Opinion ID: 876931
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: the fact issue

Text: From the medical testimony, it appears that the massive injuries to Vo's face could have resulted from the fall to the pavement, or from the single blow that Phalen admits he struck, or from a combination of both. Dr. Simic did not believe that a single blow would cause the injuries which extended from the lower orbital rim of the left eye where a fifteen millimeter displacement occurred, to the left corner of Vo's cheek, where his lip was lacerated. The part of Vo's injuries, if any, which resulted from the fall to the street, were proximately caused, apparently, by the fact that Phalen was chasing Vo when Vo was tripped by Johnson and the fall to the street ensued. Even if Phalen's act of chasing is deemed to be intentional, the intervening act of Johnson in tripping Vo and the resulting injuries may not have been expected or intended by Phalen. At least a fact issue as to that element of the claim exists. A situation is presented where Phalen's act of chasing could be considered by a jury to be concurrently negligent with the negligence of Johnson in tripping Vo. Where one defendant's negligence is a contributing proximate cause of injury, and neither defendant is responsible for the other, each defendant is liable, provided the injury would not have been sustained but for his negligence. Marinkovich v. Tierney (1932), 93 Mont. 72, 17 P.2d 93; Bensley v. Miles City (1932), 91 Mont. 561, 9 P.2d 168. Where several causes producing injury are concurrent and each is an efficient cause without which the injury would not have occurred, the injury may be attributed to all or any of the causes, and recovery may be had against either or all of the responsible persons, though one of them was more culpable and the duty owed by them to the injured person was not the same. See Daly v. Swift and Company (1931), 90 Mont. 52, 300 P. 265. A fact question exists as to whether Phalen in chasing or offering to chase Vo, would have expected or intended that Johnson would trip him and crash him on his face to the pavement. If the trier found that Vo's injuries were unexpected by Phalen, certainly Northwestern's policy extended coverage for the incident. If Phalen's chasing were a proximate cause of the eventual injuries, it would be the accompanying act of the concurrently negligent Johnson that brought about the unexpected and unintended result, a result which Phalen himself testified he did not intend. The proper place for the determination of this fact issue is in the original action brought by Vo against Phalen and Johnson. Whether Vo's injuries were expected or intended by Phalen can be determined in that case through the use of special interrogatories to the jury, or if the case is tried by a judge without a jury, through findings made by the court.