Court Opinion

ID: 9617917
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 05:03:48.264676+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:04:20.280590
License: Public Domain

Lockett, J.,
concurring and dissenting: I concur with the majority’s analysis and conclusion that under the Federal Employer’s Liability Act, 45 U.S.C. § 51 et seq. (1988), the essential elements for recovery under the zone of danger test are that a plaintiff be within the zone of danger and suffer imminent apprehension of physical harm which causes or contributes to the emotional injury. I dissent from the majority’s finding that (1) the physical impact *531which occurred did not cause an injury or have an effect on this plaintiff’s resulting emotional distress and (2) there was evidence that established that this plaintiff experienced no fear for his personal safety.
I agree that the general rule in Kansas is that for a plaintiff to recover for emotional distress there must be an impact accompanied by or which results in physical injury. Anderson v. Scheffler, 242 Kan. 857, 860, 752 P.2d 667 (1988). The plaintiff testified that he was thrown against the console in the engine’s cab when the engine’s cab struck the car stalled on the tracks. The majority disregards this statement of the evidence and concludes the plaintiff was pushed against the console of the engine’s cab because of the emergency braking of the train rather than the collision. The majority then states that because plaintiff suffered no observable bruises or abrasions as a result of the impact, he suffered no injury. Without citing any authority, the majority concludes that to recover for emotional distress caused by a physical impact, the injury sustained must be visible.
The majority concedes that the plaintiff was within the zone of danger. It concludes that the plaintiff did not suffer imminent apprehension of physical harm which caused or contributed to the emotional injury. The majority searched the record to discover if the plaintiff experienced fear for his safety at any time. It implies that under the zone of danger test, a coward can recover for severe emotional distress, but the person who does not express fear at the time of the danger and attempts to avoid the danger or diminish the damage cannot recover because he or she did not express fear at the time of danger. That is contrary to our decision in State v. Hacker, 197 Kan. 712, 421 P.2d 40 (1966), cert. dented 386 U.S. 967 (1967).
In Hacker, a victim of a robbery testified that he was not afraid when he was robbed. The Hacker court noted that one of the essential elements of robbery, where there is no violence to the victim, requires putting the victim in fear of some immediate injury to his person. The Hacker court observed there was no exact standard by which to determine when an unlawful taking has been accompanied by putting the victim in fear. It concluded it was *532only necessary to show that the circumstances were such as to cause a reasonable person to apprehend danger, and that the victim could be reasonably expected to give up property in order to protect him or herself. It noted that a causal relationship must be established between the act of the defendant and the surrender of the property by the victim. 197 Kan. at 716-17.
In this case, it is for the trier of fact to determine if a reasonable person would have apprehended fear and whether that fear caused the resulting emotional distress. This court should not recognize the right of one to recover for emotional distress, set out the requirements for the injured plaintiff to recover, and then search the record and weigh the evidence to see if the injured party presented sufficient evidence necessitated by the new rule. Because there are issues to be resolved and evidence that must be weighed by the trier of fact, this matter should be remanded for a new trial.
Abbott, J., joins in the foregoing concurring and dissenting opinion.