State North Dakota v. Dennis Hatch

Jacob Wagner was seriously injured when the car he was driving collided with a semitrailer truck at an intersection controlled by a traffic signal. His mother, Gail Fickle, sued the state of nebraska under the state tort Claims act, neb. rev. stat. § 81-8,209 et seq. (reissue 1996). she alleged that the accident was caused by a malfunction of the traffic signal, which displayed green lights in conflicting directions. Following a bench trial, a judgment was entered against the state. the issues in this appeal are whether the state had notice of the alleged malfunction and, if so, whether the state corrected the malfunction within a reasonable time. on cross-appeal, Fickle challenges the amount of the awards for economic and non-economic damages.