Opinion ID: 1656547
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Did the allegedly defective and unreasonably dangerous condition proximately cause the damages?

Text: ¶ 18. Having now found that there was sufficient evidence in the record to withstand a motion for a directed verdict on the issues of whether the product failed to perform as warranted, which is a defective condition of the product, thus satisfying subsection (a)(i), and whether the defective condition made the product unreasonably dangerous, thus satisfying subsection (a)(ii), we next address the issue of whether the defective condition of the product was the proximate cause of the damages. Again, the Forbeses carry the burden of showing that the defective condition that allegedly proximately caused the injuries here, the faulty air bag, existed at the time the product left GM's hands. 3M Co. v. Johnson, 895 So.2d at 165. The proximate cause is the cause which in natural and continuous sequence unbroken by any efficient intervening cause produces the injury and without which the result would not have occurred. Delahoussaye v. Mary Mahoney's, Inc., 783 So.2d 666, 671 (Miss.2001). ¶ 19. At trial, the Forbeses offered as their expert John Blunschi, a retired Louisiana police officer trained in accident reconstruction, or determining the cause of accidents. He testified that Mrs. Forbes would not have struck the windshield if the air bag had inflated. Because of Blunchi's familiarity with air bags, and because Mrs. Forbes sustained injuries that would not have occurred if the air bag had inflated, the Forbeses argued on appeal that it was evident the air bag's failure to deploy was the proximate cause of Mrs. Forbes's injuries. Again, we have held that proof of injury alone is insufficient, and that more is needed to satisfy the burden. Creel v. General Motors Corp., 233 So.2d at 109. In this case, more than mere proof of injury was given through other expert testimony, including that of Blunschi, and the burden was satisfied. Regardless, it is not necessary, or even permitted, for us to determine liability now. We need only decide today if GM should have been required to go forward and present its case-in-chief. We find the answer to be yes. ¶ 20. Today, we are called on to decide whether the evidence presented by the Forbeses in this case is sufficient to submit the case to a jury  that, and nothing more. Giving the Forbeses the benefit of all favorable inferences which may reasonably be drawn from the evidence which we are to consider anew and in the light most favorable to the Forbeses, we cannot say the plaintiffs' burden was not met or that reasonable jurors could not have differed in this case. We know, because the Forbeses have shown us, that Mr. Forbes bought this car partly because of the promise of a functional air bag, that the car was involved in a collision with extensive damage, that the air bag did not inflate, and that as a result, Mrs. Forbes suffered major injuries. In viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the Forbeses, we find jurors could possibly differ on this question. Add to this favorable inferences one may draw from this evidence and we easily find that a jury question exists. The Forbeses may not have presented sufficient evidence to convince a jury of liability on the part of GM, but this is not the question before us. We need only decide if the evidence presented was of such quality and weight that fair-minded jurors in the exercise of impartial judgment might have reached different conclusions. We find this to be the situation today. The jury should have been given the opportunity to decide this question. With regard to Miss.Code Ann. § 11-1-63(a), we find this issue to have merit, and therefore we reverse and remand this case to the trial court.