Opinion ID: 1350032
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Denial of Interstate's Motion for Directed Verdict.

Text: At the close of Johnson's evidence, Interstate moved for directed verdict as to both counts of Johnson's petition. It renewed its motion at the close of all the evidence. The district court granted the motion as to division II of Johnson's petition (concerning repealed Iowa Code section 478.16's rebuttable presumption of negligence from injury) but overruled the motion as to division I (concerning Interstate's alleged specifications of negligence). Interstate urged two grounds in support of its motion as to division I. First, Interstate argued that it had no notice or knowledge that Johnson would be atop the jetsploder with a ten foot metal pole specifically to unclog the jetsploder. Second, it urged that the proximate cause of Johnson's injuries was his failure to look for the electrical lines and to avoid them. A. Notice. A power company like Interstate has the duty to use reasonable care to adopt safeguards for its lines at places where people may reasonably be expected to come in close proximity to them. While not an insurer, such a company is held to the highest degree of care consistent with the conduct and operation of its business. And such a company may be negligent even though it has complied with the minimum requirements of safety codes and regulations. Cronk v. Iowa Power & Light Co., 258 Iowa 603, 611-12, 138 N.W.2d 843, 848 (1965). Early on this court recognized why a power company has such a high duty of care: The dangers arising from the production, transmission, storage, and use of electricity are among the greatest and most subtle known to mankind. Its proper management and control involve technical knowledge, skill, and care which are a sealed book to the great mass of the people, and without conscientious and intelligent care in creating and installing devices for its safe use, to say nothing of constant watchfulness in their proper maintenance, distressing and tragic results are sure to follow. Toney v. Interstate Power Co., 180 Iowa 1362, 1370, 163 N.W. 394, 397 (1917) (emphasis added). These observations are as true today as they were seventy-five years ago. This high degree of care carries over to persons whose business or duty, or rightful pursuit of mere diversion or pleasure, brings them into the zone of danger created by the voluntary act of the power company. Id. (emphasis added). On the question of foreseeability, this court has rejected the notion that before liability can attach, the power company must have foreseen how the accident might happen: It was, of course, impossible for defendant to foresee in specific detail the way or manner in which the plaintiff or other person might suffer injury from the dangers created by the construction of the line in the manner described; but the gift of a prophet's vision is not a condition of liability. It is enough to impose the duty of protection if the danger created by the construction of the line above the telephone line was such that defendant knew or ought to have known that protection of some kind was necessary to save from harm all persons lawfully engaged in that immediate vicinity. Id. at 1371, 163 N.W. at 397 (telephone repairman was injured while repairing telephone line over which defendant's power line ran; without repairman's knowledge, part of telephone line he was repairing crossed over the power line, became charged by the power line, and injured the repairman who was holding on to the telephone line) (emphasis added). With these principles in mind we now turn to the evidence in this case. Although the evidence was controverted, experts for Johnson testified that the lines causing Johnson's injuries did not meet clearance requirements under the Iowa Code in the area where Johnson was working when he was injured. Under its own corrective policy, Interstate had a duty to notify D & J of the clearance insufficiency. Interstate failed to give such a notice. Other evidence shows that Interstate's service representative had made annual inspections each year from 1977 through 1984. These inspections were carried out for the very purpose of correcting clearance insufficiencies. In addition, over this same time period Interstate meter readers visited the transformer pole monthly to read the meter. These employees were expected to recognize and report safety hazards like a building built near or under a high voltage line. The jury also heard testimony that Interstate failed to correct a power line clearance problem near a D & J fertilizer tank for over four years. The experts were also not in agreement on the question of accessibility. Interstate's experts testified that the area where Johnson was working was not accessible. Johnson's experts testified the area was accessible. Physical evidence and testimony of D & J employees corroborated the testimony of Johnson's experts on this point. For example, the jetsploder ladders, platform, handrail, and electric motors are readily apparent on inspection. Two readily observable ladders went almost to the top of the jetsploder. D & J employees climb from the second of these ladders to the metal platform where Johnson was working by using a metal box (lower doghouse) and a horizontal I-beam to step up to the platform. In fact, before the accident, the employees had, hundreds of times, used this same procedure in reaching the upper doghouse to perform maintenance duties (including unclogging lodged grain in the upper doghouse). The metal on top of the lower doghouse that was used as a step was slippery from use. Interstate was on notice or should have been on notice that human activity was taking place in an area close to its power line. So Interstate was obligated to make inspections to discover and remedy electrical hazards and defects like inadequate line clearances. In failing to carry out this obligation, the jury could find that Interstate had constructive knowledge of the electrical hazards for such a period of time that would have enabled it to discover the defect and correct it had the company adequately performed its duties. See Levi v. Southwest La. Elec. Membership Coop, 542 So.2d 1081, 1084-85 (La.1989). In addition, the fact that Interstate had no actual knowledge of Johnson's activities immediately before the accident does not preclude recovery. To generate a jury question on foreseeability, the evidence need not establish that Interstate could foresee the very manner in which Johnson was injured. It was enough that the danger imposed by the power lines was such that Interstate knew or ought to have known that people working in that area would need protection. B. Proximate cause. Interstate contends that Johnson's testimony entitled it to a directed verdict as a matter of law. Johnson testified he knew the lines were there and if he had looked he would have avoided them. Based on this testimony, Interstate contends it was Johnson's failure to look and avoid the lines and not the presence of the Interstate lines that was the proximate cause of the accident. In effect, Interstate asked the district court to find as a matter of law that Johnson's actions were the sole proximate cause of the accident or at least that his actions constituted more than fifty percent of the fault which caused the accident. The conduct of a party is a proximate cause of damages when it is a substantial factor in producing damages and when the damages would not have happened except for the conduct. I Iowa Civil Jury Instructions 700.3 (1991); Jones v. City of Des Moines, 355 N.W.2d 49, 50 (Iowa 1984). There can be more than one proximate cause of an injury or damages. Sole proximate cause means the only proximate cause. Sole proximate cause is not a comparative fault defense because proof of sole proximate cause insulates a defendant from liability. In these circumstances, the fault of a defendant cannot be a proximate cause of a plaintiff's injuries. I Iowa Civil Jury Instructions 700.4 (1991) and comment; Sponsler v. Clarke Elec. Coop., Inc., 329 N.W.2d 663, 665 (Iowa 1983). Proximate cause is ordinarily a question for the jury. It is only in rare cases that a party establishes proximate cause as a matter of law. Iowa R.App.P. 14(f)(10). This is especially true in light of Iowa's comparative fault law under which a plaintiff can still recover even though the plaintiff may be found to be responsible for fifty percent of the fault that caused the accident. See Iowa Code § 668.3. Johnson testified he was not consciously aware of the lines just before the accident happened. They were not in his immediate view as he climbed to the top. Nor were they in his immediate view when he plunged the pole into the second doghouse. In addition, the jury could find from the evidence that a number of things were occupying Johnson's attention just before the accident. One of his experts testified that in these circumstances it would not be unexpected that Johnson would fail to take into consideration the power lines. See Flattery v. Goode, 240 Iowa 973, 978, 38 N.W.2d 668, 671 (1949) (one whose attention is diverted is not held to same closeness of observation otherwise required; in such cases, the question of negligence is for the jury). On this record, we think proximate cause was a jury question. The jury could findas it didthat Interstate's alleged negligence with respect to the lines combined with Johnson's negligence to cause the injury. Whether Johnson's negligence amounted to more than fifty percent of the fault that caused the accident was peculiarly under this record for the jury to decide. The jury, as it turns out, chose not to make such a finding. VI. Instructions. Interstate finds fault with eight (numbers 19, 20, 23, 24, 27, 28, 29, and 32) jury instructions. Interstate also complains because the court refused to give its proposed instruction number 16. We have carefully reviewed all of these instructions. We are convinced they correctly state the law and are supported by substantial evidence. Interstate claims the district court left out important statements of law in some of the instructions. We find, however, that in some instances the court correctly deleted the statements and in other instances included the gist of those statements in other instructions. We also find that the gist of the proposed instruction the court refused to give was adequately covered in another instruction. Additionally, we note that the court instructed the jury to consider all the instructions together and that no one instruction contained all the applicable law. On balance, we conclude the instructions were not prejudicial and adequately covered the theories of the parties. For all these reasons, we find no merit in any of Interstate's challenges and complaints regarding the instructions. VII. The Verdict. Finally, we find no merit to Interstate's complaint that the verdict is contrary to Iowa law and is not supported by the evidence. Our careful review of the record leads us to conclude otherwise. Interstate received what it was entitled to: a fair trial. A fair trial does not mean a perfect one. VIII. Disposition. We have carefully considered all of the contentions and arguments whether or not we have discussed them. We find no error that would entitle Interstate to a reversal. Accordingly, we affirm. DECISION OF COURT OF APPEALS AND JUDGMENT OF DISTRICT COURT AFFIRMED. CARTER, J., takes no part.