Premises Liability

Spears of ice and chunks of rock-like snow hurtling down from towers high above may seem like something out of a fantasy novel, but for New Yorkers, it is a winter reality. Read the rest »

When we go to a baseball game, the last thing we want to have to worry about is safety. We go to cheer, meet other fans, and have a good time, not think about whether a stray ball might hit us in the face. (Or if a safety railing might give out.) Read the rest »

Tragedy struck a Coney Island family last week, when a six week old girl and her mother fell into an elevator shaft. The accident occurred on the 23rd floor of the Sea Rise II apartments, a building with 50 open building code violations, including four elevator violations. The baby’s mother was waiting for the elevator, which unbeknownst to her because there were no signs, was being repaired at the time. The elevator’s doors opened and the mother pushed the child’s stroller inside, not realizing that the elevator was actually six to eight feet below the floor. The baby fell onto the elevator’s roof and her mother fell on top of her. To make things worse, the elevator then dislodged and plummeted eight floors before coming to a stop on the 15th floor. A repairman heard the 21 year old mother’s screams and pulled her from the elevator shaft. She has been hospitalized and is expected to survive, the baby died at the scene.

The owners of apartment buildings have a duty of care to keep them safe for all legal visitors. This is a legal concept call “premises liability.” If they know of an unsafe condition but fail to remedy it, or do not adequately warn the public of the unsafe condition (such as an “elevator out of order” sign), they can be held liable for all damages the injured party suffers. Our hearts go out to this little girl and her family, and we urge all parents to keep their children safe. If you or a family member has been injured due to the negligence of a property owner, you have grounds for a premises liability lawsuit. To find out more about your legal rights and options, call the New York elevator accident attorneys at Wingate, Russotti, Shapiro & Halperin, LLP for a free case evaluation. Dial (212) 986-7353.

Slip, trip, and fall accidents are common everyday occurrences. Oftentimes, they are caused by nothing more than a person’s own clumsiness or inattentiveness, and they are able to get up and walk away with no injuries to anything other than their pride. However, there are also plenty of situations where a slip and fall incident has happened because of a New York City property owner’s negligence.

The problem is that proving liability in a slip and fall case can be quite difficult. If you’ve been seriously injured under these circumstances and believe the property owner to be at fault, your case will best be served by an experienced slip and fall attorney who knows what needs to be done in order to hold them responsible. Read the rest »

Hopefully when you get onto a New York bus or subway, you arrive at your destination safely. However, accidents do sometimes happen. Maybe there’s something on the stairs of the bus and you trip. Or maybe a subway platform wasn’t quite cleaned properly and you slip. When this happens, who’s responsible?

If you do get injured while using New York’s public transportation, it could not only cost you the initial pain and suffering, but also a loss of income, medical expenses, and more. The financial burden can quickly become too much for one person to bear, and if someone is to blame, you should be able to get the help you need. In New York City, that will depend on whether you were injured at a bus station or on a bus, or on the subway or on a subway platform. Read the rest »