When you slip or trip on a sidewalk, walkway or supermarket aisle, the potential
for a serious injury is high. However, the danger of a catastrophic injury or fatality increases considerably when it comes to stairway accidents. Tripping or slipping and falling down a flight of stairs can leave you with serious or catastrophic injuries that require extended medical treatment and taking a considerable amount time off work. These injuries may even affect your ability to live your daily life and perform routine tasks/chores without assistance. If your stairway accident was caused by someone else’s negligence (carelessness), you may be able to seek compensation for your losses by filing a premises liability lawsuit.
Why Stairway Falls Happen
In order to receive compensation in a stairway accident case, plaintiffs (victims) must prove the property owner knew about the problem or defect, but failed to provide reasonable care and fix the issue. Here are some of the most common problems that result in stairway accidents:
• Damaged steps: This can include broken stairs or rotting wood that compromises the stability of the stairway. Such conditions are extremely dangerous and property owners/managers have a responsibility to repair them promptly.
• Broken or missing handrails: Handrails serve a purpose on stairways, which is to offer support. When handrails are defective, broken or missing, the risk of serious injuries increases.
• Inadequate lighting: Lack of proper lighting can cause those using the stairs to trip and fall.
• Debris and obstructions: Debris on stairs such as boxes, cords or other items may present trip and fall hazards.
• Poor stairway design: Steps that are poorly designed can be unsafe for users.
Injuries from Stairway Falls
A trip-and-fall or slip-and-fall that occurs as a result of these or other hazards — which should have been avoided with proper care and maintenance — tend to cause a variety of injuries requiring medical treatment. Some common injuries from stairway falls include broken bones or fractures, neck and back injuries, sprains and strains, traumatic brain injuries (head injuries), internal organ damage etc.
If negligence (carelessness) on the part of property owners, managers, store employees or maintenance staff led to your accident or injuries, it is important that you contact an experienced New York premises liability lawyer to obtain more information about pursuing your legal rights.
What to Do If You Are Injured in a Stairway Accident
Here are some of the important steps to take if you have been injured in a stairway accident:
• Make sure you file a written report to the applicable party and keep a copy of the report for your own records.
• Document everything at the scene before you leave. This means taking photos and videos of the location including the defective or dangerous condition. Get contact information from anyone who may have seen you fall.
• Seek medical attention for your injuries as soon as possible.
• Save all receipts and documentation relating to your injuries and treatment.
• Contact a skilled New York premises liability lawyer who will help protect your rights.
Contacting an Experienced Lawyer
If you were involved in a slip-and-fall or 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.
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 over 51 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. We also recovered $3,000,000 for a man who fell and suffered two broken legs when he walked into an open elevator shaft. 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. Our law firm helped a client secure $1,750,000 in a case where she suffered an ankle injury requiring surgery when the elevator she was in fell four floors due to negligence (carelessness) on the part of the elevator maintenance company. In addition, we got the workers’ compensation insurance company to pay a $150,000 lump sum for future medical benefits. 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, lead poisoning and 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.
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1-800-RADIO-LAW, 1-888-WYPADEK, OR 1-800-LAS-LEYES
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