Opinion ID: 1708955
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: facts

Text: Following a high school football game on October 26, 1979, a party was held on a farm approximately seven miles west of Highmore, South Dakota. Randy Shaull, Ben Hart and Ross Peterson each consumed beer at the party. Ben Hart left the farm in his pickup truck with Randy Shaull, Mary Cowan, and Ricki Kusser as passengers. All were seated in the front seat which created a crowded situation, the radio was playing, they were singing and intermittently talking, and one of the girls was seated so that she obstructed the shifting mechanism. The combined effect created difficult driving circumstances. Ross Peterson also left the farm at the same time with Billie Etbauer and Ben Aasby as passengers in his pickup truck. Ross Peterson passed the Hart pickup truck approximately one mile away from the farm. Both pickups proceeded towards Highmore. Travel conditions were dark with only a slight breeze. Since the road was gravel, the air was dusty. Testimony generally disclosed that the pickup trucks were traveling between 50 and 55 miles per hour and that there existed approximately 100 yards between the vehicles. Ross Peterson noticed that one of the headlights was burned out on the Hart vehicle and slowed down to 30 to 35 miles per hour. Soon thereafter, one of the passengers in the Peterson vehicle realized that the Hart vehicle had crashed into the ditch approximately two blocks behind the Peterson vehicle. Appellant Randy Shaull was injured in the accident. The morning of the incident, a mud grip tire was placed on the front passenger side of the Hart vehicle to replace a flat tire. This resulted in a tire placement of three mud grip tires with one standard tread tire being on the front driver's side of the vehicle at the time of the accident. Both of Ben Hart's parents testified that prior to the accident the vehicle pulled to one side when the brakes were applied. Hyde County Deputy Sheriff Oliver Olson investigated the accident and filed an accident report. At trial, Deputy Olson testified that approximately one hour after the accident, Ben Hart told him that he had been driving about fifty miles per hour, hit some loose gravel and lost it. According to Deputy Olson, Ben made no mention of the Peterson vehicle. Ben Hart testified, I remember seeing Ross's brake lights come on and that's when I stepped on my brakes and then I lost control of it. In response to being questioned about the distance between the pickups when he first saw the brake lights of the Peterson pickup come on, Ben Hart testified, I really don't know for sure, it wasI would say 50 yards, but I am not exactly positive. Ben Hart told Deputy Olson that he had been drinking the night of the accident. South Dakota Highway Patrolman Pat Murphy, who observed Ben Hart subsequent to the accident, testified that it appeared to me [Ben Hart] had been drinking because he had very bloodshot eyes. Four separate issues are presented by the briefs.