Plaintiff Bicyclist Entitled to Summary Judgment—Defendant Driver Made a Left Turn into a Parking Lot When Plaintiff Was Riding in Oncoming Lane
The Second Department determined summary judgment was properly granted to plaintiff bicyclist who was struck by defendants’ vehicle. Defendant driver (Robert) made a left turn into a parking lot when plaintiff was riding in the oncoming lane:
“There can be more than one proximate cause [of an accident] and thus, the proponent of a summary judgment motion has the burden of establishing freedom from comparative negligence as a matter of law” … . Consequently, “[t]o prevail on a motion for summary judgment on the issue of liability in an action alleging negligence, a plaintiff has the burden of establishing, prima facie, not only that the defendant was negligent, but that the plaintiff was free from comparative fault” … .
Here, the plaintiff established his prima facie entitlement to judgment as a matter of law by submitting evidence that Robert, who testified at his deposition that he did not see the plaintiff until seconds before the impact, was negligent in violating Vehicle and Traffic Law §§ 1141 and 1163(a) by making a left turn into the path of oncoming traffic without yielding the right of way to the plaintiff when the turn could not be made with reasonable safety … . The plaintiff also demonstrated that Robert’s negligence was the sole proximate cause of the accident and that he was not comparatively at fault in the happening of the accident through his deposition testimony that he saw Robert’s vehicle stopped and waiting to make the turn, slowed down in response, stood up on his pedals to make eye contact with Robert to ensure that Robert was aware of his presence, and continued riding when he believed that Robert had made eye contact with him. Further, the plaintiff testified that, upon seeing Robert commence making the left turn in front of him, he immediately attempted to apply his brakes and maneuver around Robert’s vehicle, but there was an insufficient amount of time to successfully do so … . Sirlin v Schreib, 2014 NY Slip Op 03504, 2nd Dept 5-14-14