Lewis v. Carpenter Co.

In this tort action, the sole question presented on appeal is whether the trial court correctly refused to apply the doctrine of res ipsa loquitur.

In January 1995, appellant Joann E. Lewis, the plaintiff below, filed this action against appellee Carpenter Company, the defendant below, seeking recovery for personal injuries allegedly sustained as the result of the negligent operation and maintenance of defendant’s truck, a tractor-trailer unit.

Upon completion of the plaintiff’s case-in-chief during a jury trial, the court sustained defendant’s motion to strike the evidence, ruling that the…