New York City Slip-and-Fall Lawyer
Slip-and-fall incidents are among the most common sources of injury on New York City properties. Whether the result of an encounter with a recently-mopped floor, a torn carpet, a pothole in a parking lot, or a spilled drink at a bar, a slip-and-fall injury can result in physical challenges and considerable medical expenses.
Did you slip and fall on someone else’s property in New York City? When you’ve fallen due to a dangerous property condition, you may have a claim against a negligent property owner or business. Unfortunately, property owners and businesses frequently fight hard to avoid responsibility for injuries that occur on their premises. A New York City slip-and-fall lawyer from Harford, P.C., can help you pursue maximum financial recovery and justice after a trip-and-fall.
Our founder, Scott A. Harford, understands how corporations and insurers fight legal claims and avoid liability because he used to serve Fortune 500 companies and big insurance firms. Now, he puts his legal knowledge and background to work protecting clients from powerful companies looking to exploit vulnerable injury victims. Scott uses his experience to develop effective legal strategies to level the playing field for clients so they can stand up for their rights and interests and achieve their goals.
If you’ve suffered injuries in a slip-and-fall accident, get the legal help you need to demand accountability and compensation for your injuries. Contact Harford, P.C., for a free initial case review. You’ll learn how a slip-and-fall lawyer in New York City can help you recover damages for your medical bills, lost earnings, and pain and suffering.
Why You Should Hire a New York City Slip-and-Fall Attorney
After suffering severe injuries in a slip-and-fall, you may need extensive medical treatment and rehabilitation to recover. Balancing your time between medical recovery and pursuing accountability and compensation from a negligent property owner can quickly become challenging. By hiring a New York City slip-and-fall attorney, you’ll have a dedicated advocate who can handle the details of pursuing your legal options so you can focus on healing.
Let Harford, P.C., help you seek financial recovery and justice from a negligent property owner or business by:
- Thoroughly investigating the accident to recover evidence for your claim, such as accident scene photos, surveillance video, eyewitness statements, and maintenance and repair records
- Explaining the slip-and-fall lawsuit timeline, so you know what to expect at each stage of your case
- Documenting your injuries and how they have affected your personal and professional life
- Calculating your ongoing and future expenses or losses to ensure we pursue the maximum compensation you deserve
- Identifying liable parties and determining the availability of property insurance coverage for the accident and your injuries
- Filing your claims and communicating and negotiating with insurance companies and defense attorneys to take the stress of the claims process off you
- Keeping you regularly updated throughout your case and providing you with answers to your questions and legal advice to help you make informed decisions
- Vigorously pursuing maximum financial recovery for you, whether through a negotiated settlement or by fighting for the justice you deserve in court
More importantly, we never charge you anything to get your case started. Our slip-and-fall accident law firm helps clients obtain the financial resources they need for recovery, and we do so without putting extra financial strain on people in need. That’s because we work on a contingency fee basis, which means we only collect a fee if we recover compensation for your case.
What Kinds of Damages Can I Pursue in a Slip-and-Fall Case?
In a slip-and-fall claim, you can pursue damages for ongoing and anticipated future expenses or losses arising from injuries you sustained in an accident on someone else’s property. Slip-and-fall compensation can include money for your:
- Medical costs arising from the injury, including expenses related to emergency treatment, prescription medications, surgery, hospital stays, physical therapy, rehabilitation, and long-term care
- Lost income due to missed work, as well as loss of future earning capacity if your injury requires you to move to a lower-paying or part-time role
- Pain and suffering resulting from your injuries and subsequent medical treatment
- Reduced quality of life resulting from injuries or disability
Who Could Be Responsible for an Injury in a Slip-and-Fall Case?
Various parties may have been responsible for maintaining the property where you had a slip-and-fall accident.
Premises liability law typically imposes a duty of care on property owners to keep their premises clear of hazards that might injure lawful visitors. For businesses and other commercial properties, this duty includes regularly inspecting the premises for hazards and fixing them or warning visitors of their presence, such as by putting up a “wet floor” sign.
Depending on the ownership or management of a property, parties who might bear responsibility for a visitor’s injuries in a slip-and-fall case include:
- A Property Owner – Property owners may bear responsibility for a slip-and-fall injury caused by inadequate maintenance of their premises.
- A Residential Tenant – An apartment tenant may bear liability when a visitor slips and falls inside the tenant’s home due to a hazardous condition the tenant is responsible for cleaning up or fixing.
- A Commercial Tenant – Commercial tenants, such as businesses leasing storefronts, typically have a responsibility to maintain their premises, which often applies to areas such as parking lots or adjacent sidewalks. These responsibilities may be outlined in their lease.
- A Residential or Commercial Landlord – Landlords have an obligation to maintain the common areas of residential or commercial buildings they own.
- A Property Management Company – Building owners may hire property management companies to handle repairs and maintenance. As a result, a management company may also bear responsibility for a building visitor’s injury from a slip-and-fall accident.
- A Janitorial Services Contractor – Property owners or management companies might contract janitorial service providers to perform maintenance and repairs. These third-party contractors may bear liability if a slip-and-fall case results from their negligence.
How Long Do I Have to File a Slip-and-Fall Lawsuit in New York?
Under the statute of limitations in New York, you typically have three years to file a slip-and-fall lawsuit after getting hurt in a fall on someone else’s property. However, there may be some situations where you’ll have a tighter deadline to take legal action. For example, when an accident occurs on state or local government property, the law requires you to provide the relevant government agency or officer with written notice of your slip-and-fall claim within 90 days of the accident.
Filing your claim or lawsuit after the applicable deadlines expire may jeopardize your opportunity to recover compensation for your injuries and losses. You can best protect your legal rights by talking to a slip-and-fall lawyer in New York City immediately after an accident to ensure your claims are filed on time.
What Are Common Types of Slip-and-Fall Accidents?
Slip-and-fall accidents have numerous potential causes. A slip-and-fall or trip-and-fall can occur due to a hazard on the ground that can cause a person to lose their footing and fall. Some of the most common reasons for slip-and-fall accidents include:
- Recently mopped or waxed floors
- Spilled foods or liquids
- Water leaks
- Tracked-in water, snow, ice, mud, or plant debris
- Trash or debris on the ground
- Uneven or broken pavement
- Loose flooring
- Torn carpeting or rugs
- Transitions between flooring surfaces
- Recent rain, snow, or ice storms
- Broken or missing steps or handrails
- Wires or cords laid across walking paths
- Inadequate lighting
What Are Common Places Where Slip-and-Fall Accidents Occur in New York City?
Slip-and-fall accidents in New York tend to occur in places with lots of foot traffic due to the increased chances of someone slipping or tripping on a hazard on the ground. Places where slip-and-fall or trip-and-fall accidents more frequently occur include:
- Grocery stores
- Bars
- Restaurants
- Clubs
- Fitness centers
- Spas
- Swimming pools
- Department stores
- Hotels
- Office buildings
- Public sidewalks
- Government buildings
- Recreational parks
- Sports arenas
- Auto shops
- Amusement parks
What Are Common Injuries Someone Can Sustain in a Slip-and-Fall Accident?
A slip-and-fall accident can cause injuries far worse than cuts and bruises, especially when a person falls from a height or down the stairs or hits a vulnerable body part on the ground. Common examples of slip-and-fall injury that can occur in an accident include:
- Severe lacerations and abrasions (such as rug burn or road rash)
- Dislocated joints
- Ligament sprains and tears
- Muscle or tendon strains and tears
- Broken bones, including fractured ankles, legs, hips, and wrists
- Permanent nerve damage
- Herniated spinal disc injuries
- Internal trauma and bleeding
- Head, facial, and dental injuries
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Spinal cord injuries and paralysis
Contact a Slip-and-Fall Attorney in New York City Today
After suffering injuries in a slip-and-fall accident in New York City, you deserve to seek financial compensation from a negligent property owner who allowed the dangerous condition to arise that caused you to slip or trip and fall.
Contact Harford, P.C., today for a free, no-obligation consultation with a New York City slip-and-fall lawyer to discuss your legal options. We’ll pursue compensation and accountability from the responsible party and help you get your life back on track.
