Stevens v. Craft

956 S.W.2d 351, 1997 Mo. App. LEXIS 1821, 1997 WL 662896
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedOctober 21, 1997
DocketNo. 21115
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 956 S.W.2d 351 (Stevens v. Craft) 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
Stevens v. Craft, 956 S.W.2d 351, 1997 Mo. App. LEXIS 1821, 1997 WL 662896 (Mo. Ct. App. 1997).

Opinion

PARRISH, Presiding Judge.

Steve Craft (defendant) appeals a judgment entered following a jury trial awarding Michael W. Stevens (plaintiff) damages for personal injuries sustained when the parties’ pickup trucks were involved in a collision. This court affirms.

On April 27, 1991, plaintiff was visiting at the Herman Ferguson residence on Ramsey Street in Springfield, Missouri. Mr. Ferguson’s house was located across the street from defendant’s house. Plaintiff had two children with him in his pickup truck. He was parked in Mr. Ferguson’s driveway. After talking with Mr. Ferguson for 15 or 20 [353]*353minutes, plaintiff prepared to back out of the driveway and be on his way. He was in his pickup, continuing to talk to Mr. Ferguson, when he looked over his shoulder and saw defendant preparing to back a truck from defendant’s driveway on the other side of the street.

Plaintiff testified, “And at that point he was already in the middle of the road, and was coming at me at a much higher rate of speed than I knew he was going to be able to stop his truck.” The back of defendant’s vehicle struck the back of plaintiffs vehicle.

Plaintiff got out of his vehicle and approached defendant’s vehicle. He told the jury he did not experience pain immediately after the accident. He explained, however, “And that evening, the more that I sat at the house and on the couch, it felt like my head and my neck was getting stiff as I sat there.” The next morning plaintiff testified he was “totally stiff.” He testified, “I was almost to the point that I couldn’t turn my head at all. But I had a little movement up and down, a little movement back and forth, but it hurt to move my head any at all.” About two weeks later he saw a physician.

Plaintiff consulted Dr. Donald Eugene Menchetti. Plaintiff complained of a stiff, popping neck and soreness across his shoulders. Dr. Menchetti prescribed warm packs, muscle relaxants, anti-inflammatory agents, an injection of steroids and range of motion exercises. Plaintiff returned to Dr. Men-chetti nine days later complaining of continued neck problems and headaches. A stronger anti-inflammatory medication was prescribed. An X-ray was taken. It revealed no abnormality. Plaintiff returned again five or six weeks later complaining that his neck was still stiff. Dr. Menchetti referred plaintiff to Dr. Canias, a neurosurgeon.

Dr. Canias examined plaintiff. He submitted an initial report to Dr. Menchetti confirming Dr. Menchetti’s impressions that plaintiffs pain was a musculoligamentous type of pain typical in a cervical strain—a pulled muscle or strained muscle and ligaments. Dr. Canias ordered an MRI. The MRI disclosed that plaintiff had two ruptured discs.

In a second report to Dr. Menchetti, Dr. Canias recommended surgery. Dr. Menehet-ti explained that, in his opinion, the condition for which surgery was recommended was a condition that had existed for years; that it predated the accident. He stated his opinion that the preexisting back condition, combined with the muscle strain, created a chronic musculoligamentous strain.

Plaintiff elected not to have surgery. He continued to take medication and changed the activities in which he engaged. Plaintiff testified that he had to be careful in order to avoid “putting [his] back out of place.” He was careful when he lifted things. He avoided lifting items weighing more than 35 to 40 pounds.

Plaintiff is a plumber. After the accident he could not crawl into spaces and turn his head to work underneath houses. Because of his condition, plaintiff changed from residential work to commercial work. He explained he had to take a foreman position that did not require him to do the physically demanding type of work he had done before the accident.

This court initially addresses an issue concerning defendant’s brief. Plaintiff suggests the statement of facts in defendant’s brief fails to comply with requirements of Rule 84.04(c) for statements of fact to fairly and concisely state facts relevant to the questions presented for determination without argument. Plaintiff requests this court to strike defendant’s brief and dismiss the appeal. This court declines.

Although defendant’s statement of facts is hardly a model of compliance with Rule 84.04(c), it does not give a distorted and unbalanced view of the evidence to the extent that occurred in Estate of DeGraff, 560 S.W.2d 342 (Mo.App.1977); nor does defendant’s statement of facts approach the outright misrepresentation, sarcasm and unbridled argument that led to dismissal of the appeal in Vodicka v. Upjohn Co., 869 S.W.2d 258 (Mo.App.1994). Nevertheless, defendant’s appellate counsel would be well advised to more carefully scrutinize the record on appeal in drafting statements of fact in future appeals.

[354]*354Defendant’s first allegation of trial court error is directed to the trial court denying defendant’s motion for directed verdict. Defendant contends plaintiff failed to prove causation for the injuries he alleged were sustained in the accident. Defendant argues the evidence was uncontroverted that plaintiff had1 preexisting injuries, and no doctor testified to a reasonable degree of medical certainty that the pain about which plaintiff complained was the result of injuries the accident produced. Defendant argues further that the “sudden onset rule” is not applicable in this case to prove causation.1

Dr. Menchetti was asked if he could state within a reasonable degree of medical certainty what type of injury plaintiff sustained in the accident. He testified that plaintiff suffered a cervical strain. After he stated the opinion that plaintiff suffered a cervical strain, Dr. Menchetti was asked if the cervical strain would be a condition that would be more aggravating in view of the preexisting conditions that had been disclosed. Dr. Menchetti said he thought the preexisting conditions could be aggravated by a cervical strain.

“[T]he testimony of a physician concerning a diagnosis of a patient is admissible even when it is not based on a reasonable degree of medical certainty.” Johnson v. Creative Restaurant Mgmt., 904 S.W.2d 455, 459 (Mo.App.1995). The terms “think,” “guess” or “suggest” do not render an expert witness’s testimony inadmissible if the expert intended to express his opinion or judgment. Id.; Lineberry v. Shull, 695 S.W.2d 132, 136 (Mo.App.1985). It is obvious that Dr. Men-chetti intended to express his opinion or judgment with respect to what caused plaintiffs ailments.

There was medical evidence of causation. Defendant’s challenge to the applicability of the sudden onset rule need not be addressed. However, see Berten v. Pierce, 818 S.W.2d 685, 687 (Mo.App.1991), for a discussion of the applicability of that rule in cases involving a preexisting condition or an intervening factor.

Plaintiff presented medical evidence of causation. The trial court did not err in denying defendant’s motion for directed verdict. Point I is denied.

Defendant’s second allegation of error contends the trial court erred in overruling a “motion in limine and objections to the videotaped testimony of Dr.

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Bluebook (online)
956 S.W.2d 351, 1997 Mo. App. LEXIS 1821, 1997 WL 662896, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/stevens-v-craft-moctapp-1997.