Court Opinion

ID: 9858559
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-24 16:28:10.85763+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:54:47.657742
License: Public Domain

DUNN, Retired Justice
(concurring in part, dissenting in part).
I would concur in the majority opinion in reversing and remanding on the issue of the unavoidable accident instruction being given to the jury under this state of facts. I would also concur in the majority opinion’s handling of voir dire.
However, I would hold that the trial court erred in not directing a verdict as Royer was guilty of negligence as a matter of law.
Under the facts most favorable to Royer, before making this turn, he activated his signal lights for a left turn and looked in the rear view mirror. He saw nothing but his brother’s truck immediately behind him. This does not satisfy his duty under SDCL 32-26-22. Barnhart v. Ahlers, 79 S.D. 186,189, 110 N.W.2d 125,127 (1961), places the duty on the driver, in making this dangerous turn, to use due care “before ... and while turning.” (Emphasis added.) Here, it did no good for Royer to look in his rear view mirror before making his turn as all he could see was his brother’s truck in close proximity behind him. He owed a duty to look and look effectively, and that could only be done after he started his turn and his view was unobstructed by his brother’s truck as to the highway behind him. This he did not do.
By his own admission, he made this turn without first seeing that it could be done in safety and he was guilty of negligence as a matter of law.
Further, this deer hunting safari travel-ling down the highway in tandem was in violation of SDCL 32-26-44, as they did not leave sufficient space between the trucks to enable another to enter and occupy such space in safety. This violation was a proximate cause of this accident as (1) Royer admittedly could not see the Hoffman vehicle approaching in his rear view mirror because his brother’s truck was immediately behind him, and (2) it did not leave space for Hoffman to maneuver into the right-hand lane when the Royer truck pulled out in front of him.