Fickle v. State

I. NATURE OF CASE

Jacob Wagner was seriously injured when the car he was driving collided with a semitrailer truck at an intersection controlled by a traffic signal. His mother, Gail Fickle, sued the State of Nebraska under the State Tort Claims Act, Neb. Rev. Stat. § 81-8,209 et seq. (Reissue 1996). She alleged that the accident was caused by a malfunction of the traffic signal, which displayed green lights in conflicting directions. Following a bench trial, a judgment was entered against the State. The issues in this appeal are whether the State had notice of the alleged malfunction and, if…