Question

Laura, a brain surgeon, committed a negligent act when she ran a red light and injured Randy, a pedestrian crossing the street. Randy was a mentally impaired adult.
1. Both Laura's and Randy's conduct will be evaluated based on the reasonable person standard.
2. The "reasonable person" standard does not apply to Randy since he is mentally impaired.
3. Laura will be held to a higher standard of conduct than Randy given her superior intelligence.
4. The "reasonable person" standard does not apply to Laura nor Randy given their respective degrees of extreme intelligence.

Answer 1

Answer:

In the situation described:

1. Both Laura's and Randy's conduct will be evaluated based on the reasonable person standard.

Explanation:

When judging the actions of a person, law practitioners must compare those actions to those of a reasonable person. The reasonable person is not a specific real human being, but rather a hypothetical person in society who behaves in a way that is careful, skillful, and who has the ability of making good judgments and decisions. Both Laura and Randy will have their conducts evaluated according to the reasonable person standard. Their actions and degree of understanding will be compared to that of the "reasonable person".