Opinion ID: 2372783
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: admissibility of photograph and survey map

Text: At trial the plaintiff introduced a photograph and a survey map of the intersection of South Avenue and Barnum Dyke. Both exhibits were made well after the accident and both depicted an asphalt cap that the defendant city of Bridgeport had placed over the curbing at the southeast corner of the intersection. The defendants contend that because the plaintiff's case was founded on a claim that the truck mounted the curb at this point, and because both exhibits illustrate repairs to the curb, the jury reasonably might have inferred that the truck had in fact mounted the curb and struck the plaintiff. The city argues that the introduction of the exhibits is thus barred by the subsequent repair doctrine. It has long been the settled rule in this State that evidence of subsequent repairs is inadmissible to prove negligence or an admission of negligence at the time of the accident. Carrington v. Bobb, 121 Conn. 258, 262, 184 A. 591 (1936); see Wright v. Coe & Anderson, Inc., 156 Conn. 145, 155, 239 A.2d 493 (1968); Gustafson v. Meriden, 103 Conn. 598, 602, 131 A. 437 (1925); Donovan v. Connecticut Co., 84 Conn. 531, 538, 80 A. 779 (1911). Connecticut's subsequent repair rule conforms with that of other jurisdictions. At all events the courts do exclude, when offered as admissions of negligence or fault, evidence of remedial safety measures taken after an injury.... McCormick, Evidence (2d Ed.) § 275; see also Fed. R. Evid. 407 (evidence of the subsequent [repair] is not admissible to prove negligence or culpable conduct). The central question is the plaintiff's purpose in introducing the evidence. The doctrine bars evidence of subsequent repairs when offered to prove negligence. It does not exclude such evidence when offered to prove some other material issue. We have held, for example, that [w]here control of premises is one of the issues in a case, such evidence is admissible to prove it. Williams v. Milner Hotels Co., 130 Conn. 507, 510, 36 A.2d 20 (1944); Staples v. Bernabucci, 119 Conn. 443, 450, 177 A. 380 (1935); see McCormick, supra (noting many other situations in which evidence of subsequent repairs was admitted). When the defendants objected to the introduction of the photograph and the survey map at trial, the plaintiff's attorney declared that his only purpose in introducing the exhibits was to demonstrate the layout of the intersection of South Avenue and Barnum Dyke. In response to the defendants' objection, the plaintiff's counsel explicitly stated that the exhibits were not intended as proof of the city's negligence or culpability. The trial court in overruling the defendants' objection based its decision to admit the photograph and the survey map on its finding that the exhibits were offered for a purpose exclusive of showing negligence. Because the exact point of impact was critical to his case, it was entirely reasonable for the plaintiff to use illustrations of the accident scene. We find no indication from the record that the trial court erred in concluding that the photograph and the survey map were introduced solely to show the configuration of the streets and adjacent sidewalks rather than to show negligence. We hold therefore that the subsequent repair rule is inapplicable [1] and that the court properly admitted the exhibits for the limited purpose offered. The defendant now complains that the trial court did not instruct the jury that the evidence should be considered only for that purpose. The defendant did not, however, request a limiting instruction when the photograph and the survey map were admitted. Where a claimed error is not brought to the attention of the trial court, we will not review the claim on appeal absent special circumstances not demonstrated in this appeal. Practice Book § 3063; Sands v. Sands, 188 Conn. 98, 106, 448 A.2d 822 (1982); Cahill v. Board of Education, 187 Conn. 94, 99, 444 A.2d 907 (1982). Although it is the better practice for the trial court to instruct the jury whenever evidence is admitted for a limited purpose even when not requested to do so; see Blanchard v. Bridgeport, 190 Conn. 798, 463 A.2d 553 (1983); we cannot say that the trial court's failure to do so in this case was error.