Lemberger v. Koehring Co.

216 N.W.2d 542, 63 Wis. 2d 210, 1974 Wisc. LEXIS 1450
CourtWisconsin Supreme Court
DecidedApril 12, 1974
Docket207
StatusPublished
Cited by22 cases

This text of 216 N.W.2d 542 (Lemberger v. Koehring Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Wisconsin Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Lemberger v. Koehring Co., 216 N.W.2d 542, 63 Wis. 2d 210, 1974 Wisc. LEXIS 1450 (Wis. 1974).

Opinions

Heffeenan, J.

The defendant Koehring, in urging that the judgment be sustained, argues that there is no evidence that the wear block struck Lemberger. It is true that no one could testify that they saw the 16 pound piece of maple actually strike him. However, the evidence is sufficient to show that Lemberger was struck by this piece of wood. The construction foreman stated that, immediately after Lemberger’s injury, the wear block was lying nearby and there was nothing else that could [215]*215have struck him. The crane operator said that just before the accident happened he saw something fall in front of him that was just a blur. When he looked down a moment later, he saw the wear block lying on the ground close to Lemberger. There is no evidence to show that the wear block was not on the boom immediately prior to the accident, and immediately after the accident it is undisputed that it was on the ground next to Lemberger. No reasonable argument can be made that it was not the wear block that caused the injury to Lemberger.

The Koehring Company also argues that the dismissal of the complaint was correct on the grounds that the injury was caused by the failure of the plaintiff to wear a protective head covering. It is undisputed that, just prior to the accident, Lemberger was not wearing a protective hard hat, but there was evidence to show that no other employee on the site was wearing a hard hat. There was a plethora of testimony that tended to show that it was not considered necessary, nor was it the ordinary practice for construction workers to wear a hard hat when only the crane itself was in operation and it was not being used to transport or lift a load of material. In the instant case, only the crane boom itself was overhead. No load was being moved.

The basic argument of Koehring is that, even though the injury were caused by the falling maple block, a hard hat would have prevented any serious injury and that, therefore, the failure to wear the protective head covering was the causal negligence that resulted in the type of injury that occurred. Koehring submitted the testimony of two expert witnesses. One was Robert W. Webster, a retired civilian navy engineer, who spent four years developing specifications for a protective head covering to be used by government employees. The hard hat that was available to Lemberger on the job was designed in accordance with the specifications developed by Webster.

[216]*216Lemberger attempted to exclude Webster’s testimony prior to trial on the ground that it was only speculative. Despite objection, Webster’s testimony was permitted at trial.

Webster’s position that the hard hat would have prevented the injury was premised on an effect-to-cause syllogism. From the information available to Webster, he knew that the blow to Lemberger’s skull caused a depression one-half to three-quarters of an inch in depth to the right of the center of the head and having dimensions of 1 Yz inches by 2y% inches. From the nature of the injury, Webster concluded that the force that struck Lemberger’s head was relatively light, probably not exceeding 100 foot pounds, and that this force was within the protective capacities of the hat. He relied on his own experience, and on literature on the subject which showed the capacity of the hard hat to withstand impact and the nature of skull injuries that are occasioned by impacts of varying forces.

Webster admitted in the course of cross-examination that he would have to assume some facts that were not completely clear in the circumstances. He admitted that he would have to speculate whether it was a bolt or a metal projection that hit Lemberger, and whether Lem-berger was struck by a corner of the block. He also admitted that it would make a difference whether Lem-berger’s head was upright or at an angle when hit. He admitted that he did not take into consideration the speed and weight of the object that struck Lemberger. Despite these admitted lacunae in the formulation of Webster’s opinion, there is, however, evidence to show that he was an eminent authority on the question of the protective capacity of the particular hat. The record is somewhat less convincing that he had any expertise that qualified him to testify with respect to a force that would produce a particular kind of injury to an unprotected head. He nevertheless had some experience in that re[217]*217spect. There is no reason why a properly qualified expert, relying- on the physical injury, cannot form an opinion of the force required to produce the injury.

The basic question in determining the qualifications of an expert is whether his opinion, based on his experience and knowledge, will assist the jury in arriving at a conclusion. Webster had that knowledge and experience, and it was within the discretion of the trial judge to accept him as an expert. Webster reached his conclusion on a reasonable and logical basis. We have in a series of cases approved the hindsight opinions of accident-reconstruction experts who formulate their opinions on the basis of facts that have been known only in part and upon the physical circumstances after the accident.

In Rabata v. Dohner (1969), 45 Wis. 2d 111, 172 N. W. 2d 409, we upheld a trial judge’s discretion to permit a witness to give an opinion based upon the position of debris on the highway after the accident. The fact that the opinion of Webster was formed on the basis of the facts as revealed after the accident in no way affects its admissibility.

The credibility of Webster’s testimony, of course, is another matter. However, Webster was extensively and 'thoroughly cross-examined. The premises upon which he based his opinion were revealed, and on several occasions questions skillfully asked by counsel indicated gaps in the logical structure of Webster’s hypothesis.

The credibility of Webster was for the jury. His testimony was not so speculative that its admission constituted an abuse of discretion. Whatever weaknesses it had were thoroughly explored by opposing counsel’s examination.

On the other hand, we see no basis for the admission of Dr. Millen’s deposed testimony. Dr. Millen is a neurologist, who specializes in psychology and the physical disorders of the nervous system. He may well be an expert on personal injuries, and it was agreed that he had some knowledge of the basic laws of physics involv[218]*218ing the forces asserted by falling objects. He was permitted, however, to express the opinion that, had Lem-berger been wearing a hard hat, serious injury would have been prevented. That opinion was not within the field of Dr. Millen’s expertise. The only knowledge he had in that field was the very meager information that he had gleaned from the fact that his father-in-law ran a construction company, that his son had worked for that construction company, and that hard hats were used in the work. He had no expertise or special knowledge on the capacity of a hard hat to withstand impact and to prevent a skull injury. To the extent that Dr. Millen was permitted to testify as an expert on the protective capacity of the hard hat, his opinion was beyond his qualifications and should have been excluded by the trial judge. He did not have “ ‘such skill, knowledge or experience in that field or calling as to make it appear that his opinion or inference will probably aid the trier in his search for truth.’ ” Jacobson v. Greyhound Corp. (1965), 29 Wis. 2d 55, 63, 138 N. W. 2d 133.

Under the circumstances of this case, however, the evidence of Dr.

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Lemberger v. Koehring Co.
216 N.W.2d 542 (Wisconsin Supreme Court, 1974)

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Bluebook (online)
216 N.W.2d 542, 63 Wis. 2d 210, 1974 Wisc. LEXIS 1450, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lemberger-v-koehring-co-wis-1974.