Turner v. Ohio Bell Telephone Co.

{¶ 1} This case presents us with the question of when a utility company may be liable when a driver hits one of its utility poles. The facts of this case are undisputed. In the early morning of September 10, 2003, Bryan Hittle and his passenger, Robert Turner, were on their way to work at Layton Excavating, Inc., driving south on State Route 188 in Pleasant Township, Ohio. Hittle had trouble seeing oncoming traffic and the center and edge lines of the road because of the darkness and fog. Due to the poor visibility, he followed the taillights of a truck immediately in front of him. While…