Baker v. Taylor

The question for decision in this wrongful death case is whether the trial court erred in excluding evidence of the defendant’s consumption of alcohol prior to the motor vehicle accident in which the death occurred. Finding that the exclusion was error, we reverse.

The question arose during the jury trial of a wrongful death action brought by George Wesley Baker, Administrator of the Estate of George Wesley Baker, II, deceased (Baker), against Frank Burnley Taylor, Jr. (Taylor). The jury returned a verdict in favor of Taylor, and the trial court entered judgment on the verdict.

The accident…