Court Opinion

ID: 9578958
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-21 21:49:59.390368+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T13:33:45.293602
License: Public Domain

Abbott, J.,
dissenting: I join Justice Six’s dissent. I would also state that the accident happened in clear weather on a level stretch of road. The accident report and pictures show the tracks crossed the road on a slight angle. The railroad crossing was marked by the normal crossbuck warning and had painted warnings on the highway. A flagman with a light was on the highway until he realized the plaintiff was not going to stop, and then he ran across the tracks and behind the railroad car that the plaintiff collided with. The flatcars had reflective tape on them. In addition, as I view the photocopies of photos in the record, it appears to me that the camouflaged personnel carriers were “desert storm” colors, i.e., light sand colored. The plaintiff ran into the side of the first flatcar crossing the highway. The train was traveling between 2 and 5 miles per hour.
The law is clear that an automobile driver has a duty to look, and the law presumes that the driver will see what is there to be seen. Thus, die defendant’s statements that he did not see the train or the flagman, based on what is in the record, are insufficient to escape summary judgment. The record contains pictures of the intersection, and I see nothing that would have prevented the plaintiff from seeing the train had he looked. I would affirm the trial court for the reasons set forth in Justice Six’s dissent and for the reasons I have set forth.
McFarland, C.J., joins in the foregoing dissenting opinions.