It may well be asked by many an observer whether Mr. Sackman did indeed hit the Canada goose on his way to the Toastmasters meeting that fateful Tuesday evening or whether the goose itself hit Mr. Sackman. This in no way is a mere question of semantics. Clearly Mr. Sackman’s car came into contact with the goose as the smear of feathers and bird tissue on his bumper indicates. Although the impact inflicted no significant damage that would require Mr. Sackman to take his car to a collision repair Salt Lake City the question still remains. Who exactly was a fault?
Perhaps it will never be known with any degree of certainty which individual (that is, Mr. Sackman or the Canada goose) is at fault. Be that as it may, one can draw certain conclusions based upon the facts in evidence. Exhibit A consists of the feathers and bird tissue upon Mr. Sackman’s bumper which was alluded to in the first paragraph of this blog post. Exhibit B consists of a statement overheard from the very lips of Mr. Sackman himself to wit his expression of remorse for having sped through the intersection where the geese were known to cross in order to arrive at the Toastmasters meeting promptly at 7:15 PM.
True, Mr. Sackman’s car was never taken to an auto body repair Salt Lake City to have the damage (or lack there of) inspected by a professional. As such, we shall never know if said damage would have indicated any amount of volition on behalf of the pedestrian foul who met his demise. It is difficult to imagine what sort of evidence would definitively indicated such volition but it is not out of the realm of possibility that such evidence might exist. Given that no definitive evidence has been brought to my attention it may very well be the case that I will drop this inquiry.