Dist. of Columbia v. Singleton
Annotate this CaseRespondents Wayne Singleton and his eight-year-old son were passengers in a bus when the bus left the road and collided with a tree. Respondents sued Petitioner, the District of Columbia, alleging that it was liable vicariously for the negligence of its assumed employee, the driver. Respondents produced at trial only themselves as witnesses and argued that res ipsa loquitur supplied an adequate inference of negligence to complete their prima facie case. The trial judge granted the District's motion for judgment. The Court of Appeals affirmed, holding that under the circumstances of this case, Respondents failed to show that they were entitled to an inference of negligence, as Respondents' evidence failed to demonstrate that negligence on the part of the bus driver was more probably than not the cause of the accident or to eliminate other potential causes of the accident.
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