Parker v. Roszell

617 S.W.2d 597, 1981 Mo. App. LEXIS 2833
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedMay 12, 1981
DocketNo. 42702
StatusPublished

This text of 617 S.W.2d 597 (Parker v. Roszell) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Missouri Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Parker v. Roszell, 617 S.W.2d 597, 1981 Mo. App. LEXIS 2833 (Mo. Ct. App. 1981).

Opinion

WEIER, Judge.

Plaintiff Todd Parker filed suit against the defendant Larry Roszell for personal injuries when hit by a bullet fired from a high-powered rifle by the defendant. Upon trial to a jury, the jury returned a defendant’s verdict. The court granted plaintiff a new trial without specifying any of the grounds set forth in plaintiff’s motion for [599]*599new trial. It thereupon devolved upon plaintiff to file the first brief on appeal. Rule 84.05(b).

Plaintiff’s injuries were sustained as the result of a deer hunting accident. On that day plaintiff, age fifteen years, his father, the defendant and another person drove to a hilly wooded area in a truck. Defendant was let out near a pond and plaintiff was assigned a tree stand some distance away. Later that same morning plaintiff left his stand to join his father. While he was walking defendant fired his rifle at a deer and the bullet struck plaintiff who was, according to defendant’s estimate, about 120 yards away.

The plaintiff, to sustain the court’s action in granting him a new trial, relies upon instructional error and contends that defendant’s contributory negligence instruction failed to define the term negligence as it applied to a minor plaintiff. Or in the alternative if it can be construed that a definition of negligence instruction was given with respect to this contributory negligence instruction, it incorrectly set out the standard of care required of a minor plaintiff. Plaintiff further contends the trial court correctly granted a new trial to him because there was no substantial evidence to support the defendant’s assumption of risk instruction. For the reasons hereinafter given, we affirm the action of the trial court in sustaining plaintiff’s motion for new trial.

We first consider the contention of error directed to the court’s failure to define the term “negligence” in light of the standard of care required of a minor. At the trial conference preceding the giving of instructions, plaintiff tendered a verdict-directing instruction hypothesizing the negligence of the adult defendant. Plaintiff also tendered an instruction defining “negligence” as the failure to use the degree of care that an ordinarily careful and prudent person would use under the same or similar circumstances. It was identical to MAI 11.-02(1). The defendant offered a contributory negligence instruction but this instruction contained no definition of contributory negligence as it applied to a minor plaintiff set out in MAI 11.04. In giving the instructions plaintiff’s verdict director was numbered three and the definition instruction numbered seven. Number seven followed an assumption of risk instruction. Plaintiff challenges the failure of defendant to tender and the failure of the court to give MAI 11.04. This instruction defines “negligence” as the failure to use that degree of care that an ordinarily prudent boy or girl of the same age, capacity and experience would use under the same or similar circumstances. Thus, although contributory negligence was submitted by defendant, no definition of the term “negligence” applicable to the minor plaintiff was given by the court. As pointed out in Meier v. Geile, 479 S.W.2d 214, 216 [4] (Mo.App.1972) when the term “negligence” is used in a verdict-directing instruction, it should be defined. Without such a definition, the verdict director would give the jury a roving commission. When the term is directed toward the acts of a minor, MAI 11.04 contains the correct definition. For this omission, the trial court should be sustained in its action in granting plaintiff a new trial.

Defendant has contended that the use of the one instruction defining negligence as it applies to an adult was invited error on the part of the plaintiff since the plaintiff prepared and tendered this instruction. This apparently assumes the one instruction, number seven, would be applicable as a standard to the conduct of both parties. Defendant overlooks the requirement that in giving its contributory negligence instruction, it failed to tender a proper instruction defining the negligence of a minor plaintiff. MAI 11.04, Notes on Use. As to the use of MAI 11.04 in connection with contributory negligence instructions involving minor parties, see Callaway v. Lilly, 605 S.W.2d 155, 158 (Mo.App.1980); Dorrin v. Union Electric Company, 581 S.W.2d 852, 856 [3, 4] (Mo.App.1979).

Because the case must be tried again, we consider the trial court error charged in giving the assumption of risk instruction not in MAI. This instruction was based [600]*600upon a hypothesis that the plaintiff left his hunting position and cut through the wooded and brushy area adjacent to defendant’s hunting position and the further submission that plaintiff was aware of the risk involved, that he voluntarily and knowingly left his position and thereby assumed the risk of injury.

We do not believe that an assumption of risk instruction should be given in this ease. Fire arms, particularly rifles used in deer hunting, may be considered dangerous but this is not sufficient to give the plaintiff knowledge of a complete and certain danger to which he was subjecting himself. The danger only existed if the fire arm was discharged and it was pointed toward plaintiff. One does not go hunting with the thought that he is to be the hunted. It may be a dangerous sport but this is normally due to the possibility of human error and the dangerous instrumentalities being used. It does not mean a hunter assumes the risk of being shot merely because he participates in that activity. Assumption of risk is based upon a voluntary consent, express or implied, to accept a danger of a known and appreciated risk. It does not include the acceptance of risk of any negligence which the injured person does not know and appreciate. Turpin v. Shoemaker, 427 S.W.2d 485, 489-492 (Mo.1968).

Plaintiff also complained of the use of the word “adjacent” in the assumption of risk instruction. Because we have already held the instruction should not be used in this case on retrial, it is unnecessary to address this subject.

We turn now to the contention of defendant that his motion for directed verdict filed at the close of all the evidence and renewed after the jury verdict should have been sustained on the ground that plaintiff’s petition did not state a claim upon which relief could be granted. The thrust of defendant’s argument is directed to the failure of plaintiff to allege that defendant knew or should have known of plaintiff’s position of peril at the time the shot was fired and there were thus no facts sufficient to give rise to an inference of negligence. The defendant further complains that plaintiff produced evidence on specific acts of negligence thus refuting the allegations of general negligence in plaintiff’s petition. This occurred, he maintains, when plaintiff testified the defendant looked directly at him and shot him. This, so defendant contends, makes a case of specific negligence of failure to keep a careful lookout.

Plaintiff in his petition alleged general negligence, basing his cause on the doctrine of res ipsa loquitur.

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Related

Turpin v. Shoemaker
427 S.W.2d 485 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1968)
Dorrin Ex Rel. Dorrin v. Union Electric Co.
581 S.W.2d 852 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1979)
McCloskey Ex Rel. McCloskey v. Koplar
46 S.W.2d 557 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1932)
Meier v. Geile
479 S.W.2d 214 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1972)
Gates ex rel. Gates v. Tauchen
497 S.W.2d 183 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1973)
Callaway ex rel. Callway v. Lilly
605 S.W.2d 155 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1980)

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Bluebook (online)
617 S.W.2d 597, 1981 Mo. App. LEXIS 2833, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/parker-v-roszell-moctapp-1981.