Court Opinion

ID: 9779872
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-30 00:53:46.852366+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:33:44.244169
License: Public Domain

Jones, J. (dissenting).
I agree with the majority that the facts of this case are straightforward. However, because plaintiffs recovery is not barred by the “firefighter’s rule,” I respectfully dissent and would reverse the order of the Appellate Division.
Plaintiffs injuries were completely unrelated to the assumed risks of police duty and there were no actions taken by him that heightened his risk of injury. In Zanghi v Niagara Frontier Transp. Commn. (85 NY2d 423 [1995]), we stated:
“[W]here some act taken in furtherance of a specific police or firefighting function expose[s] the officer to a heightened risk of sustaining the particular injury, he or she may not recover damages for common-law negligence. By contrast, a common-law negligence claim may proceed where an officer is injured in the line of duty merely because he or she happened to be present in a given location, but was not engaged in any specific duty that increased the *197risk of receiving that injury” (85 NY2d at 439-440 [emphasis added]).
The plaintiffs in Zanghi—two firefighters injured while fighting a fire in a burning building, a police officer injured while confronting picketers, and two police officers injured as they raced to the assistance of a fellow officer—were clearly engaged in the performance of specific duties/functions that increased their risk of being injured. On the contrary, plaintiff here sustained injuries when another officer inadvertently raised a security barrier while he entered his workplace before his shift started. Simply put, this was not a risk associated with his job.
The majority’s decision in this case is wholly at odds with well-settled authority. For example, in Olson v City of New York (233 AJD2d 488 [2d Dept 1996]), the firefighter rule did not apply where a firefighter, after responding to a fire alarm, returned to the fire station, stepped down from a fire truck and was injured when he fell into a pothole in the driveway of the firehouse. The court held that nothing in the acts undertaken in the performance of his firefighter duties placed the injured plaintiff at increased risk for this accident to happen. Likewise, the firefighter rule did not apply in Delio v City of New York (8 AD3d 325 [2d Dept 2004]). In that case, plaintiff police officer was injured when a fellow officer closed a car door on plaintiff s hand. The court held that plaintiff was allowed to recover because his injuries were unrelated to the assumed risks of police duties. His duties merely furnished the occasion for his accident but did not heighten the risk of injury.
I disagree with the majority that these cases are hard to reconcile. In all of the cases cited by the majority where the claims were not allowed, the officers were on duty and performing police duties, even if routine, when they were injured. The Appellate Divisions have been applying Zanghi for nearly 15 years and their decisions should not be overturned so lightly.
Accordingly, I would reverse the decision of the Appellate Division and remit this case to Supreme Court for trial.
Judges Ciparick, Graffeo, Read and Pigott concur with Judge Smith; Judge Jones dissents and votes to reverse in a separate opinion; Chief Judge Lippman taking no part.
Order affirmed, with costs.