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Town of Lansing v. State

Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, Third Department
May 26, 2005
18 A.D.3d 1093 (N.Y. App. Div. 2005)

Opinion

97018.

May 26, 2005.

Carpinello, J. Appeal from an order of the Court of Claims (Midey, Jr., J.), entered December 23, 2003, which granted defendant's motion to dismiss the claim.

Before: Crew III, J.P., Mugglin, Lahtinen and Kane, JJ., concur.


After a tractor-trailer accident on a state highway, the State Police temporarily rerouted all traffic onto a town road owned by claimant. Claimant now seeks monetary damages from defendant for the physical deterioration of this road as a result of the several hour detour. Specifically, the road, which was weight limited, had to be repaved. The Court of Claims dismissed the claim, prompting this appeal.

Defendant is entitled to governmental immunity from liability for the alleged negligence under these circumstances; accordingly, we affirm. The decisions made by the State Police at accident scenes "involve the exercise of reasoned judgment which could typically produce different acceptable results" ( Tango v. Tulevech, 61 NY2d 34, 41). The exercise of such discretionary decisions are generally immune from common-law liability ( see id.; Davis v. State of New York, 257 AD2d 112, 115). Here, the decision to reroute traffic involved the exercise of reasoned judgment such that defendant is immune from liability and the claim was properly dismissed.

Ordered that the order is affirmed, without costs.


Summaries of

Town of Lansing v. State

Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, Third Department
May 26, 2005
18 A.D.3d 1093 (N.Y. App. Div. 2005)
Case details for

Town of Lansing v. State

Case Details

Full title:TOWN OF LANSING, Appellant, v. STATE OF NEW YORK, Respondent. (Claim No…

Court:Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, Third Department

Date published: May 26, 2005

Citations

18 A.D.3d 1093 (N.Y. App. Div. 2005)
796 N.Y.S.2d 187

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