Court Opinion

ID: 9656413
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-23 19:47:53.39309+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:13:32.273276
License: Public Domain

STEINMETZ, J.
(dissenting). I would reverse and order a new trial pursuant to sec. 751.06, Stats.1
The real controversy in this case has not been fully tried, and it is probable that justice has miscarried, since a proper special instruction was not given the jury as to how to determine the negligence, if any, of the bus driver.
Since the allegation of negligence that should have been examined involved the potential duty and possible breach of the duty of a common carrier driver to a person outside of the bus, the j urors would not have common knowledge of the requirements and, therefore, a special instruction was necessary.
The bus driver’s duties in operating a large vehicle in city traffic with the necessity of observing other traffic, pedestrian and vehicular, the bus’s position on the roadway, and observing passengers’ actions as to location, *279movement on or off the bus and their behavior are not matters within the experience of the ordinary person to determine the bus driver’s exercise of reasonable care in carrying out his responsibilities.
In this case, the parties could not agree on which version of the instruction to give and, therefore, the trial judge gave neither of the proposed instructions and none of his own. The judge’s duty was to give what he believed to be the proper special instruction and not avoid the issue by giving neither.
The county wanted the special instruction to state that negligence required the bus driver have knowledge that Michael Lucas had a slingshot and “intended to harm" someone with it. The plaintiff was willing to agree to the county’s proposed instruction if it were changed to “might harm” someone with it.
The judge gave neither version of the special instruction and instead gave the ordinary negligence instruction for the county transit system’s duty in supervising passengers’ actions. That, however, did not fulfill the trial judge’s duty of instruction. He was required to give that form of special instruction which he judged proper. The judge herein gave no proper special instruction, and the majority ignores that fatal error. He should have given what he believed to be the proper instruction even over the county’s objection and not have left the jury to speculate in an area outside common knowledge and experience.
The majority favors the version of the special instruction requested by the plaintiff and holds:
“These authorities support the view espoused by the plaintiff that the carrier’s duty to use reasonable care to prevent an act by a passenger is established if the carrier has reason to anticipate that a negligent or intentional act might be committed by a passenger. Hence we conclude that the circuit court was correct in refusing *280to instruct the jury as requested by the county.” (Supra, at 271.)
It is not sufficient in deciding this case to state as the majority says:
“If there is credible evidence or reasonable inferences drawn therefrom to support the jury’s finding that the county had a duty to use reasonable care with regard to supervising the passengers on the bus, this court will affirm the judgment.” (Supra, at 272.)
The jury had no proper instruction to apply to the facts to determine reasonable care. Lack of reasonable care, according to the majority, arose only if the driver (1) had knowledge of the passenger possessing a slingshot and (2) that the passenger “might harm” someone with it. The jury did not know that two requirements were necessary before reasonable case was required. It was necessary for a proper determination of the negligence of the bus driver for them to know what law to apply.
The attorney for the county did not object to the instruction as given, but only objected to the court’s refusal to give his client’s requested instruction. Therefore, under sec. 805.13(3), Stats., the attorney’s failure to object to the judge’s proposed instruction at the instruction conference constituted a waiver of the instruction given. Reversal is still necessary, however, since the real issue was not decided by the jury.
The majority states that both parties agreed that the county in this case was a common carrier and had the duty to use reasonable care in the operation of the vehicle and in the supervision of the conduct of the passengers on the vehicle to protect pedestrians from injury. Assuming that to be correct, the majority then sustains the jury verdict, since the jury found: “that the bus driver knew or had reason to anticipate that Lucas might use his slingshot to shoot an object out the bus window.” (Supra, at 272.) That is not enough for liability.
*281The majority approves the instruction proposed by the plaintiff, i.e., that the bus company had to have knowledge that the passenger had a slingshot and to have knowledge that the passenger might harm someone with the slingshot before the county’s duty to use reasonable care is established.
It is proper for this court to accept the theory of law that the plaintiff approved; however, the jury was not told that the test had two elements: (1) knowledge that a passenger had a slingshot, and, (2) knowledge that the passenger might harm someone with the slingshot, before the county’s duty to use reasonable care was established.
This legal instruction was necessary; it was not enough to merely inform the jury of the exercise of ordinary care standard that the “great mass of humankind ordinarily exercises under the same or similar circumstances.” The common carrier’s duties cannot be judged by that standard of care.
Accordingly, I would reverse in the interests of justice and remand to the trial court for a new trial.

 Sec. 751.06, Stats., provides:
“751.06 Discretionary reversal. In an appeal in the supreme court, if it appears from the record that the real controversy has not been fully tried, or that it is probable that justice has for any reason miscarried, the court may reverse the judgment or order appealed from, regardless of whether the proper motion or objection appears in the record, and may direct the entry of the proper judgment or remit the case to the trial court for the entry of the proper judgment or for a new trial, and direct the making of such amendments in the pleadings and the adoption of such procedure in that court, not inconsistent with statutes or rules, as are necessary to accomplish the ends of justice.”