The experienced New York City and Westchester County premises liability lawyers at our firm can help you get full and fair compensation if you or a loved one has been injured in a slip and fall or trip and fall accident in New York City Metro Area or Westchester County. Call us today or use our online contact form for a free consultation and claim evaluation.
Some of our recently reported settlements and verdicts involved fall cases:
Top 100 Premises Liability Settlements in the United States Top Verdict in 2019: (#57) Cortez v. City of NY, et al. [Kings County] for $550,000 and (#59) Garber v. J.J.P. Coleman LLC, et al. [Queens County] for $525,000.
Some of the common types of slip and fall and trip and fall accidents in New York City include:
- Sidewalk and parking lot accidents
- Accidents in cluttered stores
- Elevator and escalator accidents
- Unsecured rugs and mats
- Uneven floors
- Slippery floors
- Broken or uneven stair treads
- Missing or broken railings
- A build-up of ice and snow
- Loose cables and wires
- Debris and clutter, and
- Broken sidewalks and pavement.
In a situation where a person is injured in a slip and fall, the property owner may be liable if he or she:
- Caused unsafe conditions, such as spilling liquid and not mopping it up.
- Knew about the dangerous condition but did not take steps to correct it.
- Should have known about the hazard because a reasonable person taking care of the property would have discovered and corrected the dangerous condition.
What to Do After a Fall and When to Hire Slip and Fall Lawyers in New York
More than a million people each year visit emergency rooms in the United States because of falls. Some fall victims have minor injuries such as scrapes, cuts, or bruises, while others break hips or legs, fractured ankles, suffer concussions, or even damage their spinal cord. Falls can even result in death. If you are badly injured in a fall on somebody else’s property in New York City, White Plains, or Westchester County, the law may give you the right to make a claim against the person or company that owns, manages, leases, or controls the property involved. Whether you fell on public property, a sidewalk, a school, in a private residence, or in a business such as a retail store, parking lot, or restaurant.
There are some important actions to take after a fall accident, here are a few items to remember:
- Seek medical attention right away. If badly hurt, you should see a doctor or go to a hospital immediately after a fall. Not only do you need to get your injuries examined and treated, but you also need medical records evidencing the extent of the damage and injuries caused by the fall. Some major injuries (for example, a traumatic brain injury) show few immediate symptoms. Timely medical care and diagnosis could save your life. Evidence of the extent of your injuries will also be valuable if you pursue a fall injury claim against any negligent parties.
- Report the accident to the owner immediately. You need to alert the person or company in charge of the property as soon as the accident happens. This means telling the homeowner whose house you were in, calling the landlord, or alerting the manager at a business. If the injury happened at a business or in an apartment, the store owner or landlord should make a formal accident report, and you should ask for a copy. If you need to leave the accident scene for medical treatment, be sure to call back later to get an accident report. Request that surveillance video, if any, of the incident and the day of the incident be preserved.
- Be careful what you say and to whom you speak after the accident. Whether you are dealing with a homeowner, a landlord or a business manager, you should avoid getting emotional, casting blame, admitting guilt, or arguing about how and why you fell. You don’t want to say anything that could be used to undermine your potential claim for compensation. You also don’t want the situation to escalate into an argument. Simply report the facts of your injury in a straightforward way and ask that an incident/accident report be compiled.
- Get witness contact information. You should obtain the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of anyone who witnessed the accident. These witnesses can back up your story if the property owner tells a different version of events in an effort to escape liability for your fall injuries.
- Take pictures and/or videos. Be sure to take detailed photographs of the location where you fell, any conditions that contributed to causing the fall (a broken tile, cracked sidewalk, a puddle of spilled liquid, for example), and any surveillance cameras in the area where you fell. Try to ensure the pictures are time-stamped so it is clear exactly what the conditions were at the time of your fall. For one example, if a homeowner clears the snow from a driveway and salts it an hour after your accident, it could become more difficult to prove that it was slippery and unsafe at the time of the fall.
- Keep and preserve the clothes and shoes you were wearing. These can be useful evidence to show that the fall was caused by the negligence of the property owner.
- Consult our Westchester County slip and fall lawyers. You should contact an experienced, skilled New York slip and fall attorney as soon as you can after you have suffered a fall injury or other accident caused by negligence. our NYC and Westchester County premises liability attorneys can help you to get started gathering evidence before it disappears, and can also make sure you don’t answer questions unnecessarily or say anything that you should not. It is especially important to consult with an attorney before you sign anything or negotiate with the insurance company that covers the property owner. Insurers focus on their own profits rather than providing you with full and fair compensation for your injuries.
Level the Playing Field and Protect your Interests
That is why if you have a slip and fall or a trip and fall accident you need to speak with the attentive, knowledgeable, and motivated attorneys from Pete DeFilippis & Associates to level the playing field and protect your interests and legal rights. Don’t think you can rely on “Big Insurance” to look after you, they are usually huge public companies primarily concerned with their own bottom line. Feel free to call us for a no-obligation, no-cost, consultation at 212-227-4001 or 914-478-7777 or send an email to: [email protected].
