Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1994

Morris v. Mark IV Construction Co.

Morris v. Mark IV Construction Co.
Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York · Decided April 15, 1994
203 A.D.2d 922; 611 N.Y.S.2d 68; 1994 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 4918
Morris v. Mark IV Construction Co.

Opinion of the Court

—Order insofar as appealed from unanimously reversed on the law without costs and motion granted. Memorandum: Supreme Court should have granted plaintiffs motion for partial summary judgment with respect to liability on plaintiffs Labor Law § 240 (1) cause of action against Mark IV Construction Co., Inc. (Mark IV) and defendant Dun-Rite Heating, Inc. (Dun-Rite).

By showing that he fell from an elevated worksite while engaging in activity protected under Labor Law § 240 (1), and that his injuries were proximately caused by the failure of Mark IV and Dun-Rite to provide proper safety devices "constructed, placed and operated” for his protection, plaintiff demonstrated his entitlement to summary judgment (Labor Law § 240 [1]; see, Zimmer v Chemung County Performing Arts, 65 NY2d 513; Halkias v Hamburg Cent. School Dist., 186 AD2d 1040).

*923The fact that plaintiffs accident was unwitnessed does not preclude summary judgment (see, Halkias v Hamburg Cent. School Dist., supra; Marasco v Kaplan, Yll AD2d 933; cf., Wentland v Occidental Chem. Corp., 188 AD2d 1030; Carlos v Rochester Gen. Hosp., 163 AD2d 894). Moreover, the record reveals that all of plaintiffs statements relate a consistent and coherent version of the occurrence of the accident and, therefore, speculation by Mark IV and Dun-Rite that the accident may have occurred in another manner is not sufficient to raise a triable issue of fact (see, Damon v Starkweather, 185 AD2d 633). (Appeal from Order of Supreme Court, Monroe County, Affronti, J. — Labor Law § 240.) Present —Green, J. P., Balio, Fallon, Callahan and Boehm, JJ.

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