Court Opinion

ID: 9669057
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-24 02:38:32.859068+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:15:51.860398
License: Public Domain

ORDER ON PETITION FOR REHEARING

James Mansfield has filed a petition for rehearing asserting that this court’s May 12, 1993 opinion contains three factual statements that are either disputed or not supported by the record. He also asserts that this court misapplied the contributory negligence principles applicable to guest-passengers of intoxicated drivers.
We turn to the three challenged factual statements. Mr. Mansfield first takes issue with the characterization of the scene of the accident as a “construction zone.” We have reviewed the record and have determined that it contains no evidence that the portion of 1-40 where the accident occurred was under construction. Therefore, Mr. Mansfield’s point is well-taken, and the words “through a construction zone” are deleted from the second full paragraph on page 3 of *533the opinion. The opinion should have stated that the accident occurred shortly after the interstate highway narrowed from three to two lanes. This factual mischaracterization of the condition of the highway is not material and does not alter our conclusions.
Mr. Mansfield next insists that the testimony of Charles Ashby Parsons creates a genuine issue of material fact with regard to whether Mr. Curtis had activated the truck’s emergency flashing lights. Mr. Curtis testified unequivocally that he had activated the emergency flashers before he left the cab of the tractor. Mr. Parsons’s deposition testimony, viewed most favorably to Mr. Mansfield, was that he did not remember whether the truck’s emergency flashers were on or not. Mr. Parsons’s lack of memory on this issue does not create a material factual dispute.
Finally, Mr. Mansfield restates the argument in his original brief that the record contains factual disputes concerning Craig Mansfield’s knowledge of the extent of Brett Steele’s drinking prior to the accident. He relies principally on the deposition testimony of Mr. Mansfield’s drinking companions that Mr. Steele did not appear to be intoxicated before he left the Classic Cat with Craig Mansfield. None of these witnesses provided direct testimony concerning Craig Mansfield’s knowledge of Mr. Steele’s condition. Freddie D. Summerford simply stated that neither Mr. Steele nor Craig Mansfield appeared intoxicated to him, and William T. Stevenson stated that the two men were not “stumbling drunk,” “belligerent,” or “out of hand.”
The record is undisputed that Mr. Steele had been chinking throughout the day and that Craig Mansfield had been with him most of the time. Mr. Steele’s blood alcohol level was measured at .16% after the accident. Based on these undisputed facts, reasonable minds could only have concluded that Craig Mansfield knew or should have known that Mr. Steele had been drinking throughout the day and that he was legally intoxicated. These specific findings are sufficient to support the trial court’s conclusion that Colonial Freight Systems was entitled to a judgment as a matter of law on its contributory negligence defense.
The petition for rehearing is respectfully denied.