Blohm v. Cardwell Manufacturing Co.

MURRAH, Chief Judge.

This is an appeal from a judgment on a Wyoming jury verdict denying recovery in a wrongful death action based upon the alleged negligent design and manufacture of an oil well drilling rig. The only question is whether the trial court erroneously excluded evidence of competitive and comparative design and manufacture tendered to prove the critical issue of negligence.

The operative facts are that the deceased, Robert Blohm, was a derrick man on a jackknife-collapsible “Travelrig” manufactured and sold by appellee-Card-well Manufacturing Company, Inc., to Blohm’s employer,…