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BEDOR v. JOHNSON
Supreme Court of Colorado, En Banc (2013) | 292 P.3d 924; 2013 CO 4
TL;DR: A driver lost control on an ice patch he knew could exist, causing a collision. The Colorado Supreme Court held that the "sudden emergency" jury instruction was improper and prospectively abolished the doctrine, finding it confusing and redundant to the standard negligence analysis.
Legal Significance: This case abolished the long-standing sudden emergency doctrine in Colorado. It established that the general "reasonable person under the circumstances" standard of care is sufficient to evaluate conduct in an emergency, and a separate instruction creates an undue risk of juror confusion.