Dibble v. New York City Transit Authority

OPINION OF THE COURT

Catterson, J.

In this personal injury action arising out of an accident on the subway tracks at the Union Square station, we examine whether expert testimony as to stopping distances is sufficient to establish negligence. The jury found the defendant liable on the basis of a mathematical formula that used a purported average reaction time as a factor in calculating whether the defendant’s train operator could have stopped the train to avoid running over an intoxicated 22 year old.

The issue before this Court, therefore, is whether such a unit of time-distance measurement may…