Veit v. State

192 Misc. 205, 78 N.Y.S.2d 336, 1948 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 2246
CourtNew York Court of Claims
DecidedMarch 29, 1948
DocketClaim No. 28278; Claim No. 28279
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 192 Misc. 205 (Veit v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York Court of Claims primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Veit v. State, 192 Misc. 205, 78 N.Y.S.2d 336, 1948 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 2246 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1948).

Opinion

Lounsberry, P. J.

The above-captioned claims arose out of the same accident, were tried together, and will be similarly treated herein.

On July 21, 1946, the claimants, who are husband and wife, together with their daughter, Irene Veit, about eighteen years of age, were traveling northerly on United States Route 11 from Binghamton to Cortland. At about 12:30 p.m. at a point approxi[206]*206mately four or five miles north of Marathon, New York, and about 300 or 400 feet north of the barn on the Shumaeker farm, the 1938 Hudson coach, which was owned and operated by the claimant, Willy Veit, skidded on the wet pavement of the highway (a light rain was falling at the time). The claimant was proceeding at a rate of about thirty miles per hour. The car skidded off the highway into the bank on the east or right side of the road, tipped over and came to rest on its top facing south in the direction in which it had come. The claimants were thrown into the back part of the automobile.

The highway at this point was constructed and maintained by the State of New York, and has been so maintained over a period of many years, it being the main artery of travel between Binghamton and Syracuse. This highway was reconstructed in 1936 and 1937, with two ten-foot concrete lanes, a four-foot gravel shoulder on the east side and a fourteen foot gravel shoulder on the west side. The same dimensions prevailed at the time of the accident.

Between June 1 and June 15, 1946, this highway received a double surface treatment of asphalt emulsion and crushed stone. Double surface treatment such as this is applied in two operations. First, hot asphalt is applied, then a layer of crushed stone rolled in, then a second layer of hot asphalt and crushed stone are applied as in the first instance. The work of resurfacing was completed approximately on June 10, 1946.

Shortly after the work of resurfacing was completed, the emulsion in some areas, of which the scene of the accident was one, came to the surface and acquired “ sort of a gummy consistency”. The crushed stone, applied at the time of the resurfacing, was thrown off by the action of the wheels of automobiles and trucks. This condition prevailed for a'distance of approximately 1,000 feet north of the Shumaeker barn.' On three separate occasions, between July 5th and. July 10th, crushed stone was applied to this area, but not rolled, in an attempt to overcome the condition above mentioned, but the stones were immediately brushed to the sides of the highway by traffic. During warm days this emulsion was also pulled off by the action of the tires of motor vehicles.

-No warning signs of any description were placed on the highway at the approach to this particular area although the evidence is that signs had been ordered for this location reading, Slippery When Wet.”

The slippery condition of this particular highway was reported to the office of the Assistant District Engineer of [207]*207the New York State Highway Department at Cortland, by a State trooper on or about July 1st, and was also reported to the same office at Cortland on July 16th, five days prior to this accident by the State highway patrolman of this particular area.

The dangerous condition of the highway at the point where this accident occurred was established by uncontradicted evidence of persons who had had accidents at this point prior to July 21, 1946, and by one Sullivan, Assistant District Engineer at Cortland, New York; by the State highway patrolman of this area and by one Handville, a State trooper, as well as by persons residing in the vicinity who had been upon the highway when it was wet and had also witnessed several accidents at this point.

Testimony as to the accidents which occurred subsequent to this incident at this particular place on the State highway was admitted by the court, not for the purpose of showing notice, but for the purpose of establishing the existence of a dangerous condition. (Quinlan v. City of Utica, 11 Hun 217, affd. 74 N. Y. 603; Masters v. City of Troy, 50 Hun 485, affd. 123 N. Y. 628; Taylor v. Northern States Power Co., 192 Minn. 415; Richardson on Evidence, p. 136; Laitenberger v. State of New York, 57 N. Y. S. 2d 418, 422.)

It has been universally, held by the courts of this State that the State of New York owes a duty to the public to keep its highways in a reasonably safe condition for travel. A duty rests upon the State to erect and maintain signs or barriers on a state highway as circumstances present reasonably demand.” (Dawley v. State of New York, 186 Misc. 571, 574.)

“ The officials acting for it [State] owe the duty to the public \ that persons traveling the highways shall find them reasonably safe. (Stern v. International R. Co., 220 N. Y. 284.) Ordinarily the defendant would not be liable for conditions due solely to weather, but when through originally defective construction, wear or other causes, a highway or sidewalk is rendered more dangerous by action of the elements, the State or municipality may. become liable to one injured thereby.”/ (Sporborg v. State of New York, 226 App. Div. 113, 116; Walker v. Town of Pittsfield, 198 N. Y. 559; Saulsbury v. Braun, 223 App. Div. 555, affd. 249 N. Y. 618; Petrozak v. State of New York, 189 Misc. 809; Kirchner v. State of New York, 223 App. Div. 543.)

[208]*208The condition of this highway at the scene of the accident was unquestionably dangerous for the traveling public, particularly when wet. It is well settled that where unusual circumstances render the highway dangerous, it is the duty of the State to at least erect signs warning the public of such' dangerous condition. The mere slipperiness of the highway due to weather conditions is not proof of negligence on the part of the State in the absence of any faulty condition or maintenance, which was aggravated by the weather conditions. However, even if there were no evidence of faulty construction of this highway or resurfacing thereof, the existence of a dangerous condition raises a duty on the part of the State to remedy that condition. In the instant case, it is the opinion of the court that the State in the resurfacing of the highway created a dangerous condition because the material did not adhere as anticipated. From the undisputed testimony, the State had ample notice of the dangerous condition existing at the scene of this accident, particularly when the pavement was wet and it was therefore the duty' of the State, its agents and employees to at least advise the public of such dangerous condition by the erection of warning signs, and'also by the application of such materials as would remedy the condition.

~™The‘'question o’f""the duty owed the traveling public by the State of New York in maintaining and keeping its highways in a safe condition for travel and the erection and maintenance of warning signs advising the public of the existence of any dangerous condition is too well settled to require the citing of authorities.

The testimony on behalf of the claimants relative to the condition of the highway at the time of the accident, before and after the accident, and the notice of such condition is undisputed by the State.

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Related

Citron v. County of Nassau
49 Misc. 2d 928 (Nassau County District Court, 1965)
Stern v. State
32 Misc. 2d 357 (New York State Court of Claims, 1962)
Coakley v. State
26 Misc. 2d 431 (New York State Court of Claims, 1961)
Kleinmann v. State
207 Misc. 590 (New York State Court of Claims, 1955)
King v. Fritz
207 Misc. 619 (New York Supreme Court, 1955)

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Bluebook (online)
192 Misc. 205, 78 N.Y.S.2d 336, 1948 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 2246, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/veit-v-state-nyclaimsct-1948.