If you’re here, chances are you suffered a slip and fall injury on a residential property in New York. There are lots of factors that come into play as to what you need to do when you suffer an injury on a residential property. One, you need to get photographs of the location where the accident occurred. I don’t mean a picture of the house; I’m talking about a picture of the spot where you fell. That becomes very important. The earlier those photographs are taken, the better. You want to make sure when you go to the hospital that you let the hospital and/or the ambulance personnel know that you fell while walking up or down the stairs and that that’s how your injury happened, that it’s documented. You want to make sure you retain an attorney who knows how to handle personal injury litigation and how to handle slip and fall cases. That attorney will make sure the investigation is done properly, that the proper photographs are taken, if they can be taken, and that you do what you need to do to help ensure that we’re able to get the best recovery possible.
Slip and Fall on City Property
Chances are, if you’re here, you suffered a trip and fall injury on a sidewalk or a curb in New York. One of the questions that is often asked is who’s responsible for your injury? In certain situations, you can hold the municipality responsible. Let me give you an example: In the city of New York, there are statutes and in the statute, it states that the adjacent property owner is responsible for a trip and fall on a sidewalk. However, if the trip and fall happens at curbside, now it’s the responsibility of the city, or if the trip and fall involved a tree, that’s the responsibility of the Parks and Recreation. There’s a good chance that you have a claim against the city. The municipality could be held responsible, but as well, you would make sure to hire competent council to pursue a claim against the adjacent property owner.
Faulty Handrail Injury
I had a client come to me the other day and told me that they suffered an injury walking down a flight of steps while going into the basement of a property that they were renting, and the steps did not have handrails. He was walking down, he lost his balance, and he literally fell over the side of the stairs onto the concrete below and he suffered a broken leg. The first thing we needed to do is take measurements photographs of the stairs. The first thing that you need to do is retain competent council to guide you through the process, to make sure a proper investigation is done, to ensure that we have the evidence that’s needed to pursue the highest possible recovery for you down the road.
Faulty Step Injury
I had a client call me the other day who fell down a flight of steps. She wanted to know, “Do I have a case against the property owner?” I said possibly. She didn’t say that there was any defect on the step, so we have to investigate further. She came in, she retained our office. We were able to get onto the property and we took some measurements. We found that the risers in the steps were out of whack, that the step is too narrow and should be wider. There are certain code requirements that were not met, and that’s what caused her to fall. We were able to call her and tell her, yes, we believe that you have a case here. We believe that the property owner violated certain building code regulations, and we went ahead and began the process of pursuing a claim on her behalf.
Were you or a loved one seriously injured from a slip and fall? Check out the common reasons for a slip and fall that make them occur, then contact a New York slip and fall lawyer at The Law Offices of Brian J. Elbaum today for a free confidential consultation and case evaluation. Let our experience work for you.
Contact the Law Offices of Brian J. Elbaum today for a free case evaluation.