Motor Vehicle Accidents

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In Nelson v. Tamara Taxi, the Appellate Division, First Department reversed a summary judgment dismissing plaintiff’s complaint on the ground that he did not establish a “serious injury” under the Insurance Law. In this car accident case, plaintiff alleged that he sustained serious injuries when the front of his vehicle was struck by a taxi.…

Read More Evidence of Injuries to Spine, Shoulder, and Knee Sufficient to Defeat Summary Judgment as to “Serious Injury” in Car Accident Case
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In Orsos v. Hudson Tr. Corp., the Appellate Division, First Department recently affirmed the dismissal of plaintiff’s complaint seeking damages for personal injuries she sustained in a bus accident.  It held: Defendants established their entitlement to judgment as a matter of law by demonstrating the applicability of the emergency doctrine in this action where plaintiff…

Read More Application of “Emergency Doctrine” Results in Dismissal of Bus Accident Case
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In Devito v. Feliciano, decided November 26, 2013, the New York Court of Appeals held that the trial court erroneously failed to give a “missing witness” charge in a car accident case. The court held: [W]hen a missing witness charge is requested in a civil case, the uncalled witness’s testimony may properly be considered cumulative…

Read More Failure to Give “Missing Witness” Charge Results in New Trial Following Defense Verdict in Car Accident Case
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In Pelletier v. Lahm, decided November 20, 2013, the Appellate Division, Second Department upheld the trial court’s decision to instruct the jury as to the “emergency doctrine” and the resulting jury verdict for defendant Brittany Lahm in connection with a fatal car crash. Specifically, it affirmed the trial court’s denial of plaintiff’s motion, pursuant to CPLR…

Read More Emergency Doctrine Properly Applied to Exonerate Driver Brittany Lahm in “Bikini Top” Fatal Car Accident Case
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Recently in Amadu v. Stratus Hacking Corp., a car accident case, the New York Supreme Court, Queens County held that plaintiff presented sufficient evidence to raise a triable issue of fact as to whether he suffered a “serious injury” within the meaning of Insurance Law Section 5102(d). The “serious injury” issue is critical in an automobile…

Read More Medical Evidence of “Strained Lumbar Spine” and “Right Ankle Sprain” Sufficient to Create Fact Issue Regarding “Serious Injury” in Car Accident Case
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In DiDonna v. Houck, a pedestrian-knockdown car accident case decided November 13, 2013, the Appellate Division, Second Department agreed with the trial court that the jury’s finding as to liability was not supported by a fair interpretation of the evidence. In particular, it found that it attributed too much liability to plaintiff, and too little…

Read More Jury Attributed Too Much Fault to Struck Pedestrian in Car Accident Case, Court Holds
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In a recent decision, Grevelding v. State of New York (No. 2013-018-439, Claim No. 109855), the Court of Claims – the court having exclusive jurisdiction over lawsuits against the State of New York – assessed damages arising from the tragic automobile-related death of Jason Rhoades. Mr. Rhoades died when his car “vaulted” off a bridge…

Read More Court Explains $14 Million Award in Auto Accident Wrongful Death Case, Including Damages for “Pre-Impact Terror”
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A recent decision, Maillard v. New York City Transit Authority, illustrates how liability is assessed (in the First Department, which encompasses Manhattan and the Bronx) in a rear-end collision. This car accident case involved four cars, which impacted one another.  The lead driver, Donalds, was struck from behind by Husband, who was struck from behind by…

Read More Sudden Stop of Lead Vehicle Did Not Rebut Presumption of Negligence of Following Vehicle in Rear-End Collision
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In Angeles v. American United Transp., Inc., a car accident case, the Appellate Division, First Department, affirmed the trial court’s (Supreme Court, Bronx County) denial of defendants’ motion for summary judgment on the “serious injury” threshold issue. The “serious injury” threshold frequently arises in automobile accident cases. Section 5104(a) of the New York Insurance Law…

Read More “Serious Injury” Found Based on Cervical and Lumbar Spine injuries
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In Naheem v. Y. Ron Taxi, a three-car accident case, the court awarded summary judgment to the driver and owner of the lead car, which was struck from behind. To simplify the facts, the accident allegedly proceeded as follows, with Car 1 striking Car 2 and propelling it into Car 3: CAR 1 (Rasheed) —–>…

Read More Court Awards Summary Judgment to Rear-Ended Car in Three-Car Accident
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