An appellate court will not overturn a trial judge's findings of fact based on credibility merely because the reasons are not as detailed as desirable, provided the judge has clearly appreciated the issues and decided crucial questions. Where a party's pleaded hypothesis is undermined by an unchallenged factual finding (here, that the passenger window was closed), the party cannot advance an alternative hypothesis for the first time in closing submissions or on appeal. The circumstantial evidence must be assessed in light of the case as actually pleaded and conducted.
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