Case Name: Theodore Berger, Respondent, v. New York City Housing Authority et al., Defendants, and Paul R. Anderson et al., Appellants
Court: New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division
Jurisdiction: New York
Decision Date: 2011-03-15
Citations: 82 A.D.3d 531
Docket Number: 
Parties: Theodore Berger, Respondent, v New York City Housing Authority et al., Defendants, and Paul R. Anderson et al., Appellants.
Judges: 
Reporter: Appellate Division Reports
Volume: 82
Pages: 531–531

Head Matter:
Theodore Berger, Respondent, v New York City Housing Authority et al., Defendants, and Paul R. Anderson et al., Appellants.
[918 NYS2d 458]

Opinion:
It is well established that evidence of a rear-end collision with a stopped vehicle constitutes a prima facie case of negligence on the part of the operator of the moving vehicle (see De La Cruz v Ock Wee Leong, 16 AD3d 199 [2005]), which may be rebutted by evidence that the vehicle in front stopped suddenly (see Barry v City of New York, 283 AD2d 300 [2001]). Here, the motion court properly determined that issues of fact exist concerning whether the first three vehicles in this five-car accident, including appellants' cars, stopped suddenly and their reasons for doing so. Concur — Mazzarelli, J.P., Sweeny, DeGrasse, Freedman and Abdus-Salaam, JJ.