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Slip, Trip & Fall Accidents
How We can Help
When an accident or injury occurs to a visitor or tenant on another person’s property, the owner of the property may be liable (legally responsible) if it can be proven that their negligence or recklessness led to the injury. If you have been injured as a result of a slip, trip or fall accident, at someone else’s home or business, which you believe may be the result of negligence or recklessness, you may be able to recover the costs involved to pay for your medical bills, any lost earnings or other pain, disfigurement, suffering, emotional distress or permanent physical disability you have suffered.
In cases involving slip and fall accidents, generally plaintiffs must prove that the property owners either failed to maintain the property or created an unsafe condition which caused the injury (there are other theories as well, i.e. failure to warn). Whether the unsafe condition was permanent or temporary may be an issue. In instances where the condition was temporary, the length of time it existed may have bearing on your ability to prove your case (this is known as notice), see the section on premises liability.
We strongly urge you to read about personal injury to get an understanding of some of the issues that may be involved.
Experience
Our attorneys worked for major insurance companies as well as the City of New York before becoming plaintiff’s lawyers. They know how insurance carriers and municipalities investigate, work up, negotiate and defend lawsuits. After approximately a decade of defense representation the attorneys began representing people who suffered serious injuries. They have been representing injured parties for more than 10 years.
A Sampling of Cases We Have Handled
A woman tripped and fell on a broken curb in front of a supermarket. The supermarket moved for Summary Judgment and they lost. The court held that the defective condition was NOT a minor defect. The client suffered a fractured hip requiring surgery. The supermarket appealed the decision and the case settled while the appeal was pending.
A woman tripped and fell due to a broken sidewalk. The City of New York settled the case before trial. The client underwent multiple surgeries to repair her elbow.
A man tripped and fell due to a raised manhole cover. The manhole cover was raised because the street had recently been milled. The contractor failed to create a ramp from the milled surface to the manhole cover. The client suffered a fractured hip.
A woman tripped and fell on a raised sidewalk. She suffered a fractured humerus. A case was brought against the abutting land owner.
A woman slipped and fell in a refrigerated walk-in cooler. Water had been leaking for a long period of time from the cooling unit. Several repair attempts had been unsuccessful.
A woman fell down a flight of stairs. There were no handrails present and the lighting was poor. She suffered a very severe wrist fracture.
A gentleman slipped on a greasy substance and fell down a flight of stairs. A garbage chute was located at the top of the staircase and the floor beneath the shoot was made of marble. The building did not implement any measure to thwart the slippery condition (mats under the chute, anti skid flooring etc.).
A woman tripped on a carpet in a hotel. The carpet had a buckle or bump that caused her to fall. A carpet installation expert said that properly installed carpet does not buckle and a bump like the one that caused the accident would develop over a long period of time.
A woman tripped over a brick paver that was raised approximately 1-2 inches. The bricks were seated in sand and the water got beneath the pavers causing the sand to accumulate. There were several bricks that were raised at the entrance to the office building.
A woman twisted her ankle and fell due to a depressed manhole cover on a sidewalk. The sidewalk had recently been replaced. The grade of the sidewalk was higher than the grade of the manhole cover by 2 inches.
A woman tripped and fell on a raised plank that was on a boardwalk. The city responsible for the boardwalk had a prior written notice statute. The law protected the city from liability for the raised board unless someone had submitted a written complaint regarding the accident location before the accident. As it turned out, the city had sanitation vehicles that drove on the boardwalk. The raised plank was in front of one of the city’s garbage cans. The theory of liability was therefore a “cause and create” theory and the prior written notice requirement did not apply.
A man fell while rollerblading because of a hose that had been stretched across the sidewalk. There were no warnings posted alerting passersby to the hose.
A man was injured when he slipped and fell on hydraulic fluid in a marine yard. The fluid had leaked from a fork lift and the yard failed to clean up the leak.
A man slipped and fell on ice. The ice formed as a result of water being directed onto a parking lot. The water pooled, and then ice formed.
A man tripped and fell on a pothole in a parking lot. The pothole was filled with water and the man stepped into the pothole injuring his leg.
Medical Bills
Our firm understands that your immediate goals after going through such a traumatic experience are to get the best medical care possible, make sure that your medical bills are covered, and make sure that you do not suffer financially through any lost wages. Our experienced attorneys will discuss your situation and go over the options available to you, as well as work with insurance companies and other parties involved in your case to make sure all your needs are handled quickly and appropriately. Time is short, do not delay, contact us or call us.
Our firm represents clients located in Brooklyn, The Bronx, Queens, Manhattan, Staten Island, New York State and many other states (New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Georgia, Florida, Colorado, North Carolina, and California, and we will handle a case in any state provided we can do so in full compliance with court rules regarding multijurisdictional practice, association of local counsel and/or admission pro hac vice) who have suffered injuries or death as the result of slipping, tripping or falling.
If you or a loved one has been injured, CONTACT US ONLINE OR CALL US AT (516) 742-8897= (516) PIATTYS in Long Island, (212) 267-9377= (212) ANSWERS In Manhattan TO SET UP A FREE CONSULTATION. If you can’t come to us, we will come to you in the hospital or we will visit you in our mobile office.