Schneider National Carriers, Inc. v. Tinney

This case involves the failure of a safety device known as a "rear-impact guard" that was attached to a cargo trailer owned by Schneider National Carriers, Inc. ("Schneider"). On April 17, 1995, Kenneth Tinney was driving an automobile on Interstate Highway 20 when he rear-ended the cargo trailer owned by Schneider. The rear-impact guard failed, and Tinney was injured.

Tinney sued Schneider. (He also sued Alfa Mutual Insurance Company and Wabash National Corporation ("Wabash"). Neither of those defendants is a party to this appeal.) The gravamen of his complaint was that the rear-impact guard…