Title: The People v. James McGrantham

State: new-york

Issuer: New York Appellate Court

Document:

=================================================================
This memorandum is uncorrected and subject to revision before
publication in the New York Reports.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
No. 174  SSM 18
The People &c.,
            Respondent,
        v.
James McGrantham,
            Appellant.
Submitted by Joseph A. Gentile, for appellant.
Submitted by Rhea A. Grob, for respondent.
MEMORANDUM:
The order of the Appellate Division should be modified
by dismissing the count of the indictment charging defendant with
criminally negligent homicide; and, as so modified, affirmed.
There was evidence before the grand jury that, in the
early morning hours of March 29, 2006, defendant was driving
eastbound on Cropsey Avenue in Brooklyn and intended to enter the
westbound lanes of the Belt Parkway.  Defendant, who was sober
and had not been speeding, missed the entrance ramp and
mistakenly drove onto the exit ramp for westbound traffic. 
Attempting to correct his mistake, defendant slowly made a U-turn
across the three westbound lanes of traffic.  He had almost
completed the turn when a westbound motorcycle struck his
driver's side door.  The 20-year-old operator of the motorcycle
was killed.  
Viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the
People, defendant's motion seeking to dismiss the count of the
indictment charging him with criminally negligent homicide must
be granted.  Defendant's decision to make a U-turn across three
lanes of traffic to extricate himself from a precarious situation
was not wise, but it does not rise to the level of moral
blameworthiness required to sustain a charge of criminally
negligent homicide (see People v Cabrera, 10 NY3d 370, 378
[2008]).  The evidence was sufficient, however, to support the
charge that defendant engaged in reckless driving by driving his
vehicle "in a manner which unreasonably interfere[d] with the
free and proper use of the public highway, or unreasonably
endangere[d] users of the public highway" (Vehicle and Traffic
Law § 1212). 
*   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *
On review of submissions pursuant to section 500.11 of the Rules,
order modified by dismissing the count of the indictment charging
defendant with criminally negligent homicide and, as so modified,
affirmed, in a memorandum.  Chief Judge Lippman and Judges
Ciparick, Graffeo, Read, Smith, Pigott and Jones concur.
Decided June 25, 2009