Court Opinion

ID: 9718342
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 07:21:22.919081+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:23:58.655452
License: Public Domain

CRONE, Judge,
concurring in part and concurring in result in part.
I fully concur in Parts I and II of the lead opinion. I respectfully disagree, however, with the analysis in Part III, to the extent it suggests that any degree of pain, no matter how slight, is sufficient to constitute an “impairment of physical condition” and therefore constitute “bodily injury” for purposes of Indiana Code Section 35^11-1-4. I believe that something more than the mere sensation of pain is required; to hold otherwise is to read “impairment” out of the statute.
That said, I believe that Engelking’s testimony that Lewis “punched” him in the face “pretty hard” and that “it didn’t feel good” is sufficient to establish that he suffered bodily injury. We expect jurors to draw upon their own personal knowledge and experience in deciding guilt or innocence. Carter v. State, 754 N.E.2d 877, 882 (Ind.2001), cert. denied (2002). Anyone who has been punched “pretty hard” in the face would readily agree that such an impact is sufficiently painful to allow an inference of impairment and therefore bodily injury. Therefore, I concur in result as to Part III.