Tatum v. State ex rel. Department of Transportation & Development

LeBLANC, Judge.

This is an appeal from a judgment imposing liability on the State, through the Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD), for personal injuries suffered by plaintiff when the truck he was driving struck a hole in the median of an interstate highway. We reverse.

On August 26, 1988, plaintiff, Jack Tatum, was employed by Cook Construction, Inc., on a State contract job to resurface a portion of Interstate 12 (1-12). Upon being instructed by his supervisor to move the latter’s truck, plaintiff drove it in the median adjacent to the job site and struck a washout, or hole,…