Brief Factual Summary: Plaintiff alleged that in April 2019 she tripped and fell over a depression at the top step of the staircase leading to the train platform at the Hartsdale Metro North Station. She fell forward onto the stairway landing. Plaintiff alleged serious injuries to her nose, teeth, throat, neck, wrist and post-traumatic stress disorder. A MNR maintenance supervisor and engineering expert testified that where plaintiff claimed to have caught her foot was actually an expansion joint, a necessary part of the stairway structure that contains a silicone material to prevent structural damage to the platform due to train movement through the station and weather conditions. MTA Police responded to the scene to take photographs after the accident that indicated that plaintiff fell towards the bottom of the staircase. The jury found that Metro-North was not negligent and rendered a defendant’s verdict.
Kathleen Groark v. Metro North- Index No.: 66815/19 – Westchester County Supreme