Childers v. Power Line Equipment Rentals, Inc.

POPOVICH, Judge:

Willard E. Childers was crushed to death while standing at the operator’s station of a Pitman Polecat digger-derrick truck. While Mr. Childers was operating the truck from behind, the truck jerked forward, then rolled back crushing him between the truck and a flatbed trailer. In subsequent death actions, the administratrix of his estate proceeded upon a theory of strict products liability contending that the digger-derrick truck had been defectively designed, manufactured, assembled and sold by the defendants. Defendants denied these allegations. The case was submitted to a…