Summary
In Kurth v. Murphy, 255 AD2d 365 (2 Dept 1998) appeal dismissed 93 NY2d 848, the Court noted that the vehicle which struck and seriously injured or killed plaintiff's daughter "was moving toward both the plaintiff mother and the daughter" with the mother some eight feet away from the impact.
Summary of this case from Amidon v. ClemensOpinion
November 9, 1998
Appeal from the Supreme Court, Westchester County (DiBlasi, J.).
Ordered that the order is affirmed, with costs.
"[W]here a defendant negligently exposes a plaintiff to an unreasonable risk of bodily injury or death, the plaintiff may recover, as a proper element of his or her damages, damages for injuries suffered in consequence of the observation of the serious injury or death of a member of his or her immediate family — assuming, of course, that it is established that the defendant's conduct was a substantial factor bringing about such injury or death" ( Bovsun v. Sanperi, 61 N.Y.2d 219, 230-231). Here, there is no dispute that the plaintiff mother, Carol Kurth, witnessed the infliction of the injury ( see, Huffman v. Ellis, 208 A.D.2d 902) upon her daughter, an immediate family member ( see, Trombetta v. Conkling, 82 N.Y.2d 549). As the vehicle which ultimately struck the infant plaintiff was moving toward both the plaintiff mother and the daughter, and the mother was about eight feet from her daughter when impact occurred, there exists a material issue of fact as to whether the plaintiff mother was threatened with bodily harm by reason of being within the zone of danger ( see, Bovsun v. Sanperi, supra; Egan v. Pensek Truck Leasing Co., 228 A.D.2d 230; Malstrom v. Mackey, 182 A.D.2d 1006).
Ritter, J. P., Thompson, Santucci and Joy, JJ., concur.