Rory is driving 27 MPH in a 25 MPH speed zone down a four lane street where it is posted that children are playing. Two children run into the street chasing a basketball. One nine-year-old child, Sean, runs into the street chasing the ball, sees the car, and dives out of the car's path. A second nine-year-old child, Conor, also runs into the street chasing the ball. However, Conor has a mental impairment that prevents him from jumping to safety in a timely manner and he is struck by Rory's car. Rory, without looking over his shoulder, swerves into the other lane to avoid Sean and Conor and in the process he hits a car, driven by Liam, which was traveling past him in the left-hand lane going in the same direction.
Liam loses control of his car, hits a telephone pole and is seriously and permanently injured in addition to being trapped in his car for a substantial period of time. The telephone pole, owned by the local phone company, Verizon, snaps into two pieces and hits Sean, who is still in the street, knocking him unconscious and resulting in permanent injuries.
Verizon did not do any testing of its poles to establish how easily the poles broke. The only factor used in manufacturing the poles was cost. The poles were made of low quality trees and were not treated in any significant manner except for a coating of tar. No reinforcement was used on the poles.
Liam loses control of his car, hits a telephone pole and is seriously and permanently injured in addition to being trapped in his car for a substantial period of time. The telephone pole, owned by the local phone company, Verizon, snaps into two pieces and hits Sean, who is still in the street, knocking him unconscious and resulting in permanent injuries.
Verizon did not do any testing of its poles to establish how easily the poles broke. The only factor used in manufacturing the poles was cost. The poles were made of low quality trees and were not treated in any significant manner except for a coating of tar. No reinforcement was used on the poles.
