Gardner Oil, Inc., appeals the trial court’s judgment entered in favor of Appellee Alvaro Chavez related to personal injuries Chavez sustained as a result of a fire. Gardner Oil raises seven issues on appeal. We affirm.
BACKGROUND
Carl Rogers Logging (CRL) is a logging company. CRL purchased its entire supply of off road diesel fuel from Gardner Oil. On January 10, 2008, Gardner Oil delivered fuel to CRL and loaded it into a 1,000 gallon tank at CRL’s headquarters. Thereafter, CRL dispensed the fuel from the 1,000 gallon tank into a 100 gallon mobile tank. CRL used the fuel from the 100 gallon mobile tank to supply its equipment at the worksite.
Chavez worked for CRL as a log loader operator. Early on the morning of January 11, 2008, Chavez fueled the log loader at the worksite with fuel from CRL’s mobile tank. As fuel was pumped into the log loader’s fuel tank, Chavez entered the cab of the log loader and used a lighter to illuminate the fuel gauge. Thereafter, he exited the cab with the lighter still burning. As he did so, the lighter ignited fuel vapors and a significant flash fire erupted. Chavez suffered severe injuries as a result of the fire.
Chavez underwent several surgeries and required extensive medical care to treat his injuries. The fire left scars and made Chavez extremely sensitive to sunlight. He also sustained hearing loss and suffered several permanent problems with his eyes. As a result of his injuries, Chavez no longer can work as an operator of a log loader.
Chavez’s coworkers at CRL were surprised that the diesel fuel could be the source of such a violent flash fire. They had never seen diesel ignite so easily and suspected that something was amiss with the fuel that Chavez was pumping into the log loader at the time of the incident. The owner of CRL, Carl Rogers, took a sample of the fuel that Chavez was pumping into the log loader and sent it to a laboratory for analysis. The laboratory determined that the fuel was not pure diesel, but instead a mixture of gasoline and diesel.
Chavez filed suit against Gardner Oil based on theories of negligence and breach of warranty. Gardner Oil alleged that Chavez’s injuries were caused by his own negligence or by CRL’s actions. During trial, the trial court ruled that the allegations against CRL failed as a matter of law. Ultimately, the jury determined that the injuries were caused by Gardner Oil’s conduct and not by Chavez’s actions. The jury further determined that Chavez was entitled to money damages caused by Gardner Oil’s conduct. The trial court rendered judgment in accordance with the jury’s verdict, and this appeal followed.
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