A chunk of falling ice from an 84-story “Billionaires’ Row” building in Manhattan injured a 35-year-old woman driving in Midtown the night of Feb. 25, officials said. According to a report in the New York Daily News, the ice chunk struck the woman’s car and then hit her in the head. Paramedics transported her to an area hospital in stable condition.
FDNY units responded and declared the area safe a little later and inspectors
In Midtown, after the chunk of ice injured the motorist, 57th Street and Sixth Avenue was closed. A CNN video showed sheets of ice falling from buildings as pedestrians walked down 57th Street near Eighth Avenue. Another video showed a falling chunk just missing a pedestrian. One side of George Washington Bridge was also shut down because of falling ice.
According to the DOB, commercial property owners/managers have a legal responsibility to remove snow and ice from their properties. This is particularly important when temperatures are just above the freezing mark. As the ice begins to melt, the snow and ice on rooftops will fall and pose a safety hazard.
All commercial property owners and property managers of apartment complexes in New York are required to shovel and salt sidewalks and frequently traversed walkways on and around their property. Warning signs should be posted around particularly hazardous areas.
Property owners and managers must also mark where sidewalks are cracked due to harsh winter conditions and place dry floor mats near the entrances to their building. They must also post caution signs around areas that are slippery and pose the danger of a slip-and-fall accident. In addition, they must remove ice and snow from their roofs to avoid the danger of it falling below and injuring passersby.
Not all property owners are vigilant when it comes to maintaining a safe environment for visitors, workers and residents. Falling ice can be a significant danger not just for motorists, as we saw in Midtown, but also pedestrians who may potentially suffer catastrophic or even fatal injuries if they are hit by ice falling from such heights.
If you are injured on someone else’s property or as the result of a property owner’s or manager’s negligence (carelessness), notify the building management and obtain a copy of the incident report. Obtain contact information for anyone who may have witnessed the incident. Take photographs of the hazardous condition as well as your injuries. If you are unable to do so, ask a family member or a friend if they can help you.
In such cases, injured victims can file a premises liability claim against the property owner or manager seeking compensation for damages including, but not limited to, medical expenses, lost wages and benefits, hospitalization, physical therapy, permanent injuries, disabilities, past and future pain and suffering, etc.
If you or a loved one has been injured as a result of falling ice or a facade or building collapse, the experienced New York personal injury attorneys at the Law Offices of Kenneth A. Wilhelm can help you better understand your legal rights and options, and also fight hard to recover just compensation for you.
For over 50 years, our skilled accident attorneys have established a proven track record of helping injured victims get fair compensation for their losses. Our law firm recently recovered $5,600,000 for a bicyclist who was hit by a van, and $2,550,000 for another victim of a truck accident, and $3,000,000 for a pedestrian who was hit by a car, and the full $1,000,000 insurance policy for a pedestrian who was hit by a truck, and $4,625,000 for a driver who was in a car and was hit by a van, and $2,500,000 for a man who fell through an improperly secured hole. Also, one of our clients obtained a verdict for $43,940,000 and another of our clients got a verdict for $23,500,000, both in medical malpractice cases.
Please contact us TOLL FREE 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-WORK-4-YOU (1-800-967-5496). WE CAN EVEN COME TO YOU. There is no attorneys’ fee unless we recover money for you. We can also help with personal injury and/or medical malpractice cases in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, or Florida. If you have been seriously injured in any of the 50 U.S. states, please call us and we will try to help you with your case.
Other TOLL FREE phone numbers for us are:
1-800-RADIO-LAW, 1-888-WYPADEK, OR 1-800-LAS-LEYES
Please visit us at: www.WORK4YOULAW.com
Sources: https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-crime/ny-falling-ice-manhattan-skyscraper-20220226-thki3sylyfclfb2gaqqppjlbce-story.html
https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/new-york-city-falling-ice/