Emebet Dagne appeals from a jury verdict and judgment arising out of an automobile accident she caused that injured Sue Schroeder and Schroeder’s minor daughter. Dagne contends that the trial court erred by 1 denying her motion for partial summary judgment on the issue of punitive damages, 2 allowing witnesses to offer lay opinions about whether she was intoxicated at the time of the collision, 3 denying her motion for directed verdict and motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict on the issue of punitive damages, 4 precluding her from introducing evidence of her financial condition, and 5 failing to grant a mistrial after Schroeder mentioned a conviction that the trial court had previously ruled was inadmissible. We affirm because Dagne’s argument regarding the denial of her summary judgment motion is moot; the lay opinion testimony was admissible because the opinions were based on personal observation; she does not challenge the trial court’s conclusions that the jury could award punitive damages based on her erratic driving; the trial court did not abuse its discretion in disallowing Dagne from presenting evidence of her financial condition because it also limited Schroeder’s ability to introduce evidence on the issue; and Dagne failed to preserve the objection upon which she moved for a mistrial.
Construed in the light most favorable to the jury verdict, the evidence shows that on the afternoon of November 11, 2011, Schroeder was driving her van home after picking up her daughter from school. Dagne was driving in the opposite direction along the same road. Witnesses observed that Dagne was driving erratically. Bill Maxwell, who was riding in a vehicle with Diedre Walsh, twice attempted to pass Dagne because she was stopped in the middle of the road. Both times, Dagne quickly accelerated and then came to an abrupt stop in order to prevent Maxwell from passing her. After Maxwell got behind Dagne after his second unsuccessful attempt to pass, Dagne quickly sped away, ran a stop sign, and came to an abrupt stop in the middle of the intersection. Dagne remained in the intersection for a second or two before speeding off.
