When we think about slip-and-fall or trip-and-fall accidents, we often tend to regard them as minor incidents and typically not the cause of serious or disabling injuries. But our New York personal injury lawyers have helped a number of injured clients who have suffered debilitating injuries in these types of accidents — often, because of someone else’s negligence (carelessness).
Most of these accidents occur when property owners and/or property managers fail to correct dangerous conditions that cause people to slip or trip. Property owners and managers also have the responsibility to warn visitors, tenants and guests of the dangers or unsafe conditions that they know exist on their property such as broken stairs, cracked walkways, etc.
Slip-and-fall and trip-and-fall accidents may occur in a number of places for a variety of reasons. However, here are some of the common everyday locations we’ve identified as places where the risk of these incidents is heightened:
1. Stairways
A number of stairway accidents are not the victim’s fault. Some of the most common causes for stairway slip-and-fall or trip-and-fall accidents include loose or broken handrails, lack of a handrail, rotting wood in the stair’s support, lumpy or torn carpeting, uneven steps, spills on the steps, or debris on the stairway that hasn’t been cleared. On outdoor stairways, snow or ice can also pose a slip-and-fall hazard, if not promptly cleared.
Stairway slip-and-fall or trip-and-fall accidents may result in serious injuries including head injuries, spinal cord trauma (neck and back injuries), cuts and lacerations, internal bleeding, multiple broken bones, etc.
2. Elevators and Escalators
A number of slip-trip-and-fall accidents also occur on or around elevators and escalators. For example, when escalators are not maintained properly, they may stop or start suddenly causing a person to trip and fall. Individuals can also get their fingers, feet, clothes or shoes caught in an escalator that is not properly maintained, which may result in a fall and serious injuries.
Elevator trip-and-fall accidents also stem from poor maintenance. Incidents that can cause injuries include an elevator stopping in between floors, opening at an uneven level with the floor or sometimes, failing to open. Some elevator accidents, as we’ve seen in New York City, can prove fatal.
3. Supermarkets and Stores
Slip-and-fall accidents are sadly common in supermarkets and retail stores. When store owners and/or managers are careless about spills or other debris on aisles, a slip-and-fall or trip-and-fall accident may occur. Storeowners and managers have a responsibility to clean up spills in a timely manner or at least warn customers about the danger by placing orange cones or warning signs in the area, etc.
4. Sidewalks
In New York City, property owners/managers are responsible for maintaining sidewalks and making sure they do not present a safety hazard. In some cases, the city is responsible for the maintenance. Some of the common causes of trip-and-fall accidents in New York City include, but are not limited to, broken or cracked sidewalks, exposed tree roots, uneven levels between slabs, damaged metal grates, debris left on sidewalk, etc.
Contacting an Experienced Lawyer
If you were involved in a slip-and-fall or a trip-and-fall accident as a result of someone else’s negligence (carelessness), please remember that you have rights. Some of the damages that victims of such accidents can claim include, but are not limited to, medical expenses, loss of wages and benefits, cost of hospitalization, surgery, physical therapy, past and future pain and suffering, permanent injury, etc. Injured victims can file a premises liability claim against the responsible parties including the property owner, property manager, maintenance/repair company, etc.
The experienced New York personal injury attorneys with 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 50 years, our skilled attorneys have established a proven track record of helping injured victims.
Our law firm recovered $1,700,000 for a woman who slipped and fell and received no hospital or medical treatment for one month after the accident. Our law firm also 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.
In an interview by the Canadian television station Global News after a fatal escalator accident in Montreal, Mr. Kenneth A. Wilhelm stated that the installation of emergency stop buttons that are easily located and run the entire length of the escalator stairs may go a long way in preventing escalator accident injuries and fatalities. 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
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