Slip and Fall Accidents: Proving Liability/Fault

At Schlemmer & Maniatis, our New York personal injury attorneys encounter many slip and fall accidents each year. These accidents can occur on a slippery or uneven floor, a flight of stairs, a foreign substance, debris, or a broken or raised section of sidewalk. The meritorious nature of a NY slip and fall lawsuits is determined by whether the property owner is at fault and may be held legal responsible for the damages incurred. This article is written in hopes that it may explain some of the factors used to determine liability in slip and fall cases.

We all have the responsibility to conduct ourselves with reasonable care for our own wellbeing. However, as a society we all (individuals and corporations alike) have the responsibility to avoid needlessly endangering others.

Businesses, who invite the public onto their property in an effort to make a profit, have a duty to those customers to ensure that the property is maintained in a reasonably safe condition. Here are some general rules that help determine who was at fault for a slip and fall injury.

For the owner of the property to be held liable for the slip and fall injury, one of the following conditions must generally be met:

• The owner or employee must have caused or created the unsafe condition; or
• The owner or employee must have either known about the dangerous condition or failed to discover it and remove the danger within a reasonable amount of time after the condition occurred;

To learn more about slip and fall accidents or personal injury law, contact the Brooklyn personal injury attorneys at Schlemmer & Maniatis. Click here or call us today at (212) 248-5060 for a consultation with an NY slip and fall attorney.