Fajardo v. City of New York

• Citation: 943 N.Y.S.2d 587,2012 N.Y. Slip Op. 03402,95 A.D.3d 820
• Parties: Marcia FAJARDO, et al., appellants, v. CITY OF NEW YORK, et al., respondents.
• Decision Date: 01 May 2012
• Court: New York Supreme Court — Appellate Division

2012 N.Y. Slip Op. 03402

943 N.Y.S.2d 587

95 A.D.3d 820

Marcia FAJARDO, et al., appellants,

v.CITY OF NEW YORK, et al., respondents.

Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Second Department, New York.

May 1, 2012.

Harmon, Linder & Rogowsky (Pollack, Pollack, Isaac & De Cicco, New York, N.Y. [Brian J. Isaac and Michael H. Zhu], of counsel), for appellants.

Michael A. Cardozo, Corporation Counsel, New York, N.Y. (Julian L. Kalkstein

and Diana Lawless of counsel), for respondents.

REINALDO E. RIVERA, J.P., CHERYL E. CHAMBERS, SHERI S. ROMAN, and SANDRA L. SGROI, JJ.

In an action to recover damages for personal injuries, the plaintiffs appeal from an order of the Supreme Court, Queens County (Flug, J.), dated October 26, 2010, which granted the defendants' motion for summary judgment dismissing the complaint.

ORDERED that the order is reversed, on the law, with costs, and the defendants' motion for summary judgment dismissing the complaint is denied.

While attempting to change lanes on Queens Boulevard, a vehicle operated by the plaintiff Marcia Fajardo (hereinafter Fajardo) was struck in the rear by a New York City Fire Department fire rescue truck that was responding to an emergency.

“[T]he reckless disregard standard of care in Vehicle and Traffic Law § 1104(e) only applies when a driver of an authorized emergency vehicle involved in an emergency operation engages in the specific conduct exempted from the rules of the road by Vehicle and Traffic Law § 1104(b). Any other injury-causing conduct of such a driver is governed by the principles of ordinary negligence” ( Kabir v. County of Monroe, 16 N.Y.3d 217, 220, 920 N.Y.S.2d 268, 945 N.E.2d 461; see Katanov v. County of Nassau, 91 A.D.3d 723, 936 N.Y.S.2d 285). Here, the fire rescue truck struck Fajardo's vehicle approximately 30 seconds after the traffic signal controlling the lane in which both vehicles were traveling changed from red to green, and while the fire rescue truck was decelerating from approximately 15 miles per hour in moderate-to-heavy traffic conditions. Vehicle and Traffic Law § 1104(b) does not exempt the driver of an authorized emergency vehicle engaged in an emergency operation from the rule that prohibits a driver of a vehicle from following too closely behind another vehicle ( see Vehicle and Traffic Law § 1129[a] ). Therefore, the driver of the fire rescue truck was not engaged in the specific conduct exempted from the rules of the road by Vehicle and Traffic Law § 1104(b), and, thus, the principles of ordinary negligence apply ( see Gonzalez v. City of New York, 91 A.D.3d 582, 936 N.Y.S.2d 892; Tatishev v. City of New York, 84 A.D.3d 656, 657, 923 N.Y.S.2d 523).

“ ‘A driver of a vehicle approaching another vehicle from the rear is required to maintain a reasonably safe distance and rate of speed under the prevailing conditions to avoid colliding with the other vehicle’ ” ( Ortiz v. Hub Truck Rental Corp., 82 A.D.3d 725, 726, 918 N.Y.S.2d 156, quoting Nsiah–Ababio v. Hunter, 78 A.D.3d 672, 672, 913 N.Y.S.2d 659). Thus, “a rear-end collision establishes a prima facie case of negligence on the part of the operator of the rear vehicle, thereby requiring that operator to rebut the inference of negligence by providing a nonnegligent explanation for the collision” ( Ortiz v. Hub Truck Rental Corp., 82 A.D.3d at 726, 918 N.Y.S.2d 156). A nonnegligent explanation may include that a plaintiff made a sudden lane change in front of a defendant's...