Woodhaven Slip and Fall Lawyers

If you slip and fall someplace other than a home that you own, you may be able to pursue a slip and fall lawsuit to help pay for your medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering. New York holds property owners strictly liable for maintaining their premises to a “reasonable” standard of safety.

In an exploration of this issue, the courts ask: “Did the property owner know about a hazardous condition on the premises?” or “Should the property have known about the maintenance issue that caused this accident?” They may also examine: “What would another property owner in the same position have done to maintain the property?”

Expert consultants are often brought in to bolster a premises liability case. Calling a slip and fall attorney at Douglas and London will help you figure out the next step in recovering from serious injury.

Do you have a serious slip and fall injury?

Common slip and fall injuries include:

• Fractured wrists, ankles, hands, feet, legs, arms, and vertebrae
• Head trauma, concussion, skull fracture
• Joint damage to the knee or hip
• Shoulder dislocation
• Loss of a fetus
• Lacerations and contusions

If your injuries are minor and resolve within a few weeks, you may not have much of a claim. However, if you have to take substantial time off work, undergo surgery, or suffer lasting effects from your injuries, you may be able to recover thousands or even millions of dollars in court.

Who is liable for a slip and fall accident?

You may feel the accident was “all your fault,” but most slip and fall accidents could have been prevented by property owners who either knew or should have known about potential hazards on their properties.

For instance:

• It is the property owner’s responsibility to put out a “wet floor” sign after mopping.
• It is the property owner’s responsibility to keep the stairs shoveled and salted, the walkways cleared, and the parking lots plowed within “a reasonable timeframe” after a winter storm.
• It is up to a property owner to routinely supervise to ensure puddles of water, grease, soap, oil, and other liquids are not left on the floor.
• A diligent property owner would have a schedule in place for conducting routine maintenance on the premises.

Even if you were wearing slippery shoes at the time, rushing, looking at your phone, having a few drinks, or carrying too many items at once, you could still collect damages under New York’s comparative negligence law. If you would have received $200,000 for your injuries, but the courts determine you were 50% at-fault for the accident, you can still collect 50% of the settlement (or, in this case, $100,000). Even if you’re not sure what exactly happened in those fateful moments before the accident, a slip and fall lawyer can help.

Contact our team of Woodhaven slip and fall lawyers

If you are suing a government entity, you could have as little as six months to act in pursuit of legal compensation. For commercial enterprises, apartment complexes, and other property owners, you may have up to three years to file a personal injury lawsuit. Our slip and fall lawyers work on a contingency basis only, meaning that you pay nothing upfront to retain our services; instead, you pay roughly a third of your settlement or jury award after the compensation is recovered on your behalf.

Douglas and London is a leading slip and fall law firm located in New York’s Financial District. For more than two decades, our expert personal injury attorneys have proudly served clients in neighborhoods across Queens, including Woodhaven. Contact us today for a free consultation.