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ALABAMA COURT OF CIVIL APPEALS
OCTOBER TERM, 2012-2013

2120313

Thomas P e l l v. Lance T i d w e l l and M u n i c i p a l U t i l i t i e s Board o f A l b e r t v i l l e Appeal from M a r s h a l l C i r c u i t (CV-08-200178) THOMPSON, P r e s i d i n g J u d g e . Thomas P e l l a p p e a l s f r o m t h e summary j u d g m e n t e n t e r e d i n Board of Court

f a v o r o f Lance T i d w e l l and t h e M u n i c i p a l U t i l i t i e s A l b e r t v i l l e ("the b o a r d " ) . Tidwell, t h e board, Pell filed a civil alleging

action against negligence i n

a n d Donna R u c k s

2120313 connection vehicle with a motor-vehicle with the accident in in which which Pell Rucks's was a had that the

collided

vehicle

passenger.

P e l l a s s e r t e d t h a t T i d w e l l , a b o a r d employee, c o u l d p r o c e e d and i n t e r s e c t i o n where was

n e g l i g e n t l y s i g n a l e d t o R u c k s t h a t she R u c k s had accident then proceeded occurred across the

w i t h o u t v e r i f y i n g t h a t t h e way

clear. facts the

In his appellate b r i e f , in this case are not set

P e l l acknowledges t h a t the and, i n f a c t , he

i n dispute,

adopts

e v i d e n c e as for

f o r t h i n the

b r i e f i n support of the by T i d w e l l and the board.

motion That

a summary j u d g m e n t f i l e d

e v i d e n c e t e n d s t o show t h e In his job with truck with a lift

following: operated a

t h e b o a r d , T i d w e l l d r o v e and bucket. truck, He and had he a

commercial

driver's deposition

l i c e n s e to operate the t h a t he had accidents. On December on 4,

t e s t i f i e d by previous

n e v e r b e e n i n v o l v e d i n any

motor-vehicle

2006, 431

Tidwell in

was

driving In

his that

truck area,

northbound Highway 431 between the

Highway

Albertville.

i s a d i v i d e d f o u r - l a n e highway w i t h a g r a s s median northbound Tidwell and southbound that he lanes. In his left-

deposition,

testified

p u l l e d i n t o the

2

2120313 t u r n l a n e i n a n t i c i p a t i o n o f m a k i n g a l e f t t u r n o n t o Buchanan Road. He s t a t e d t h a t he saw a T o y o t a a u t o m o b i l e i n t h e p a v e d T i d w e l l s a i d t h a t the Toyota and i t l o o k e d appeared t o h i m as

p o r t i o n o f the median.

t o be p o i n t i n g s l i g h t l y t o t h e n o r t h , though the d r i v e r intended north. Tidwell said that, i n entering

t o p u l l o n t o Highway 431 t o t r a v e l

the l e f t - t u r n

lane,

he

p u l l e d t h e t r u c k so f a r t o t h e l e f t t h a t p a r t o f t h e t r u c k was off t h e pavement. B e c a u s e o f t h e way t h e T o y o t a was s i t u a t e d

i n t h e m e d i a n , T i d w e l l s a i d , t h e r e was n o t enough room f o r h i m t o t u r n i n t o t h e m e d i a n t o b e g i n h i s t u r n o n t o Buchanan Road. He s a i d t h a t he saw t h e d r i v e r o f t h e T o y o t a r a i s e b o t h hands i n the a i r . the left B e c a u s e t h e T o y o t a was p r e v e n t i n g Tidwell elected to y i e l d him from making to

turn,

the right-of-way

the Toyota.

He s a i d t h a t he l o o k e d

i n t h e s i d e m i r r o r on t h e

p a s s e n g e r s i d e o f t h e t r u c k t o make s u r e t h a t t h e l e f t h a n d , o r inside, northbound lane was clear. He said that, when t h e

l a n e was c l e a r as f a r as he c o u l d at the i n s i d e northbound lane.

s e e , he p o i n t e d

his finger

T i d w e l l s a i d t h a t , by making

t h a t h a n d s i g n a l , he meant t h a t t h e i n s i d e l a n e was c l e a r so that the Toyota could t u r n i n t o t h a t lane and t r a v e l n o r t h .

3

2120313 Rucks, t h e d r i v e r o f t h e Toyota, t e s t i f i e d by d e p o s i t i o n t h a t she saw T i d w e l l a p p r o a c h i n t h e t r u c k a n d r e c o g n i z e d he h a d t h e r i g h t - o f - w a y that

t o make a l e f t t u r n . She s a i d t h a t she

saw T i d w e l l s i g n a l a n d r e l i e d on h i s s i g n a l t o mean t h a t she could "go." She waved an acknowledgment to Tidwell and

s t a r t e d a c r o s s t h e n o r t h b o u n d l a n e s ; she d i d n o t t u r n i n t o t h e inside northbound lane as Tidwell had expected. Rucks

t e s t i f i e d t h a t she d i d n o t p a u s e t o e n s u r e t h a t a l l t h e l a n e s were c l e a r b e f o r e Highway 4 3 1 . she p r o c e e d e d a c r o s s t h e n o r t h b o u n d l a n e s o f crossed into the outside northbound

As R u c k s

l a n e , n o t t h e lane T i d w e l l had motioned f o r h e r t o e n t e r , h e r car collided with the c a r i n which Pell was a passenger.

P e l l ' s l e g was b r o k e n i n t h e a c c i d e n t . After considering the evidence and the parties' i n favor claims

a r g u m e n t s , t h e t r i a l c o u r t e n t e r e d a summary judgment o f T i d w e l l a n d t h e b o a r d on A u g u s t against 2012, Rucks 20, 2010.
1

Pell's

remained pending, however. court entered a

On November 29, dismissing the a

the t r i a l claims

judgment

remaining

a g a i n s t Rucks

a f t e r she a n d P e l l

entered

pro tanto j o i n t s t i p u l a t i o n o f d i s m i s s a l .
1

P e l l then appealed as a

final

The A u g u s t 20, 2010, judgment was n o t c e r t i f i e d judgment p u r s u a n t t o R u l e 5 4 ( b ) , A l a . R. C i v . P. 4

2120313 t h e j u d g m e n t i n f a v o r o f T i d w e l l and t h e b o a r d t o t h e A l a b a m a Supreme Court, which transferred the appeal to this court

p u r s u a n t t o

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