SKETCHES OF COURT: Cross-examination in livery cab accident case
In this courtroom sketch, Hon. Peter Sweeney listens as attorney Tino LaTorre (standing), of counsel to the law office of Bryan Barenbaum, conducts a direct examination of the plaintiff in the motor vehicle accident trial of Erik Garcia v. GMD Inc. & Saleh Meah.
At issue in the bifurcated trial was the determination of liability. The accident occurred in February 2011 on Canal Street near the intersection of Mercer Street. Both drivers were heading east in good road conditions and were in the act of changing lanes when the plaintiff claims his car was sideswiped by the defendant’s livery car and hit the curb, sustaining a bent rim and flat tire.
The Bengali-speaking defendant, represented by John Komar (right) of the law firm Russo & Toner, has limited English and adamantly denied through an interpreter any involvement in an accident, despite the existence of an MV-104 report. The NYS Department of Motor Vehicles accident report form is in English.
Brooklyn Boro
View MoreNew York City’s most populous borough, Brooklyn, is home to nearly 2.6 million residents. If Brooklyn were an independent city it would be the fourth largest city in the United States. While Brooklyn has become the epitome of ‘cool and hip’ in recent years, for those that were born here, raised families here and improved communities over the years, Brooklyn has never been ‘uncool’.