Court Opinion

ID: 9741024
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 20:47:52.541831+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:24:21.683149
License: Public Domain

*490DeBRULER, Justice-dissenting.
In human experience, it is often the case that defects in products are not discovered until the consumer user attempts to make use of them. At that point, the user has invested time and money in a project, and the achievement of the project goal is dependent upon the successful employment of the product. At that point, it is ofter cheaper and more humanly satisfying to attempt an immediate modification of the product to make it work. That such modifications will be attempted is entirely predictable and foreseeable, as is the probability that such modifications will be unsue-cessful or only partially successful. This is one of the several paths along which one is led in this case by the inferences arising from the experiential data and opinions provided by the witnesses. That path could reasonably be mapped out in the following manner. Economy negligently designed and produced the latches on its rails, and they proved inadequate in use. Thereupon Allison's made an unsuccessful modification of the latches, and the rails and modified latches were employed by Bridgewa-ter's husband. The latches failed and the death resulted.
The rule established by Elder v. Fisher (1966), 247 Ind. 598, 217 N.E.2d 847 is that the question of proximate cause is ordinarily one for the trier of fact and is not ordinarily one for the court to resolve as a matter of law. This rule is based upon the recognition that a causation question is, more than anything else, a fact bound question. Its answer is to be found by sorting out and synthesizing competing inferences from raw experiential data and opinions provided by witnesses. The rule concedes that there are those cases which can rightly be resolved by the court in a summary proceeding, rather than by trial. However, in my view, this is not one of those rare cases. Here, the latch device was small in size and cost in relation to the mobile ladder as a whole. Repetitive use of and reliance upon the devices would be made when employing the devices in carrying out a project. Failure of the devices would have serious consequences to the workman. The character of these defective devices was such that a reasonable trier of fact could conclude that the attempt by Allison's to improve them and the subsequent injurious consequences befalling Mr. Bridgewater were reasonably foreseeable at the time of design and construction by Economy, and were the natural and probable consequence of that design and construction. Such a trier of fact could reasonably conclude that the chain of causation from original design and construction was not broken by Allison's attempt at modification. I find myself in accord with the decision of the Court of Appeals to reverse the summary disposition of this case and to remand it for further proceedings.