Georgia Supreme Court to Hear Arguments in 2010 Car Accident Case

ATLANTA, GA. – September 9, 2018 (savannahnow.com) The Georgia Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments September 10 in a 2010 car accident case involving two trees in the City of Savannah. The story is reported online by savannahnow.com.*

On July 19, 2010, Lisa Nicole Muse, a nurse at Memorial University Medical Center, was driving a 2003 Honda Accord on Lee Boulevard in Savannah, Georgia. At the intersection with White Bluff Road, Muse attempted to turn left, and a 2001 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck struck Muse’s Honda. Muse was severely injured in the crash and suffered an incapacitating brain injury. 

The driver of a Silverado, a Chatham-Savannah Counter Narcotics Team officer, told investigators he could not see Muse until seconds before the crash and was unable to brake in time to avoid the wreck. Several witnesses told investigators that Muse’s view looking left was obstructed by two large oak trees. The trees are decades old, and one of them sits in the city’s right-of-way on the side of the road. 

Muse’s conservator and her appointed guardian filed a lawsuit against the City of Savannah in Chatham County State Court for negligently allowing the line of sight at the intersection to be obscured by the two trees. The City moved for summary judgment, claiming sovereign immunity, and the court denied its motion. The City then appealed that decision, and the appellate court upheld the lower court’s ruling.

The decision is now before the Supreme Court, which is set to decide whether the doctrine of sovereign immunity can shield a municipality from liability related to maintaining its streets.    

Accident News is an archive of select Georgia car crashes, designed to alert and educate drivers, to help them avoid the most common causes of motor vehicle crashes.  If you or a family member are injured in an accident, call Montlick & Associates 24/7 for your free consultation at 1-800-LAW-NEED (1-800-529-6333) or use our live chat at Montlick.com.  For more information about Montlick & Associates’ award-winning public service programs click here.  

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Atlanta, GA 30329
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*This blog is intended to provide the public with news concerning serious automobile accidents and related stories. Although we are receiving this information from news organizations, sometimes initial reports are different from conclusions reached by law enforcement personnel and other organizations. Therefore, the accuracy of the content is not guaranteed. This information published here is based on information that has already been reported by a news organization, or other sources, but if it pertains to you or your family and you do not wish for it to be on our website, please email us at [email protected] and we will be happy to remove it.