Opinion ID: 880014
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: instructions relating to the duty of placing flares or other warnings by disabled vehicles

Text: The District Court instructed the jury that Smith had a duty in this case to display two red flags upon the roadway in the lane of traffic occupied by his disabled vehicle, one at a distance of approximately 100 feet in advance of the vehicle; and one at approximately a distance of 100 feet to the rear of the vehicle. Section 61-9-412(4), MCA. Smith objects to the giving of this instruction upon the ground that since the truck behind the disabled vehicle was exhibiting its flashing emergency lights, there was no need for the flags to be placed behind the disabled vehicle. With this, we cannot agree. There is a statutory duty regarding warning flags placed upon drivers of disabled vehicles left upon the travelled portion of the highway, and defendant had the same right for instructions on her theory of the case as did the plaintiff, discussed foregoing.