The plaintiff filed suit alleging he was permanently injured when a semi tractor-trailer pulling a 180 foot base section of a wind turbine struck his vehicle. The tractor trailer had two pilot vehicles, one in the front and rear. The rear pilot operated a remote control manufactured by Skidmore Four Wheel Drive Limited which was installed on the rear trailer to steer the rear axle. The rear trailer allegedly crossed the center line and struck the vehicle driven by the plaintiff who was traveling in the opposite direction.
Franco Moroney Buenik, on behalf of Skidmore, filed for summary judgment on the grounds that there was no evidence establishing a breach of duty or proximate cause. In granting the motion, the court found that there was an absence of evidence to establish a manufacturing defect in the remote control at the time it left the control of Skidmore. No appeal was filed.
Mitchell v. Skidmore Four Wheel Drive Ltd., et al. (United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa, Central Division)