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IN THIS SIDEWALK SLIP AND FALL CASE, THE SUPPORT POLE FOR THE SIDEWALK TENT FURNISHED THE OCCASION FOR THE SLIP AND FALL BY REQUIRING PLAINTIFF TO CHOOSE WHICH SIDE OF THE POLE TO WALK ON BUT WAS NOT THE PROXIMATE CAUSE OF THE SLIP AND FALL (FIRST DEPT).

The First Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined the support pole for the sidewalk shed furnished a condition for the sidewalk slip and fall but was not the proximate cause of the fall:

The record established as a matter of law that the sidewalk shed was not a proximate cause of plaintiff’s injuries. Plaintiff testified that the support pole for the sidewalk shed was placed in the middle of the sidewalk, dividing the area into two paths that were three feet wide on each side, and that she and her husband elected to walk side-by-side on the path to the left nearest the tree well. Plaintiff stated that her husband “nudged” her to the left, and her foot touched the edge of the tree well, which was not level with the sidewalk, causing her to fall. This testimony established that the placement of the sidewalk shed support pole did not compel plaintiff to step into the tree well to proceed forward, but that its placement merely facilitated the accident or furnished the occasion for it … . Kalnit v 141 E. 88th St., LLC, 2022 NY Slip Op 06552, First Dept 11-17-22

Practice Point: A condition can furnish the occasion for an accident without being the proximate cause of the accident. Here a support pole for a sidewalk tent required plaintiff to choose which side of the pole to walk on but did not cause her slip and fall (she stepped in a tree well).

 

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