Lyons v. Midnight Sun Transportation Services, Inc.
Alaska Supreme Court
928 P.2d 1202 (1996)
- Written by Megan Petersen, JD
Facts
Esther Hunter-Lyons, the wife of David Lyons (plaintiff), was killed when her car was struck by a truck driven by David Jette and owned by Midnight Sun Transportation Services, Inc. (Midnight) (defendant). The truck was traveling down the road one evening when Esther Lyons pulled her car out in front of it from a parking lot on the right-hand side of the road. Jette swerved left to avoid the car, but Lyons kept traveling. The truck collided with Lyons’s car broadside and killed her. David Lyons brought suit against Midnight on the ground that Jette was negligent. Both sides introduced expert witnesses who testified about the speed of Jette’s truck prior to the collision. The trial judge instructed the jury in the sudden-emergency doctrine, under which a person is not required to exercise the same level of judgment or care in an emergency as may be required in a nonemergency situation. The jury determined that Jette was driving negligently, but that Jette's negligence was not a legal cause of the accident, and thus, Midnight was not liable. Lyons appealed.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Per Curiam)
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