Slip and fall accidents can be the cause of serious injuries. If you have been injured in one of these types of accidents, you may need to speak with an experienced Long Island slip and fall lawyer at Levine And Wiss,. We can advise you about your options for securing any compensation allowable by law.
Your Long Island personal injury lawyer from our firm understands that you may require serious medical assistance after a slip and fall or trip and fall accident. We have over 100 years of combined experience securing substantial verdicts and settlements for our clients.
You can rely on our premises liability lawyers to help you secure access to the medical and financial resources you need to recover, so contact us to schedule your free consultation today.
A Closer Look At Slip and Fall Accidents on Long Island
“Slip and fall” accidents and the injuries that result fall into a category of law called “premises liability.” If you get injured on the property of another, and the condition of the property was a factor in that injury, the property owner may be liable for your damages. Property owners on Long Island, including Westbury, Hempstead, West Hempstead, Amityville, and Valley Stream, have responsibilities.
They must maintain their property in such a way as to be reasonably safe. Regardless of where your slip and fall accident occurred, various parties might be legally responsible for paying you for your back injuries, broken bones, or traumatic brain injuries based on the severity and symptoms. Generally, the parties who control the property can be held liable when negligence results in accidents and injuries.
Property owners, landlords, business owners, and municipal governments owe various duties to the public and visitors to their properties. When a party fails to uphold the duties and you get injured, you might be legally entitled to compensation.
Your slip and fall lawyer on Long Island will do everything possible to collect the evidence we need to prove the defendant’s liability for your damages.
The Duties Property Owners Have To Ensure Your Safety
Property owners have a legal duty to keep their premises reasonably safe. In general, this means that property owners must take reasonable steps to fix conditions that they know to be unsafe. Also, property owners are responsible for taking reasonable steps to correct conditions that they should have known to be dangerous per the Property Maintenance Code of New York State.
Negligence occurs when a property owner fails to take reasonable steps to fix dangerous conditions they knew or should have known about. Negligence can also occur when they fail to repair the condition or repair it ineffectively. Failing to warn about the danger can also be considered negligent.
Common Slip and Fall Accidents on Long Island
All cases differ in small ways. However, with our experience with slip and fall claims, we see some situations repeatedly. Many slip-and-fall cases fall into one of several categories:
- Slipping on snow and ice in front of a business or home
- Slipping on spilled produce, condiments, liquids, or other items in a grocery store or supermarket
- Tripping over fraying or poorly laid carpeting
- Tripping and falling over an uneven sidewalk or broken pavement
- Falling in a parking lot that is poorly lit, broken, or icy
- Falling downstairs at work or in an apartment building due to broken boards or uneven-ness
- A slip and fall after suffering a dog bite or attack
Your Long Island Slip and Fall Attorney at Levine And Wiss,Must Prove Negligence When You Get Hurt on Someone’s Property
There is always some risk involved in everyday activities, and it is fair to expect the occasional misstep and rolled ankle. Not all accidents can result in legal claims and the recovery of compensation. The key to a premises liability claim is proving that someone was negligent and that negligence resulted in your injuries, as described by Hofstra University. Proving negligence in a slip and fall case requires at least one following:
- The property owner (or someone else in control of the property, like a business owner, tenant, or employee) caused the dangerous condition.
- The property owner (or someone else in control of the property, like a business owner, tenant, or employee) knew about the dangerous condition and did nothing, or not enough, about it.
- The property owner (or someone else in control of the property like a business owner, tenant, or employee) should have known about the dangerous condition because a reasonable person would have discovered and taken steps to fix it or warn about it.
Your experienced Long Island premises liability lawyer at Levine and Wiss, understands what it takes to prove that a property owner was negligent. Call a slip and fall attorney on Long Island at our firm and tell us about your accident so we can determine whether you are entitled to monetary compensation.
Considerations to Help Determine What Is Reasonable in a Slip and Fall Case
Slip and fall claims often hinge on whether a property owner acted reasonably. What reasonably means must be examined on a case-by-case basis. Consider this hypothetical situation and how we might evaluate reasonableness:
You went to the grocery store to purchase some items. In the condiment aisle, you slipped and fell on a patch of spilled salad dressing, breaking your arm and suffering a concussion.
Some questions we might ask to determine whether the property owner, store manager, or employee acted reasonably include:
- Was the spill there long enough that someone should have known about it and cleaned it?
- Does the store owner have procedures and policies in place to perform regular cleaning and/or evaluation of the premises?
- Should someone have known about and warned of the dangerous spill before removing it?
- Did someone try to clean it up but did not properly do so?
Contact Levine and Wiss, PLLC to Meet with a Long Island Slip and Fall Attorney Today
To protect your rights and to help you secure the kind of compensation that your injuries actually warrant, turn to an experienced Long Island slip and fall attorney at Levine And Wiss. We are dedicated to helping our clients secure the maximum compensation.
Call us today or contact us online to schedule a free initial consultation of your slip and fall case. We represent clients on a contingent fee basis, which means we do not get paid until you secure the compensation the law allows.
