Slips and falls happen every day around the city, and some of these accidents result in serious injury. Moreover, not all slip and fall accidents are truly accidents, as many are caused due to the negligence of other people.
Seeing as New York City can be tough to traverse (especially on foot!), if you or a loved one are involved in a slip and fall accident, and are injured as a result, you should know who to contact to file a successful lawsuit and recover compensation for those injuries.
Schwartzapfel Lawyers can help you file a lawsuit on time, recover maximum compensation, and offer sound legal counsel throughout your case. On top of that, we offer free case evaluations to anyone who gives us a call or contacts us through our website. Don’t wait; contact us today! Call 1-516-342-2200 and allow Schwartzapfel Lawyers the honor and privilege of fighting for you™!
What Is a Slip and Fall Accident?
Slip and fall accidents are legally distinct incidents. In most law books, a slip and fall accident occurs when someone slips on a hazardous surface or object and falls backward, injuring themselves. In contrast, a trip and fall accident occurs when a victim trips and falls forward as a result.
Slip and fall accidents can occur for various reasons and take different forms. Some common slip and fall accidents include:
- Slipping and falling on wet floors in restaurants or at other businesses
- Slipping on wet pavement or icy pavement after inclement weather
- Slipping on hazardous objects or garbage, such as an empty can or wrapper
Frequency of Slip and Fall Accidents
Slip and fall accidents are prevalent in New York City and beyond. In fact, official New York State Department of Health statistics indicate that fall-related injuries are the leading cause of injury hospitalizations for kids up to the age of 14 and adults aged 25 and older. The same data shows that falls are the leading cause of unintentional injury deaths for adults aged 45 and older.
Falls from any height, and slip and fall accidents in particular, are also very dangerous for New York State residents over the age of 65. When you slip and fall, you can’t use your hands to brace yourself and potentially save yourself from other injuries.
According to the New York State Department of Health, fall injuries have risen among the older adult population over the last several years. Evidencing this, in 2014 alone, 300 emergency department visits and 103 hospitalizations among adults aged 65 and older were attributed to fall-related injuries.
Overall, slip and fall accidents are common enough that you need to know what to do if you or a loved one are ever involved in one and sustain injuries.
Causes of Slip and Fall Accidents
Some slip and fall accidents are truly accidental. For example, sometimes there’s a patch of hazardous ice on the sidewalk after a snowstorm. Then a New Yorker slips and falls as they walk across it.
In many other cases, however, slip and fall accidents are caused directly by another person’s negligence, such as a restaurant, an employee, or someone else. Depending on the cause of a slip and fall accident, you may have grounds for a lawsuit and a means to recover compensation to pay for medical bills and more.
In NYC, slip and fall accidents are frequently caused by:
- Wet floors at restaurants or other businesses
- Icy patches on sidewalks or in front of business entrances
- Messy floors in businesses or apartment/residential or common areas
In some cases, slip and fall accidents may still occur even if individuals are trying to navigate safely. You can’t always predict whether stepping on a patch of ground will result in a slip. Slips also happen so frequently that it’s not always possible to stop yourself from falling even if you know that the ground is difficult to traverse.
Injuries From Slip and Fall Accidents
Unfortunately, slip and fall accidents can lead to moderate or severe injuries. When you slip and fall, you can’t catch yourself or break your fall in many cases. This exposes your back, tailbone, and head to blunt force trauma in many incidents.
Slip and fall accidents may lead to injuries including but not limited to:
- Broken bones
- Contusions (heavy bruising)
- Damage to the wrists or arms
- External lacerations
- Sprains, strains, and ligament tears
- Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
- Spinal damage and even paralysis
Some of these injuries can be so severe that they require intensive medical interventions. Those medical interventions, in turn, could lead to excessive medical bills and expensive ongoing costs. It can be tough for regular people to pay for the medical bills associated with those treatments alone. However, you may be able to sue an at-fault or negligent party for compensation.
To learn more, call Schwartzapfel Lawyers and speak with one of our slip-and-fall legal experts at no charge. Protect your financial future by dialing 1-516-342-2200 now!
Can You Sue for Slip and Fall Accidents?
Sometimes. It all depends on the cause of the slip and fall accident and whether you are held partially liable for your injuries.
For example, if you slip and fall at a restaurant that did not put up a wet floor” sign in the lobby, the restaurant manager or broader organization could be found liable for your injuries. In this case, the restaurant had a duty to provide you with a fair warning about the slippery floor. Since they did not do so, they are partially or fully responsible for the accident.
But many New York personal injury cases follow rules of pure comparative negligence. In a nutshell, a court or judge may decide that all involved parties in an accident are partially responsible or partially negligent.
For instance, if the same restaurant did put up a wet floor” sign but it was unclear where the wet floor really was, you might be held partially liable for your injuries if you tried to walk across that area anyway. Having the right legal team can help minimize pure comparative negligence and maximize your compensation.
What Do Slip and Fall Attorneys Do?
Slip and fall attorneys are legal professionals with the knowledge and training necessary to help your case succeed. They are frequently personal injury attorneys whose case histories have prepared them for slip and fall accidents and lawsuits just like yours.
Experienced slip and fall attorneys can provide several major legal benefits to your case, including but not limited to:
- Providing sound legal counsel, including helping you file your lawsuit motion before the statute of limitations expires and helping you file your lawsuit against the right party.
- Gathering evidence on your behalf, such as police reports, eyewitness accounts, or securing video footage from premises where the accident took place.
- Negotiating with the accused party’s lawyers or other organizations on your behalf. As trained negotiators, slip and fall attorneys know what to say, who to say it to, and how to ensure that your interests are represented fairly in a courtroom or during any other dealings.
In other words, slip and fall attorneys can help you present your case effectively and ensure that your lawsuit is successful. Of course, this is contingent on you picking the right slip and fall attorneys for your needs.
How To Choose a Slip and Fall Lawyer
While there are many slip and fall lawyers to choose from in New York City, not all are worth your time and money. That’s why you should choose a legal team like Schwartzapfel Lawyers.
As skilled personal injury and slip and fall attorneys, we are well-equipped and ready to assist with your upcoming court case. That’s because:
- We have a long history of successful slip and fall and other personal injury cases. You can check out our testimonials page to see the proof!
- Our firm is dedicated to each of our clients. When hired by a new client, we treat them like family forever. That’s because it’s our mission to fight for each of our clients as fully as possible. We’re dedicated to every case we take on, not just some.
- As a client, you won’t be charged a dime unless we first secure you compensation. Accordingly, you won’t ever need to worry about paying for legal support before you get a payout from a negligent party.
Please, don’t settle for just any slip and fall legal team in New York City. Choose the best by hiring Schwartzapfel Lawyers or contacting us today for a free consultation. You can call us at 1-516-342-2200 or simply use our site chat function on the side of the screen!
Summary
Recovering from a slip and fall accident can take time and money, but that shouldn’t mean you should be the one paying for someone else’s negligence. You’ve suffered enough.
With Schwartzapfel Lawyers’ help, we’ll fight to get you the maximum compensation available by law so that you can pay your medical bills and other accident-related expenses. There’s no time to waste, so contact us today at 1-516-342-2200 and we’ll immediately begin fighting for you™!
Sources:
Fighting For You™™ | Schwartzapfel Lawyers, P.C.
