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THE RECORD SUPPORTED THE SUSPENSION OF PETITIONER BUS DRIVER’S LICENSE FOR CAUSING SERIOUS PHYSICAL INJURY TO A PEDESTRIAN WHILE FAILING TO EXERCISE DUE CARE; APPELLATE DIVISION REVERSED (CT APP).

The Court of Appeals, reversing the Appellate Division, determined the proof before the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) was sufficient to find that petitioner bus driver caused serious physical injury to a pedestrian warranting suspension of petitioner’s driver’s license for six months:

In November 2014, a New York City Transit bus driven by petitioner struck the victim, an 88-year-old pedestrian. At the time of the accident, the victim was in a marked crosswalk with the right of way, and petitioner was making a right turn. The bus ran “over [the victim’s] legs . . . with the front passenger’s side tire,” pinning him under the bus. The victim was transported to the hospital, where he died less than four weeks later.

A summons was issued to petitioner alleging that he caused serious physical injury to a pedestrian while failing to exercise due care (see VTL § 1146 [c]). The Administrative Law Judge found that the charge was established by clear and convincing evidence. The DMV’s Traffic Violations Bureau Appeal Board affirmed, and petitioner’s license was suspended for six months (see VTL § 510 [2] [b] [xiv]). …

On this record, the agency’s determination — that clear and convincing evidence demonstrated that petitioner caused serious physical injury while failing to exercise due care in violation of VTL § 1146 (c) — is supported by substantial evidence … . Matter of Seon v New York State Dept. of Motor Vehs., 2020 NY Slip Op 03564, CtApp 6-25-20

SUMMARY OF FIRST DEPARTMENT DECISION REVERSED BY THE COURT OF APPEALS ON JUNE 25, 2020

APPLYING THE CLEAR AND CONVINCING EVIDENTIARY STANDARD, THE DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES’ (DMV’S) SUSPENSION OF PETITIONER BUS DRIVER’S LICENSE BASED UPON STRIKING A PEDESTRIAN WAS NOT SUPPORTED BY EVIDENCE OF THE EXTENT OF THE INJURY OR ANY CONNECTION BETWEEN THE INJURY AND THE PEDESTRIAN’S DEATH A MONTH LATER, DETERMINATION ANNULLED AND LICENSE REINSTATED (FIRST DEPT).

The First Department, annulling the determination of the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), over a two-justice dissenting opinion, determined the record did not support the suspension of petitioner-bus-driver’s license for a violation of Vehicle and Traffic Law 1146. The court noted that the standard of proof in the DMV hearing is “clear and convincing” and the standard of proof in the instant Article 78 proceeding is “substantial evidence.” Effectively, therefore, the “clear and convincing” standard applies to the Article 78. Here, on a dark and rainy night, an 88-year-old pedestrian apparently came into contact with the bus in the crosswalk when the bus was turning. The man died a month later. In the opinion of the majority, the hearing evidence did not demonstrate how seriously the man was injured by the bus, or a connection between any injury and the man’s death a month later:

Here, DMV was required to establish that petitioner violated Vehicle and Traffic Law § 1146(c)(1), which imposes liability on “[a] driver of a motor vehicle who causes serious physical injury as defined in article ten of the penal law to a pedestrian or bicyclist while failing to exercise due care.” The referenced definition of “serious physical injury” includes “physical injury . . . which causes death,” … which is presumably the basis for the charge against petitioner since he was not issued a summons until after the pedestrian died in the hospital. Thus, DMV was required to present clear and convincing evidence of both failure to exercise care and that such failure led to the pedestrian’s demise. * * *

To be sure, one could speculate, as does the dissent, that the pedestrian suffered a “serious physical injury.” But to engage in speculation would be to ignore the underlying standard of clear and convincing evidence, which even the dissent agrees applied in the administrative proceeding and is relevant to our review. “Clear and convincing evidence is evidence that satisfies the factfinder that it is highly probable that what is claimed actually happened . . . and it is evidence that is neither equivocal nor open to opposing presumptions”… . Given that standard, and the remarkable lack of compelling evidence before us, we would be abdicating our role were we simply to defer to the conclusions drawn by the Administrative Law Judge, and raising a serious question as to the very purpose of having any appellate review in this matter. Matter of Seon v New York State Dept. of Motor Vehs., 2018 NY Slip Op 02240, First Dept 3-29-18

 

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