On March 30, 1996, Candice J. Wimberley was injured while using an inverted leg press machine manufactured by Bodymasters Sports Industries, Inc. She sued Bodymasters, asserting claims under OCGA § 51-1-11 for defective product design and failure to warn, as well as a claim for breach of the implied warranty of fitness for a particular purpose under OCGA § 11-2-315. The trial court granted Bodymasters’ motion for summary judgment on the claim for breach of implied warranty, but denied its motion for summary judgment on the other claims. The parties appeal each of these rulings.
“When reviewing the grant or denial of a motion for summary judgment, this Court conducts a de novo review of the law and the evidence. . . . [T]he opposing party should be given the benefit of all reasonable doubt, and the court should construe the evidence and all inferences and conclusions therefrom most favorably toward the party opposing the motion.”
Adams v. Sears, Roebuck & Co.,
The relevant facts are as follows. Wimberley joined the Sportslife health club in 1992, and worked out four to six times a week over the next four years. She began using the Bodymasters leg press machine as part of her normal exercise routine around May 1994. She used the maсhine in order to strengthen her left knee, which had been weakened in a childhood injury and had required about 29 surgeries over the years.
The inverted leg press machine may be used
When setting up the machine to do the quadriceр/hamstring exercises, it is necessary to remove the pin that otherwise prevents the plate from descending closer than approximately 33 inches from the seat. The removal of the pin is a part of the design of the equipment to permit the performance of the quadricep exercises. In performing the quadricep exercise, the user assumes the same position as for the calf exercises. She then pushes the plate up with her feet, lets the plate descend toward her body as far as she desires, and then repeats the exеrcise. The machine does not have a series of safety pin holes into which the pin could be inserted by the user to prevent the full force of the falling weights from crashing onto the user’s legs forcing them to hyperflex, or other safety device. At the time of the injury, Wimberley was aware that there was no safety mechanism to stop the descent of the weights while in the quadricep/hamstring mode.
On the date of the injury, Wimberley began her normal exercise routine at about 7:00 a.m. After using several other machines, she proceeded to use the inverted leg press. After putting 200 рounds of weight on the
Case No. A98A0204
1.
Design defect,
(a) In her design defect claim, Wimberley alleges that the machine was defectively designed because it was not equipped with a “dead man” lock that would stop the weights from descending so far as to force a user’s knees to her chest if her foot slips from the foot plate while in the quadricep mode. Bodymasters contends that this defect was open and obviоus, and that the trial court erred in holding that the open and obvious doctrine is no longer an absolute defense to a design defect claim following the Supreme Court’s decision in
Banks v. ICI Americas,
Prior to
Banks,
Georgia cоurts held that an injured party could not recover in a design defect case where the defect was open and obvious. See
Weatherby v. Honda Motor Co.,
In
Banks,
the Supreme Court rejected the proposition that a product is not defective where it is “reasonably suited for its intended purpose and where the presеnce or absence of a design feature [does] not prevent the product from functioning properly in its intended úse.” (Punctuation omitted.)
Banks,
supra at 733 (1), overruling
Mann v. Coast Catamaran Corp.,
Although
Banks
did not expressly address the open and obvious doctrine, the clear import of the decision is that no one factor absolutely controls the analysis as to whethеr a product is defective. Indeed,
Banks
identifies “the user’s knowledge of the product,” “common knowledge and the expectation of danger,” and “the user’s ability to avoid danger” as several factors to be included in the analysis, without indicating that any of such factors is controlling. Accordingly, it is clear that under
Banks,
the open and obvious nature of the danger is but one factor to be considered in determining whether a product is defective. See
Raymond,
supra, 925 FSupp. at 1578 (concluding
Therefore, even assuming that the danger posed by the leg press machine was open and obvious, this factor is not dispositive as to whether the machine was defective, and Bodymasters was not entitled to summary judgment on the design defect claim on this ground.
(b) Bodymasters also argues that it was entitled to summary judgment on the design defect claim becausе there was no issue of material fact as to whether the machine was defective. In particular, Bodymasters argues that Wimberley presented no evidence that an alternative design was possible or would have made the machine safer. However, although
Banks
identifies the еxistence of an alternative design as one factor affecting the risk-utility analysis, it does not indicate that such factor is controlling. See
S K Hand Tool Corp. v.
Lowman,
(c) Bodymasters also claims that it was entitled to summary judgment because Wimberley assumed the risk of injury as a matter. of law. As an initial matter, we note that the affirmative defense of assumption of the risk is separate and distinguishable from the open and obvious doctrine. “The distinction between the two is that the open and obvious rule considers whether the danger was objectively obvious in order to determine whether the product is defective. See
[Weatherby,
supra at 171]. On the other hand, the assumption of the risk analysis depends upon whether the particular plaintiff was subjectively aware of the dangerous aspect оf the product and unreasonably used it anyway.”
Raymond,
supra at 1578. In
Sharpnack v. Hoffinger Indus.,
“The defense of assumption of the risk of danger applies when the plaintiff, with a full appreciation of the danger involved and without restriction of his freedom of choice either by the circumstances or by coercion, deliberately chooses an obviously perilous course of conduct. A defendant asserting an assumption of the risk defense must establish that thе plaintiff (1) had knowledge of the
danger; (2) understood and appreciated the risks associated with such danger; and (3) voluntarily exposed himself to those risks. . . . The knowledge requirement does not refer to a comprehension of general, non-specific risks. Rather, the knowledge thаt a plaintiff who assumes the risk must subjectively possess is that of the specific, particular risk of harm associated with the activity or condition that proximately causes injury.” (Citations and punctuation omitted.)
Cornwell v. Chambers of Ga.,
In this case, Wimberley admitted that she knew wet shoes could slip. She testified that she toweled off her shoes and believed that they were dry. Wimberley admitted that she knew the machine, by design, was not equipped with a dead-man device in the quadricep mode at the time of the accident. However, knowledge of the lack of a safety device does not necessarily equate to assumption of the risk. In order to assume the risk, the injured pаrty “must not only
2.
Failure to warn.
In her failure to warn claim, Wimberley asserts that Bodymasters negligently failed to post warnings on the machine advising users that moisture on the bottom of their shoes could cause their feet to slip off the foot platform, thereby exposing them to an increased risk of injury. However, as discussed above, Wimberley admitted that she knew her shoes were wet and that wet shoes could slip from the foot platform. Indeed, she wiped the bottoms of her shoes with a towel immediately before using the leg press machine in an attempt to remove the moisture she knew was present, precisely because she was aware that wet shoes could slip. Accordingly, since she was aware of the danger she claims she should have been warned against, the failure to post signs warning of such danger could not have been the proximate cause of her injury. See
Hunt v. Harley-Davidson Motor Co.,
Case No. A98A0205
3. Implied warranty. Wimberley appeals the trial court’s grant of Bodymasters’ motion for summary judgment on her claim for breach of the implied warranty of fitness for a particular purpose under OCGA § 11-2-315. In this claim, she asserts that the lack of а dead-man lock rendered the leg press machine unfit for the purpose intended.
Wimberley’s claim for breach of warranty must fail because of lack of privity between herself and Bodymasters. OCGA § 11-2-318 provides that “[a] seller’s warranty whether express or implied extends to any natural рerson who is in the family or household of his buyer or who is a guest in his home if it is reasonable to expect that such person may use, consume, or be affected by the goods and who is injured in person lay breach of the warranty.” As Wimberley does not fall into any of these categories, she may not avail herself of the seller’s implied warranties.
We note that this claim is separate from the tort claims discussed above. The strict liability statute, OCGA § 51-1-11 (b) (1), provides that a manufacturer of goods is liable in tort, irrespective of privity, to persons injured because the property was not merchantable and reasonably suited to the use intended.
Judgments affirmed in part and reversed in part.