Inverell Shire Council v Lewis

Inverell Shire Council (the appellant) appealed to the New South Wales Court of Appeal against a decision of the Supreme Court of New South Wales. The dispute concerned the appellant's liability for damages suffered by the respondent, Mr. Lewis, who sustained injuries when his vehicle collided with a fallen tree on a road maintained by the appellant. Mr. Lewis alleged that the Council had been negligent in its maintenance of the road and the adjoining verge, leading to the tree falling onto the road.

The primary legal issues before the Court of Appeal were whether the Council had breached its duty of care to road users by failing to adequately inspect and maintain the verge and the tree, and if so, whether such breach caused or contributed to the respondent's injuries. The Court was required to consider the standard of care expected of a local council in maintaining its roads and the surrounding environment, and the principles of causation in negligence.

The Court of Appeal found that the Council had a duty to take reasonable steps to prevent foreseeable harm to road users. It held that the Council's inspection regime for trees on its roads was inadequate, particularly given the known risks associated with certain tree species. The Court determined that the Council ought to have foreseen the danger posed by the tree and taken steps to mitigate it, such as regular inspections and timely removal of hazardous trees. The Court concluded that the Council's failure to implement a proper inspection and maintenance program constituted a breach of its duty of care, and that this breach caused or contributed to the respondent's injuries.

The appeal was dismissed, and the Supreme Court's judgment in favour of Mr. Lewis was upheld.