Category Archives: Motor Vehicle Law

Son In Accident While Driving Father’s Car Without Permission

This was originally published on the SGR Blog.

Was Father Liable For Injury to Third Party?

Hugo Rodriguez sued Robin Sanchez and his father, Roman Sanchez. The undisputed facts were simple. Robin was driving his father’s van when he hit Rodriguez’s car. Robin claimed that Rodriguez rolled into his car, a claim which Rodriguez dismissed as patently false. Robin fled from the scene, only returning when Roman was able to reach him, after the police contacted his father.

Roman moved for summary judgment dismissing the complaint as against him. The basis for Roman’s motion was that he claims that his son was driving the vehicle without his permission, such that he should not be liable for the accident pursuant to Vehicle and Traffic Law § 388.

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Trial Court Denies Application For Cellphone Of Driver Killed In Car Accident

This was originally published on the SGR Blog.

Appeals Court Decides If Access to Phone Should Be Granted

­­­Kristie R. Tousant filed a negligence action, individually and on behalf of her son, Anthony J. Farrell, seeking damages for injuries sustained by Farrell when the vehicle he was operating collided with a school bus. The bus was operated by John M. Aragona and owned by Central Square Central School District (CSCSD). The accident left Farrell in a vegetative state.

During discovery, Aragona and CSCSD moved for production of, and information from, Farrell’s cell phone, seeking to determine whether he was using the phone at or near the time of the accident. The Supreme Court denied the motion insofar as it sought production of the phone, but granted the motion to the extent it sought cell phone records from Farrell’s service provider. Aragona and CSCSD appealed.

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Motion for Summary Judgment on Liability in Rear End Collision Case

This was originally published on the SGR Blog.

Court Reviews Conflicting Affidavits and Analyzes Burden of Proof

Rear end automobile collision claims would seemingly raise quintessential questions of fact for trial—especially where the two drivers submit clearly conflicting and controverting affidavits about the facts and circumstances of the crash. But, as a recent decision illustrates, that is not always the case.

Stephanie Wilms was involved in a motor vehicle accident that occurred on March 2, 2018 at approximately 5:35 p.m. A vehicle owned by ADT Security Services, Inc. and Protection 1 Alarm Monitoring, Inc., and operated by Corteze C. Remy Jr., struck the rear of her car on Joshua’s Path at or near its intersection with Central Avenue, in Hauppauge, New York. Wilms contended that her vehicle was stopped at a stop sign when the Remy-driven vehicle struck the rear of her car. Wilms sought to recover for serious physical injuries that she claimed she sustained as a result of the accident.

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Intoxicated/Speeding Driver Crashes into Parked Tractor/Trailer

This was originally published on the SGR Blog.

Were Trucker, County, or Police Liable for Driver’s Death?

A negligence/wrongful death action arose from a motor vehicle accident in which decedent, Daniel Krehl, drove into the rear of a tractor trailer parked on the shoulder of Montauk Highway, Suffolk County, New York. William Siberio owned and operated the tractor trailer. The Estate sued Siberio, Suffolk County, the Suffolk County Police Department (SCPD) and Police Officer Anthony W. Mills.

Siberio asserted that he was free from any liability and the sole proximate cause of the accident was due to Krehl’s speeding and driving while intoxicated at approximately 2:35 a.m., under foggy weather conditions.

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Go-Karter Injured When Bumped by Another Driver

This was originally published on the SGR Blog.

Was Track Operator Liable for the Injury?

Jasmine Serrano sued K1 Speed-N.Y. Inc. for injuries and damages at an indoor go kart racing facility. Serrano alleged that her injuries resulted from K1’s negligence, carelessness and recklessness, and failure to have adequate supervision and adequately trained staff.

K1 moved for summary judgment on the grounds that Serrano’s primary assumption of risk constituted a complete bar to recovery. K1 submitted the pleadings, Serrano’s bill of particulars and the deposition transcripts of Serrano, non-party Jesse Utarid, Bryan Boesch, and Jordan Greene on behalf of K1, the accident report, go-kart inspection log sheet, an assumption of risk and waiver signed by Serrano and K1’s track rules and safety information.

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Snowmobiler Intoxicated at Time of His Death in Crash:

This was originally posted on the SGR Blog.

Was Decedent “Visibly Intoxicated ”At Time He Was Served Drinks So As To Implicate Dram Act Liability?

The New York Alcoholic Beverage Law prohibits the sale of liquor to an intoxicated person. The Dram Shop Act creates a private civil cause of action against those who overserve drinks in favor of third-parties who suffer personal injuries as a result of a violation of the ABC Law. But to trigger Dram Shop liability a claimant must establish that the miscreant was “visibly intoxicated”—a fact and case specific burden.

Michael Stanley, Thomas Kelly, and five other men met at the home of Thomas and Jillian Kelly on March 17, 2017; the group left the Kelly’s home, with Stanley driving a snowmobile owned by the Kelly’s; the group stopped at the Boonville Hotel, Inc. and consumed alcohol there; and after leaving the Hotel the group got gas and began the return trip to the Kelly’s home. At that point, Stanley drove the snowmobile into a concrete overpass, resulting in his death. The autopsy report indicated the cause of death was multiple traumatic injuries due to snowmobile accident with a fixed object. The toxicology report showed Stanley had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .16%. The Oneida County Sheriff’s Department concluded that speed and alcohol were the two biggest contributing factors to the single snowmobile accident.

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Driver “Blinded by Sun” Hits Biker

This was originally published on the SGR Blog.

Was “Emergency Doctrine” a Defense?

Andrew DiNatale sued to recover damages for injuries he allegedly sustained on April 29, 2015 while riding a bicycle. He was struck by a motor vehicle owned by Mac Mechanical Conveyor (MCC) and operated by Nicholas Gerbano.

DiNatale moved for partial summary judgment in his favor as to MMC/Gerbano’s negligence, arguing that their actions were the sole proximate cause of the accident. DiNatale also sought an order striking their affirmative defenses related to “negligence liability.” In support of the motion, DiNatale submitted his own affidavit, various photographs, and a certified copy of an MV-104A police accident report.

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Was Traffic Stop, Search & Seizure Legal:

This was originally posted on the SGR Blog.

Court of Appeals Disagrees (4-3)

Our Courts regularly hold evidentiary hearings to determine whether evidence seized by the police without a warrant should be suppressed. A recent case reached our State’s highest Court after the Supreme Court denied a motion to suppress drugs found during a traffic stop– and the Appellate Division agreed. Four Judges of the Court of Appeals affirmed in a brief opinion. But three Judges dissented in a far more detailed recitation of the facts followed by an even more comprehensive legal rebuttal.

Reginald Blandford appealed the denial of his motion to suppress marijuana found during a traffic stop of his vehicle. In the course of a stop predicated on the observation of traffic violations—the legality of which (according to the majority decision) Blandford did not contest before the Court of Appeals.

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Two Cars Collide on Montauk Hwy In Copaigue

This was originally posted on the SGR Blog.

Who Was At Fault Where Both Violated the Law?

A large part of our tort liability jurisprudence addresses the threshold question of “fault”. But, as a recent automobile collision case illustrates, the “fickle finger of fault” may point in both directions.

Two cars collided in the westbound right lane of Montauk Highway in Copaigue, New York. Just prior to the accident, Diana Lopez was exiting a parking lot with her vehicle half on the apron and half in the right lane in order to cross over Montauk Highway and make a left turn. Christopher Ceravino was traveling westbound on Montauk Highway in the left lane at 30 miles per hour when, from 150-200 feet away, he first noticed Lopez’s vehicle between the apron of the parking lot and the right lane of Montauk Highway. Ceravino did not stop his vehicle, but, instead, moved into the right lane and ultimately struck the Lopez vehicle. The jury found that Lopez was negligent and that her negligence was a proximate cause of the accident and that Ceravino was not negligent. The County Court granted Lopez’s motion to set aside the verdict as against the weight of the evidence. Ceravino appealed.

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“Wrong Way” Biker Hits “Jay-Walker” on E. 55th: NY Law and NYC Reg Collide Btw. Lex. and Third

This originally appeared on the SGR Blog.

A deliveryman drives his  bicycle against traffic on a one way street.  A pedestrian crosses in the middle of the block. The biker hits the jay- walker. Litigation ensues. Both violated the law.  Who is at fault?

Antoinette Montague was struck by an employee  of T&W Restaurant, Inc. while he was making deliveries on a bicycle. The employee was riding the bike against the one-way direction of travel on East 55th Street between Lexington and Third Avenues– a violation of the Vehicle and Traffic Law.

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