Opinion ID: 1754136
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: advance life support report

Text: Officer James Denton, an accident reconstructionist, posited that Hunt's vehicle was not traveling more than fifty miles per hour at the time of impact. On cross-examination, Gorman sought to impeach Officer Denton's testimony by introducing the Jefferson County Advanced Life Support (ALS) run report into evidence for the purpose of showing the speed of Hunt's vehicle. An EMS technician prepared the ALS run report, which was contained in the police investigation file, and included the statement, Struck by auto traveling 50+ mph according to bystander. The trial court sustained Hunt's objection to the report's admission. Gorman claims, however, that the report was admissible as a business record. We disagree. The business records exception requires that the record be made by, or from information transmitted by, a person with knowledge .... [37] Thus, a showing of `personal knowledge' is a part of the foundation for business records and an essential element of the exception that allows such evidence to be admitted as hearsay. [38] The statement in the report by the unidentified bystander does not satisfy the requirement of personal knowledge and the trial court did not abuse its discretion in denying its introduction into evidence under the business records exception.