Purtle v. Shelton
Arkansas Supreme Court
474 S.W.2d 123 (1971)
Relevant factsFree
Seventeen-year-old Kenneth 'Bubba' Shelton (codefendant) accidentally shot his hunting companion, Jerry Purtle, with a high-powered rifle while deer hunting; Jerry's father, Robert Purtle (plaintiff), sued on Jerry's behalf, and the jury, applying an ordinary minor's standard of care, found both boys equally at fault, leaving Purtle with no recovery under Arkansas's comparative-negligence rule. Purtle appealed, arguing the trial court should have applied an adult standard of care given the dangerousness of using a rifle.
IssueFree
Whether an adult standard of care applies to minors engaged in dangerous activities that are normally undertaken only by adults.