Slip and Fall Attorney New York City — Premises Liability Lawyer Serving Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan & All Five Boroughs
Property owners in New York have a legal duty to keep their premises safe. When they fail and you get hurt, we hold them accountable. Free consultation. English and Spanish. No fee unless we win.
A slip and fall can happen in seconds. The injuries are rarely minor. Broken bones, head trauma, spinal injuries, and torn ligaments are common outcomes. Property owners and their insurers move quickly after an accident, blaming the victim or claiming they had no notice of the hazard.
We have been fighting premises liability cases across New York City since 1994. Adam knows every defense property owners use. He knows because he spent years helping build those defenses. Now he tears them apart.
Every case is handled personally. No handoffs.
Slip and Fall on Commercial Property — Restaurants, Retail, and Office Buildings
Businesses that invite the public onto their property must maintain safe conditions. That means cleaning up spills promptly, repairing damaged flooring, and warning visitors about known hazards.
When a restaurant ignores a wet floor, a retail store leaves an obstacle in an aisle, or an office building fails to maintain its entrance and you get hurt, the business is liable. We pursue compensation from the business, its insurer, and the property owner where applicable. Every responsible party answers
We handle these slip and fall claims:
- Wet floor and spill injuries
- Broken and uneven sidewalks
- Icy steps and snow-covered walkways
- Defective staircases and broken handrails
- Elevator and escalator accidents
- Apartment building and landlord negligence
- City and municipal property accidents
- Parking lot falls
Cases We Handle
As a full-service personal injury law firm, we represent clients in:
Vehicle Accidents
Car, truck, and motorcycle accidents, bicycle and pedestrian injury claims, as well as rideshare accident cases involving services like Uber and Lyft are all types of cases handled.
Workplace & Construction Injuries
Workers’ compensation claims, job site and construction accidents, as well as injuries caused by repetitive stress or unsafe working conditions are all types of cases handled.
Premises Liability
Slip, trip, and fall injuries, hazardous staircases, sidewalks, or building conditions, as well as elevator and escalator accidents are all types of cases handled.
Catastrophic & Specialized Cases
Medical malpractice, wrongful death claims, dog bites and animal attacks, as well as serious injuries such as brain trauma, spinal cord damage, or burns are all types of cases handled.
Wet Floor and Spill Injuries — Supermarkets and Grocery Stores
Supermarkets are among the most common locations for slip and fall injuries in New York City. The law requires staff to address spills within a reasonable time. When they do not, people get hurt and the store is responsible.
We obtain incident reports, surveillance footage, and maintenance logs to establish exactly how long the hazard existed before you fell. That timeline is often what decides the case. Insurers know this. We know it better.
NYC Sidewalk Liability — Local Law 49 and Property Owner Responsibility
Under Local Law 49, adjacent property owners in New York City are responsible for maintaining the sidewalk in front of their building. Cracked pavement, raised concrete, and missing sections are the property owner’s legal responsibility in most cases. Not the city’s.
If you were injured on a broken sidewalk, we identify who owns the adjacent property, check for prior notice of the defect, and pull maintenance records. These cases move on strict timelines. Call us as soon as possible after a sidewalk fall.
taircase, Handrail Sand Elevator Falls
Building owners must keep staircases properly lit, hazard-free, and equipped with functioning handrails. Elevator and escalator owners must maintain their equipment and address known mechanical issues without delay.
A broken handrail. A poorly lit stairwell. A malfunctioning elevator. When any of these cause an injury, the building owner is liable. We handle these claims against residential landlords, commercial property owners, and building management companies throughout New York City.
If you were injured on a broken sidewalk, we identify who owns the adjacent property, check for prior notice of the defect, and pull maintenance records. These cases move on strict timelines. Call us as soon as possible after a sidewalk fall.
Ice and Snow Slip and Fall Claims in New York
New York law gives property owners a reasonable window to clear snow and ice after a storm ends. Once that window closes, failure to clear walkways and entrances creates direct liability.
Timing is everything in these cases. We obtain weather records, maintenance logs, and witness statements to establish when the storm ended, whether the owner acted within the required timeframe, and whether the ice was a natural accumulation or formed from a drainage or gutter problem. That last distinction changes liability significantly. We investigate both.
Apartment Building and Landlord Liability
Landlords must maintain safe common areas, hallways, stairwells, lobbies, and parking areas. When a landlord ignores a known defect and a tenant or visitor is injured, the landlord is liable.
We obtain prior complaint records, building inspection reports, and maintenance requests to prove the landlord knew about the hazard and failed to act. Prior city violations on record become evidence of a pattern of neglect. That pattern matters in court.
Timing is everything in these cases. We obtain weather records, maintenance logs, and witness statements to establish when the storm ended, whether the owner acted within the required timeframe, and whether the ice was a natural accumulation or formed from a drainage or gutter problem. That last distinction changes liability significantly. We investigate both.
Suing the City — Notice of Claim Requirements for NYC Property
If your fall happened on city-owned property, a public sidewalk the city maintains, a government building, or a public park, the rules are different and the deadlines are much shorter.
Before suing New York City or any municipal entity, a Notice of Claim must be filed within 90 days of the accident. Miss that deadline and your right to sue is gone entirely. No exceptions. No extensions.
We file Notices of Claim immediately after being retained on government property cases. If a city-owned property was involved, call us today. Not tomorrow. Today.
What Compensation Can You Recover?
Depending on your injuries, you may be entitled to:
- Medical expenses, current and future
- Lost wages and reduced earning capacity
- Pain and suffering
- Permanent disability or disfigurement
- Rehabilitation and physical therapy costs
- Wrongful death damages if a loved one was killed
We evaluate every category from the first consultation and fight for the full amount. Not the insurer’s opening offer.
How do I prove a property owner is liable?
You need to show the owner knew or should have known about the hazard and failed to fix it. We build that proof through surveillance footage, incident reports, maintenance logs, and witness statements.
What if I was partly at fault?
You can still recover. New York’s comparative fault rules reduce your compensation by your percentage of fault but do not eliminate your claim. We fight to keep that percentage as close to the actual facts as possible.
How long do I have to file a slip and fall claim in New York?
Three years from the accident date for most slip and fall claims. If a government entity owns the property, a Notice of Claim must be filed within 90 days. Do not wait.
What if the property owner says they had no warning?
That is the most common defense. We counter it with surveillance footage showing how long the hazard existed, maintenance logs, and prior complaint records. The evidence tells a different story.
Does it matter if there was no wet floor sign?
Yes. The absence of a warning sign is direct evidence of negligence. It shows the owner failed their duty to warn visitors of a known hazard.
What if I slipped on a public sidewalk?
If the city owns the sidewalk, a Notice of Claim must be filed within 90 days. If an adjacent property owner is responsible under Local Law 49, standard negligence rules apply. We determine which party is liable from the start.
Do I have a case if I fell in my own apartment building?
Yes, if the fall resulted from a hazard the landlord knew about or should have known about. A broken step, poor lighting, a damaged floor. Tenants have the same right to a safe premises as any visitor.
Talk to Adam Before the Property Owner's Insurer Calls You
The property owner’s insurance company will contact you quickly after a slip and fall. They will sound helpful. They are not. A recorded statement taken before you have legal representation can seriously damage your claim.
Before you speak to anyone, call us. The consultation is free. No upfront fees. Adam is reachable from the first call.