Staten Island Slip and Fall Lawyer
You intended to pick up a few things at the supermarket. Because of poor parking lot maintenance, you slip and fall into a pothole, and emergency personnel pick you up to go to the hospital. Because of this injury, you are out of work for months with limited mobility. As your medical and other bills pile up, you worry about how you will pay your rent or feed your family. The above is just one example of how a severe slip and fall injury can unexpectedly occur and seriously transform the future of your health and finances.
A Staten Island slip and fall attorney at Douglas & London can help you receive the maximum compensation for your injuries. Our dedicated lawyers have collected $18 billion in settlements and verdicts for victims of negligence. Schedule a free consultation to see how we can help you.
Why an Experienced Slip and Fall Lawyer is Crucial to Your Case
Hiring the right lawyer can make all the difference in the success of your slip and fall case. While you are recuperating from your injuries, your attorney will investigate your claim and negotiate with the property owner’s insurance company so that you may obtain a fair settlement. Our team of experienced personal injury lawyers in Staten Island at Douglas & London will know a reasonable settlement amount based on the nature of your injuries and prognosis.
How Douglas & London Can Help
For premises liability claims, Douglas & London has a stellar track record. Our firm negotiated a $1.725 million settlement for a 52-year-old woman who slipped and fell at a department store, suffering severe injuries to her lumbar spine and requiring multiple surgeries. Due to her injuries, she lost her job. The department store created a hazardous situation, resulting in her fall.
In another case, our attorneys negotiated a $1.6 million settlement for a 35-year-old man who suffered debilitating bilateral knee injuries when a residential building’s interior staircase collapsed. We also represented a 47-year-old man who suffered crush fractures and degloving injuries after being run over by a garbage truck. He received an $800K settlement in the case, which was brought against the property owner for inadequate exterior lighting.
These are just a few examples of the more than $18 billion we have recovered for clients in settlements and verdicts since 2002.
Types of Slip and Fall Accidents
Slip and fall accidents can happen anywhere, but the most common sites include the following:
- Hotels
- Offices and other commercial buildings
- Retail stores
- Restaurants
- Supermarkets
- Shopping malls
- Apartment complexes
- Parking lots
Under New York’s premises liability law, property owners must keep their premises safe to protect those “whose presence is reasonably foreseeable.”
Common Causes of Slip and Fall Accidents
The most common causes of slip and fall accidents include the following:
- Wet floors
- Debris in walkways
- Loose cords and electric wires
- Loose flooring
- Torn or bunched carpeting
- Weather conditions
Slips and falls can also happen because of poor lighting, damaged handrails, broken steps, spilled liquid in a grocery store aisle, and other reasons. To have a slip and fall case, you must prove someone else’s negligence caused your injuries.
Common Injuries
Common injuries in a slip and fall accident include:
- Back and neck injuries
- Fractures
- Lacerations
- Soft tissue damage
- Spinal cord injuries
- Traumatic brain injury
If you have difficulty moving or pain when you try to walk, you may have a broken bone or a torn ligament. Pain is a crucial symptom; however, some injuries are potentially very serious, even those without any initial pain. Therefore, getting medical attention after a slip and fall accident is essential, even if your injuries seem minor.
What to Do After a Slip and Fall
Documenting the hazard causing your slip and fall is critical to the success of your case. If you can, take photos of what caused your accident. Depending on the nature of the accident, it may take less than a minute for the property owner to remove the evidence. For instance, if you fell because debris was left in a walkway or loose cables or wires caused a trip hazard, the owner or their representative can quickly tidy up. If you cannot document the slip and fall site, try to get a witness to do this for you.
Other actions to take after a slip and fall include:
- Report the accident to the manager or owner.
- Obtain the names and contact information of any eyewitnesses.
- Seek medical attention right away. Failure to go to the emergency room or an urgent care facility could harm your claim.
- Save the clothes and shoes you were wearing when the fall took place.
Slip and fall damages
Damages, or compensation, in a slip and fall case may include:
- Medical expenses, current and future
- Lost wages
- Loss of future earnings
- Property damage
- Pain and suffering
The defendant’s insurance company or attorney will likely allege that the victim is at least partly responsible for the slip and fall. They might argue that the victim was paying more attention to their phone than where they were going or wearing inappropriate footwear for prevailing weather conditions.
However, a slip and fall victim can still receive compensation under New York’s pure comparative negligence rule. Few states operate under this standard, which is advantageous to the plaintiff.
Under this rule, the plaintiff in a slip and fall case can still recover damages even if they bear 99 percent of the responsibility for the accident. However, any damages awarded are reduced by the percentage of fault. For example, if a judge or jury determines you were 20 percent responsible for the fall and awards you $100,000, your compensation is reduced by 20 percent to $80,000.
Contact Staten
Island Slip and Fall Lawyers
If you were seriously injured in a Staten Island slip and fall accident due to property owner or management negligence, contact the New York Injury Lawyers at Douglas & London. Schedule a free consultation by calling 24/7 or completing our online contact form. We will review the circumstances of your slip and fall and determine if you have a case. While most cases are settled, we will head to court if the insurance company does not offer a reasonable settlement. There are no legal fees unless we win.
