Burns v. Grezeka

508 N.E.2d 449, 155 Ill. App. 3d 294, 108 Ill. Dec. 288, 1987 Ill. App. LEXIS 2430
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedMay 12, 1987
Docket2-86-0976
StatusPublished
Cited by18 cases

This text of 508 N.E.2d 449 (Burns v. Grezeka) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Court of Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Burns v. Grezeka, 508 N.E.2d 449, 155 Ill. App. 3d 294, 108 Ill. Dec. 288, 1987 Ill. App. LEXIS 2430 (Ill. Ct. App. 1987).

Opinion

JUSTICE NASH

delivered the opinion of the court:

Plaintiff, Steven Burns, appeals from a summary judgment entered in favor of defendant, Kathleen Grezeka, special administrator of the estate of George Kinzey, deceased, in which plaintiff sought to recover damages alleged to have been caused by Kinzey’s negligence in driving his automobile into the rear of a stationary van in which plaintiff was a passenger. Plaintiff contends that the trial court erred in granting summary judgment as there are unresolved factual issues.

On December 12, 1983, plaintiff was a passenger in a van driven by Michael Baranko which was stopped at a red light on Roosevelt Road in Lombard, Illinois, when it was struck in the rear by a car driven by defendant’s decedent, George Kinzey. Plaintiff brought this action against Kinzey for negligence to recover damages for lost wages and personal injuries. Kinzey subsequently died and plaintiff amended his complaint, naming Kinzey’s estate as defendant. In its answer, defendant alleged as an affirmative defense that Kinzey had suffered from a sudden illness which was the proximate cause of the collision.

Subsequently, defendant moved for summary judgment on the ground that Kinzey was the victim of an “Act of God” and attached excerpts from the depositions of plaintiff, Michael Baranko, and Dr. Yogesh Vajaria in support of its motion.

In his deposition, plaintiff stated that Baranko left the van approximately IV2 minutes after the accident and, after appearing to talk to Kinzey, he returned to the van and told plaintiff that Kinzey was having a heart attack. Plaintiff stated that Kinzey was gasping for air, unconscious, and his skin was a grayish-blue color.

Michael Baranko stated in his deposition that he first observed Kinzey 10 or 15 seconds after the accident and noted that his eyes were open, but rolled back, and his arms were up; shortly thereafter, he observed that Kinzey was unconscious and drooling, with his eyes closed and his arms down.

Dr. Yogesh Vajaria stated in his deposition that he examined Kinzey shortly after the accident and determined that he was suffering from an abdominal aneurysm which had been present for the past two or three years and had ruptured spontaneously. The rupture had caused Kinzey’s blood pressure to drop and had rendered him unconscious approximately 45 to 60 seconds afterwards. Dr. Vajaria stated that Kinzey told him he was driving his car when he suddenly became weak and passed out. Based upon this recollection and the fact that he could not find any other cause for Kinzey’s dizziness, Dr. Vajaria expressed a belief it was most probable that the aneurysm had preceded and caused the accident. He stated that there were no bruises or contusions on Kinzey, indicating that the trauma from the impact was insignificant. He also stated that increased back pain is a symptom of a ruptured aneurysm but that Kinzey would not have experienced any forewarning of the rupture.

In response to defendant’s motion for summary judgment, plaintiff filed additional excerpts from Dr. Vajaria’s deposition and a report by the Du Page County sheriff’s police, which, in a section entitled “Describe Suspects’ Actions and Speech,” stated that Kinzey had fainted while at the red light. Dr. Vajaria also stated that his emergency room records indicated that Kinzey told him that he believed he passed out in his car while it was at a stop. Dr. Vajaria further stated that, based upon a reasonable degree of medical certainty, it was possible that the accident had preceded and caused the rupture.

The trial court granted defendant’s motion for summary judgment on the ground that no issue of material fact existed on the basis of the evidence presented, and this appeal followed.

Plaintiff contends that the trial court erred in granting summary judgment, arguing that there remained a disputed factual basis which would arguably entitle him to judgment and that Dr. Vajaria’s testimony did not establish as a matter of law that the rupture preceded the collision.

Summary judgment should be granted where there is no genuine issue of material fact and where the right of the moving party is clear and free from doubt. (Pedersen v. Joliet Park District (1985), 136 Ill. App. 3d 172, 175, 483 N.E.2d 21; Mortell v. Insurance Co. of North America (1983), 120 Ill. App. 3d 1016, 1024, 458 N.E.2d 922, appeal denied (1984), 101 Ill. 2d 547.) In determining whether a genuine factual issue exists, the court must strictly construe the evidence against the party moving for summary judgment. (La Salle National Bank v. Helry Corp. (1985), 136 Ill. App. 3d 897, 902, 483 N.E.2d 958; Rosten v. St. Anne’s Hospital (1985), 132 Ill. App. 3d 1073, 1078, 478 N.E.2d 464.) Summary judgment must be denied if a fair-minded person could draw more than one conclusion or inference from the facts. (National Boulevard Bank v. Georgetown Life Insurance Co. (1984), 129 Ill. App. 3d 73, 88, 472 N.E.2d 80, appeal denied (1985), 102 Ill. 2d 555; Artis v. Fibre Metal Products (1983), 115 Ill. App. 3d 228, 231, 450 N.E.2d 756, appeal denied (1983), 96 Ill. 2d 537.) A nonmoving party is not required to prove his case in response to a motion for summary judgment, but is required to present some factual basis which would arguably entitle him to judgment in his favor. (National Loss Control Service Corp. v. Dotti (1984), 126 Ill. App. 3d 804, 808, 467 N.E.2d 937; Martin v. 1727 Corp. (1983), 120 Ill. App. 3d 733, 737, 458 N.E.2d 990, appeal denied (1984), 99 Ill. 2d 529.) In order to adequately state a cause of action for negligence, the allegations must establish the existence of a duty of care owed by defendant to plaintiffs, a breach of that duty, and an injury proximately resulting from that breach. Curtis v. County of Cook (1983), 98 Ill. 2d 158, 162, 456 N.E.2d 116; Zimring v. Wendrow (1985), 137 Ill. App. 3d 847, 850, 485 N.E.2d 478.

We agree with defendant’s argument that a rear-end collision does not automatically establish the liability of the driver of the rear vehicle as a matter of law (Thomas v. Northington (1985), 134 Ill. App. 3d 141, 145, 479 N.E.2d 976, appeal denied (1985), 108 Ill. 2d 593; David v. Black (1981), 98 Ill. App. 3d 1130, 1131, 425 N.E.2d 4); however, that is not the issue before us.

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Bluebook (online)
508 N.E.2d 449, 155 Ill. App. 3d 294, 108 Ill. Dec. 288, 1987 Ill. App. LEXIS 2430, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/burns-v-grezeka-illappct-1987.