would have immediately braked.