City of Seattle v. Heath

The defendant, Robert Burton Heath, was driving south on a 4-lane road in the outside lane on a rainy evening in October 1972. As he approached a traffic signal controlled intersection, he moved left into the inside lane and felt a slight bump in the rear of his car as he collided with a vehicle driven by one Marlene Owen, who was traveling in the same direction. The testimony of the defendant and of Ms. Owen is in direct conflict on whether the defendant signaled before he changed lanes or not. Both cars stopped at the intersection for a few seconds. The defendant was aware of the collision…