Founding Attorney
New Yorkers are no strangers to walking. We make use of city sidewalks daily. Unfortunately, due to a number of maintenance issues, there can be dangerous sidewalk conditions that cause serious slip and fall accidents. The resulting injuries can be debilitating. Whether it be improper maintenance or failure to repair damaged sidewalks, cracked and uneven sidewalks can be a danger to pedestrians. Ignoring these poor sidewalk conditions only tends to make them worse as the damage becomes more severe and, thus the sidewalk continues to become more treacherous. Oftentimes it is the city or local government who is responsible for sidewalk maintenance and, thus, can be held liable for injuries that occur in slip and falls resulting from poor upkeep. Of course, any injury victim bringing an injury claim must be able to prove that the entity responsible for the sidewalk’s maintenance knew or should have known that the dangerous sidewalk condition existed in the first place. The dangerous sidewalk condition must also have been a substantial factor in causing their injury.
Being injured on a public sidewalk can be a truly traumatic event. It can also be followed by unpleasant red tape and complications in seeking compensation for your injuries. Here are some steps you should take if you are injured on a public sidewalk.
Steps to Take if You are Injured on a Public Sidewalk
Evidence. Evidence will be key in any injury claim you bring after being injured on a public sidewalk. This means that after you sustain your injury, documenting as much as possible could prove invaluable later down the road. Be sure to take photos to document the sidewalk condition at the time of your accident. You should also take pictures of any injuries you may have sustained as a result of the slip and fall accident.
Gathering as much information at the scene will be very important to building your injury claim. Witnesses can provide key supporting evidence in injury claims. As such, gather the contact information of any witness who may have seen the slip and fall leading to your injuries. It may also be a good idea to get the contact information for any property owners whose properties may border the sidewalk upon which you fell.
You should also seek immediate medical attention. This is, first of all, to help ensure your health and that you properly heal from all of your injuries. Seeking medical attention right away and getting consistent follow-up care can be essential to your physical recovery. Second of all, getting immediate medical attention and consistent follow-up medical care will also play a critical role in your injury claim. Medical records are the documentation you will need to support the fact that you were injured in the slip and fall accident. It will not be enough to say that you got hurt. Doctors must say this and you must show that you needed medical attention to address your injuries.
Pursue your claim in a timely manner. If you were injured on a New York City sidewalk and the City is responsible for maintaining that sidewalk, you will need to file a claim against the City. This must begin with filing a timely Notice of Claim within 90 days from the date of the accident. This preliminary notice is required to bring a claim against the city and those 90 days can run out fast.
Personal Injury Attorney
If you were injured on a public sidewalk, time is of the essence. Get in touch with Attorney Michael LoGiudice so he can begin working on your claim right away. Contact us today.