Opinion ID: 1735876
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Error in permitting cross-examination as to prior falls?

Text: Mrs. Krez' principal complaint was that she received two fractures of the pelvic bone. On cross-examination of Mrs. Krez counsel for respondent was permitted over objection to bring out that six months before the fall at Ruggeri's she slipped on a carpet in her home and fell against the arm of a chair, fracturing three ribs, and that five years previously she slipped and fell on ice and broke her left wrist; and he was permitted to elicit from appellants' doctor that a fracture such as this could be caused by a fall to the floor in any manner. Appellants claim error in thus injecting into the case two prior unrelated and irrelevant injuries sustained by Mrs. Krez to parts of her body different from those injured at Ruggeri's and in permitting the doctor to testify speculatively as to the possible medical effect of prior unrelated occurrences. They contend that the jury was thus wrongly indoctrinated with the ideas that her present pelvic fractures were caused by the prior falls and that she was accident prone although there was no evidence to substantiate these accusations and inferences. The court did not err. The extent and scope of cross-examination in a civil proceeding is discretionary with the trial court and its rulings with respect thereto will not be disturbed unless an abuse of discretion is clearly shown. Eickmann v. St. Louis Pub. Serv. Co., Mo.Sup., 323 S.W.2d 802 [5]. We find no abuse of discretion. In her petition Mrs. Krez complained generally of pain of body and impairment of her ability to work, labor and earn a living. There was testimony that she has difficulty getting out of bed in the morning and that it is hard for her to get up if she sits and watches TV for any length of time; that she is not as active as she was. Defendant was entitled to cross-examine her to determine whether she had suffered previous injuries which might account in part for her pain and disability. Respondent's efforts to causally connect the pelvic fractures with the prior falls failed. Mrs. Krez denied on cross-examination that in her previous falls she sustained any injury to the pelvic area. Her doctor testified that in his opinion the pelvic bone fractures shown on the X rays were produced by the fall at Ruggeri's and that the X rays indicated that these fractures occurred roughly three weeks before the X rays were taken. In final argument defendant's counsel attempted to make the argument that Mrs. Krez was prone to falls and that she fell twice and counsel did not know how many other times she fell. An objection on the ground that this was an unfair argument, entirely outside the scope of argument, was sustained and the jury was instructed to disregard the remarks with respect to how many other times she might have fallen. Under this record we are unable to see how the cross-examination of Mrs. Krez as to the previous falls could have prejudiced her in the manner claimed. See Cammarata v. Payton, Mo.Sup., 316 S.W.2d 474 [2].