Summary Judgment in Rear-End Collision Case

In a rear-end collision case, the Second Department affirmed summary judgment in favor of the plaintiff on liability.  The accident occurred when the weather was clear and the roads dry:

“A rear-end collision with a stopped or stopping vehicle creates a prima facie case of negligence with respect to the operator of the moving vehicle and imposes a duty on that operator to rebut the inference of negligence by providing a nonnegligent explanation for the collision” … . A conclusory assertion by the operator of the following vehicle that the sudden stop of the vehicle caused the accident is insufficient, in and of itself, to provide a nonnegligent explanation … . The issue of comparative fault will be left for a jury to determine only where there is a triable issue of fact as to whether the frontmost driver also operated his or her vehicle in a negligent manner … . However, ” [v]ehicle stops which are foreseeable under the prevailing traffic conditions, even if sudden and frequent, must be anticipated by the driver who follows, since he or she is under a duty to maintain a safe distance between his or her car and the car ahead’… . Gutierrez v Trillium USA, LLC, 2013 NY Slip Op 07450, 2nd Dept 11-13-13