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ALABAMA COURT OF CIVIL APPEALS
OCTOBER TERM, 2009-2010

2090195

Elfreda v.

Miller

Wesley C l e c k l e r Appeal from Shelby C i r c u i t Court (CV-07-900213) BRYAN, J u d g e . Elfreda Miller, the p l a i n t i f f below, appeals from a

summary j u d g m e n t e n t e r e d i n f a v o r o f W e s l e y C l e c k l e r , the defendants below, i n Mrs. M i l l e r ' s We a f f i r m action

one o f

alleging

negligence

and wantonness.

i n part,

reverse i n

2090195 part, a n d remand. This occurred case involves a four-automobile accident County. that On

on I n t e r s t a t e 65 ( " I - 6 5 " ) i n S h e l b y

F r i d a y a f t e r n o o n , A u g u s t 4, 2006, M r s . M i l l e r was d r i v i n g an automobile south on I - 6 5 . M r s . M i l l e r was t r a v e l i n g i n the

l e f t l a n e b e h i n d h e r h u s b a n d , R i c h a r d M i l l e r , who was d r i v i n g a separate I-65, automobile. C l e c k l e r was a l s o t r a v e l i n g s o u t h truck. Cleckler testified on

d r i v i n g h i s pickup

t h a t he

was d r i v i n g traffic Mrs. hour.

a t a s p e e d o f 60 o r 65 m i l e s

p e r hour and t h a t B o t h C l e c k l e r and

was " p r e t t y h e a v y " a t t h e t i m e . testified

Miller

t h a t t h e s p e e d l i m i t was 70 m i l e s p e r flow of

M r s . M i l l e r t e s t i f i e d t h a t t h e r e was a " s t e a d y

t r a f f i c " w i t h v e h i c l e s "moving f r e e l y . " contains testimony through traffic from o b s e r v e r s rate

The r e c o r d on a p p e a l

t h a t C l e c k l e r was " d a r t i n g " of speed" " t r y i n g t o pass

" a t a high

everyone." A t some p o i n t , C l e c k l e r merged h i s p i c k u p right lane into the l e f t lane i n front t r u c k from the Miller's

o f Mr.

vehicle.

C l e c k l e r t e s t i f i e d t h a t , when he moved i n t o t h e l e f t he moved i n t o a gap o f a b o u t three

l a n e a h e a d o f Mr. M i l l e r , or four automobile

lengths.

Cleckler further t e s t i f i e d that,

2

2090195 s h o r t l y a f t e r moving i n t o the l e f t l a n e , the v e h i c l e s i n f r o n t o f him b e g a n t o b r a k e , c a u s i n g him good." front Mr. of" to apply h i s brakes " p r e t t y

M i l l e r t e s t i f i e d t h a t C l e c k l e r moved " d i r e c t l y i n his vehicle was and too that close Cleckler to the braking, Cleckler "slammed on his of the as

b r a k e s " b e c a u s e he him. other well. At behind that Mrs. time, As

vehicle Mr.

in front and brake

a r e s u l t of

Cleckler's

Miller to

drivers

t r a v e l i n g behind

began

Charles who

Williams behind

was Mr.

driving Miller.

a

vehicle Williams 70

Miller,

was

t e s t i f i e d t h a t he was

t r a v e l i n g at a speed of a p p r o x i m a t e l y automobile length behind that, when she applied of

m i l e s p e r h o u r a p p r o x i m a t e l y one Miller. brakes Mrs. Miller testified

Mrs. her her, her Mr.

i n r e s p o n s e t o Mr.

M i l l e r ' s braking

in front

Williams's

v e h i c l e s t r u c k her v e h i c l e from behind, c a u s i n g Miller's vehicle.

v e h i c l e t o c o l l i d e w i t h t h e b a c k o f Mr.

M i l l e r ' s v e h i c l e i n t u r n c o l l i d e d w i t h the back of pickup truck. in danger of Mrs.

Cleckler's not

M i l l e r t e s t i f i e d t h a t h e r v e h i c l e was with Mr. Miller's vehicle

colliding

before

Williams t h a t he

s t r u c k her

from behind.

However, W i l l i a m s

testified

t h o u g h t t h a t Mrs.

M i l l e r ' s v e h i c l e had

c o l l i d e d with

3

2090195 Mr. M i l l e r ' s v e h i c l e b e f o r e h i s own M i l l e r ' s v e h i c l e , b u t he was The day. Mrs. Miller sued Cleckler, Williams, and fictitiously seeking the accident occurred vehicle collided with Mrs.

not c o m p l e t e l y 3:15

sure about t h a t . p.m. on a sunny

at approximately

named p a r t i e s , a l l e g i n g n e g l i g e n c e and w a n t o n n e s s and to recover damages f o r i n j u r i e s accident. answer allegedly

sustained i n

automobile Cleckler's

C l e c k l e r a n s w e r e d and d e n i e d among other things,

liability. that Mrs.

asserted,

M i l l e r ' s i n j u r i e s were p r o x i m a t e l y c a u s e d by t h e n e g l i g e n c e o r wantonness of another. Cleckler then moved for a summary

judgment, a s s e r t i n g t h a t h i s a c t i o n s d i d not p r o x i m a t e l y cause t h e a c c i d e n t . C l e c k l e r ' s summary-judgment m o t i o n a l s o a s s e r t e d t h a t , a l t h o u g h Alabama law p r o h i b i t s a d r i v e r from another driver driver to look motion caused too closely, him Alabama before law does n o t for following require a

behind

stopping

traffic. conduct a the

Cleckler's proximately

implicitly the

argued t h a t W i l l i a m s ' s trial court

a c c i d e n t . The

entered and

j u d g m e n t g r a n t i n g C l e c k l e r ' s summary-judgment m o t i o n , t r i a l c o u r t c e r t i f i e d t h a t j u d g m e n t as f i n a l , p u r s u a n t 5 4 ( b ) , A l a . R. C i v . P. Mrs. Miller appealed to the

to Rule supreme

4

2090195 c o u r t , a n d t h e supreme c o u r t t r a n s f e r r e d the appeal t o t h i s

c o u r t , p u r s u a n t t o

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