Opinion ID: 1239184
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Soil Samples

Text: The plaintiff's theory of the case was that the defendant had actually entered onto U.S. Highway 287 from the driveway of a Plantorium Greenhouse which was located on the south side of the highway just adjacent to the scene of the accident. The plaintiff attempted to show that the collision occurred on the deceased's side of the highway (south lane) as the defendant existed from the driveway. To support this theory, the plaintiff introduced several soil samples to show that the defendant's automobile had been in the Plantorium Greenhouse parking lot. It was undisputed that immediately after the accident, the defendant's automobile was towed through the parking lot in question. Thus, even if the soil samples taken from the defendant's automobile matched the soil samples taken from the parking lot, this fact would provide no support for the plaintiff's theory that the defendant's automobile had been in the parking lot before the accident. Facts supporting only conjectural inferences have no probative value and should not be admitted in evidence. Cf., Stevenson v. People, 148 Colo. 538, 367 P.2d 339 (1961). See also Sorrell v. Scheuer, 209 Ala. 268, 96 So. 216 (1923); Taylor v. State, 31 Ala.App. 590, 20 So.2d 239 (1944); Barnes v. State, 31 Ala.App. 187, 14 So.2d 242 (1943); Martin v. State, 16 Ala.App. 406, 78 So. 322 (1918). Under the circumstances, the admission of this evidence could only serve to confuse and mislead the jury, and it should not have been admitted.