Opinion
2019–05245 Index No. 711461/17
08-12-2020
Erin MCMAHON, appellant, v. Ronald NEGRON, et al., respondents.
Law Office of Matthew T. Fella, Esq., P.C., Babylon, NY, for appellant. Baker, McEvoy, Morrissey & Moskovits, P.C. (Robert D. Grace, Brooklyn, NY, of counsel), for respondents.
Law Office of Matthew T. Fella, Esq., P.C., Babylon, NY, for appellant.
Baker, McEvoy, Morrissey & Moskovits, P.C. (Robert D. Grace, Brooklyn, NY, of counsel), for respondents.
RUTH C. BALKIN, J.P., JOHN M. LEVENTHAL, SHERI S. ROMAN, FRANCESCA E. CONNOLLY, JJ.
DECISION & ORDER In an action to recover damages for personal injuries, the plaintiff appeals from an order of the Supreme Court, Queens County (Robert I. Caloras, J.), dated March 21, 2019. The order granted the defendants' motion for summary judgment dismissing the complaint on the ground that the plaintiff did not sustain a serious injury within the meaning of Insurance Law § 5102(d) as a result of the subject accident.
ORDERED that the order is affirmed, with costs.
The plaintiff commenced this action to recover damages for personal injuries that she allegedly sustained in a motor vehicle accident. Thereafter, the defendants moved for summary judgment dismissing the complaint on the ground that the plaintiff did not sustain a serious injury within the meaning of Insurance Law § 5102(d) as a result of the accident. The Supreme Court granted the motion, and the plaintiff appeals.
The defendants met their prima facie burden of showing that the plaintiff did not sustain a serious injury within the meaning of Insurance Law § 5102(d) as a result of the subject accident (see Toure v. Avis Rent A Car Sys., 98 N.Y.2d 345, 746 N.Y.S.2d 865, 774 N.E.2d 1197 ; Gaddy v. Eyler, 79 N.Y.2d 955, 956–957, 582 N.Y.S.2d 990, 591 N.E.2d 1176 ). The defendants submitted competent medical evidence establishing, prima facie, that the alleged injuries to the cervical and lumbar regions of the plaintiff's spine and the plaintiff's right shoulder were not caused by the subject accident (see Gouvea v. Lesende, 127 A.D.3d 811, 6 N.Y.S.3d 607 ; Fontana v. Aamaar & Maani Karan Tr. Corp., 124 A.D.3d 579, 1 N.Y.S.3d 324 ).
In opposition, the plaintiff failed to raise a triable issue of fact. Although the plaintiff submitted an affirmed medical report in which her expert opined that the alleged injuries were causally connected to the subject accident, the expert failed to address the findings of the defendants' expert that these injuries were degenerative in nature (see Zavala v. Zizzo, 172 A.D.3d 793, 794, 99 N.Y.S.3d 354 ; Cavitolo v. Broser, 163 A.D.3d 913, 914, 81 N.Y.S.3d 188 ; Franklin v. Gareyua, 136 A.D.3d 464, 465, 467, 24 N.Y.S.3d 304, affd 29 N.Y.3d 925, 49 N.Y.S.3d 651, 71 N.E.3d 1218 ).
Accordingly, we agree with the Supreme Court's determination to grant the defendants' motion for summary judgment dismissing the complaint.
BALKIN, J.P., LEVENTHAL, ROMAN and CONNOLLY, JJ., concur.