Lauson v. Town of Fond du Lac

Summary

The Wisconsin Supreme Court reversed a judgment awarding damages to a passenger injured when the private automobile in which she rode broke through a barrier and plunged into an open culvert excavation on a dark, rainy night. The court held that the negligence of the driver of a private automobile is imputed to its occupants, and that the driver was negligent as a matter of law in driving at a speed that prevented him from stopping within the distance he could plainly see ahead and without sufficient lights. It directed that the special verdict be modified to find contributory negligence and that judgment be entered dismissing the complaint.