New York slip and fall accidents can cause severe personal injuries and significant medical expenses. Slip and fall accidents can result in brain injuries, fractures, and back injuries. Every year in New York, people have incidents on loose or uneven stair treads, debris, spilled liquid on the floor, and icy sidewalks. Injuries caused by Westchester slip and fall accidents are among the most common claims involved in premises liability lawsuits.
If you or your loved one have suffered injuries from a slip and fall accident, you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries. Under New York, premise liability law, victims of slip and fall accidents have a right to bring a lawsuit against the person whose negligence or recklessness caused the accident. At Michael LoGiudice, LLP, we have a well-earned reputation for helping our clients secure compensation for their injuries. Contact our Westchester personal injury lawyers today to schedule your initial consultation.
Common Causes for Westchester Slip and Fall Accidents
Slip and fall accidents often happen unexpectedly, and severe incidents often require a hospital visit and immediate medical attention. These accidents can happen nearly anywhere: on stairs, a sidewalk, or inside a retail or commercial building. Some of the common causes of slip and fall accidents include the following:
- Escalator accidents
- Elevator accidents
- Parking lot accidents
- Sidewalk accidents
- Accidents that happen in cluttered stores
- Pooling liquid
- Potholes in the parking lot
- Icy sidewalks that aren’t salted
- Splashed oil or grease that isn’t removed from the floor
- Loose rugs, floorboards, and mats, particularly on staircases
- Recently waxed or mopped floors
- Uneven surfaces that don’t have any warning signs
- Trash or debris on the floor
- Poor lighting
- Bright lights causing a glare on shiny floors
- Cords or wires strung across walkways
- A lack of handrails on a staircase
Westchester Slip and Fall Accidents Are Common
Unfortunately, slip and fall accidents are far too common. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), these accidents make up 15 percent of all deaths caused by accidents in the United States. Fatal accidents are especially prominent in the construction industry. In 2018, 338 out of 1,008 total deaths caused by construction accidents were slip and fall accidents.
In the United States, a worker becomes injured due to a fall accident over 42,000 times per year or once per 2.5 minutes. Fatal fall accidents can happen due to slipping and tripping. Due to our severe New York winters, many New Yorkers suffer serious personal injuries every winter after slipping on dangerous, icy sidewalks.
Property Owners Have a Duty to Keep Their Property Reasonably Safe
Property owners have a legal duty to keep their premises reasonably safe and well-maintained. When property owners invite someone onto their property, they owe them a responsibility to keep their premises safe to avoid slip and fall accidents. Customers in businesses enjoy this right, as well as guests invited into a person’s home. Governments, including cities and municipalities, also owe the public a duty to make sidewalks and crosswalks reasonably safe.
The specific type of legal duty a landowner owes to a person depends on that person’s status. Invitees are those who the landowner has invited to enter the property or land for a business purpose. Invitees can also be members of the public who are on property held open to public members, such as people walking through a public park. Invitees include business guests, shoppers, and visitors to public parks.
Invited licensees are those invited to a property by a landowner, such as a guest at a dinner party. Uninvited licensees are those who have not been invited, but whose presence is reasonable under the circumstances. Uninvited licensees would include delivery people and door-to-door salespeople. Trespassers are individuals who haven’t been invited to the property and have no legal right to be on it.
Property owners owe the highest duty of care to invitees and invited licensees. Property owners must actively inspect their property and fix any dangerous circumstances, or provide adequate warning to invitees. Most premises liability cases involve people who are invited onto a property where they receive their injuries.
Stores And Businesses Should Reduce the Risk of Westchester Slip and Fall Accidents
Stores and businesses should reduce the risk of slip and fall accidents by mopping up wet surfaces, keeping sidewalks and parking lots repaired, removing snow and ice, and using moisture-absorbent mats in their entrance areas. If a property owner or his or her employee knows about a slip or should have known about a spill, he or she has a duty to clean up the spill immediately.
Property owners should keep their passageways, work areas, staircases, and sidewalks free and clear to prevent slip and fall accidents. Doing so includes making sure there are no stringing cords or cables across walkways and hallways. They should move any obstacles, including boxes, out of areas that customers and employees frequently walk.
Recovering Compensation for Your Injuries
If you or your loved one have experienced injuries caused by a slip and fall accident, you need an experienced Syracuse premises liability lawyer. At Michael LoGiudice, LLP, we will investigate the facts of your case and advise you on your best legal option for recovering compensation. Contact our personal injury law firm as soon as possible to schedule your initial consultation.
When a property owner fails to prevent dangerous conditions on a walking surface, and his or her negligence results in a dangerous slip and fall accident, the injured individual can seek compensation through a personal liability lawsuit. Successful plaintiffs may recover the following types of compensation related to their injuries from their lawsuit:
- Medical expenses
- Medical equipment
- Lost wages or earnings
- Pain, suffering, or emotional distress
Additionally, the family members of victims of a slip and fall accident that caused their loved one’s death have a right to file a wrongful death lawsuit.
Contact Our Westchester Slip and Fall Lawyers Today
If you or your loved one have suffered a severe injury from a slip and fall accident, Michael LoGiudice, LLP is ready to help you seek compensation. Contact our personal injury law firm as soon as possible to schedule your initial consultation.