Opinion ID: 1279862
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Other Crossings

Text: Plaintiff was permitted to introduce a compilation of approximately 200 notices of deficiency received by CSX from the South Carolina Department of Transportation over the period between 1995 and 2002. It is unclear at what point or on what ground the trial court admitted this exhibit. It is the appellant's burden to present a sufficient record for appellate review. State v. 192 Coin-Operated Video Game Machines, 338 S.C. 176, 525 S.E.2d 872 (2000). CSX has not met this burden with regard to the compilation, although we note these records would be relevant, if at all, only to punitive damages. CSX also complains that Plaintiff's traffic engineering expert was erroneously permitted to testify in detail to two other lawsuits involving accidents at CSX crossings in South Carolina where the allegations were that sight lines were obstructed. CSX argued at trial these accident settings were too dissimilar to be probative. Plaintiff countered that evidence of the other crossing accidents was admissible on the issue of punitive damages. It appears from the record that extensive evidence of these accidents was admitted without any instruction limiting the jury to considering them in the context of punitive damages. The trial judge erred in admitting evidence of other accidents at other crossings to prove this accident occurred as the result of CSX's negligence. The evidence may be admissible at a subsequent trial in aid of Plaintiff's punitive damages claim.