Brooklyn Slip and Fall Lawyer
Injured in a Brooklyn slip and fall accident? Frekhtman & Associates has recovered over $900 million for injured New Yorkers, including a $69.25 million jury verdict and a $1.2 million settlement for a slip and fall on ice. Our Brooklyn slip and fall lawyers have represented victims across all five boroughs for over 25 years. We know Brooklyn’s courts, judges, insurance adjusters, and defense attorneys, and we prepare every case to go to trial. We work on a contingency fee basis: you pay nothing unless we recover compensation for you. No upfront costs. Call (718) 331-7700 for a free same-day case review. Available 24/7.
Property owners in New York are required by law to maintain safe conditions and warn visitors of known hazards. A wet floor with no warning sign. An icy sidewalk left untreated for hours. A broken step that tenants reported months ago. These are not accidents. They are the result of negligence. Within hours of your fall, the property owner’s insurer assigned a team to document reasons to limit what they pay you before you understand what your claim is worth.
At Frekhtman & Associates, our Brooklyn slip and fall lawyers step in from the moment you call. We handle every communication with the insurer, preserve evidence before it disappears, and build a case that reflects the full impact of your injuries. For over 25 years, our Brooklyn personal injury lawyers have recovered more than $900 million for injured New Yorkers across all five boroughs. We know Brooklyn’s courts, judges, insurance adjusters, and defense attorneys.
- $69.25 million jury verdict
- $1.7 million premises liability recovery
- $1.2 million slip and fall on ice in building settlement
- 300+ five-star Google reviews from real clients
- 9.9 Avvo rating and National Top 100 Trial Lawyers
- Featured in the NY Post, Daily Mail, and CBS New York
We work on a contingency fee basis. You pay nothing unless we recover compensation for you. No upfront costs, no hourly fees, no retainers. If we don’t recover, you owe nothing.
Call (718) 331-7700 for a free same-day case review. We come to you if you’re hospitalized or can’t travel due to injuries. You can also visit us at 60 Bay 26th St. or 1791 Fulton St., Brooklyn – open 24/7.
Proven Results in Brooklyn Slip and Fall Cases
Below are verdicts and settlements we have secured for injured clients.
* Past results do not guarantee, warrant, or predict a similar outcome in your case. Every case is different.
Every case is unique and depends on its specific facts, injuries, and circumstances. These results represent our commitment to pursuing full compensation for slip and fall victims.
Types of Slip and Fall Accidents We Handle in Brooklyn
Slip and fall accidents happen throughout Brooklyn, from icy sidewalks in winter to wet floors in stores, broken stairs in apartment buildings, and debris-covered walkways. Property owners have a legal duty to maintain safe premises and warn visitors of known hazards. When they fail, they’re liable for resulting injuries.
Wet Floor and Spill Accidents
Wet floors from water, cleaning solutions, spilled drinks, melted ice, or food residue create slippery surfaces that cause people to lose footing. These accidents happen in Brooklyn grocery stores, restaurants, retail shops, office lobbies, apartment entrances, and subway stations. Victims often suffer head injuries, back injuries, and fractures to the wrists or hips when trying to break a fall. Property owners are expected to clean spills promptly, post warning signs, use non-slip mats in high-traffic areas, and conduct regular inspections.
Snow and Ice Slip and Falls
Winter weather creates snow and ice hazards on Brooklyn sidewalks, parking lots, building entrances, and stairs. NYC Administrative Code § 16-123 requires Brooklyn property owners to remove snow and ice from adjacent sidewalks within 4 hours after precipitation stops and apply salt or sand to prevent ice accumulation. Property owners who violate this statute face civil fines ranging from $10 to $350, depending on the number of prior violations, and are liable for all slip and fall injuries that result. Winter falls frequently occur at building entrances where melting snow refreezes overnight, on inadequately cleared sidewalks and parking lots, and on exterior stairs. These falls cause severe injuries, including hip fractures in elderly victims, spinal injuries, head trauma, and shoulder injuries.
Uneven Sidewalk and Pavement Trip and Falls
Cracked sidewalks, broken pavement, raised concrete slabs, potholes, and uneven surfaces are common hazards throughout Brooklyn’s older neighborhoods. Pedestrians catch their feet on raised edges or step into unexpected depressions. In New York City, property owners are generally responsible for maintaining sidewalks adjacent to their property under premises liability law. High-traffic areas like Flatbush Avenue, Court Street, Fifth Avenue in Park Slope, and Kings Highway see frequent sidewalk accidents. Typical injuries include ankle and wrist fractures, knee injuries, and facial injuries when victims fall forward.
Staircase and Stairwell Accidents
Staircase falls in Brooklyn apartment buildings, office buildings, subway stations, and commercial properties often result in catastrophic injuries. Dangerous conditions include broken or crumbling steps, missing or unstable handrails, inadequate lighting, worn stair treads, uneven step heights, and debris on stairs. Interior stairwells often have poor lighting and deferred maintenance, while exterior stairs accumulate ice, snow, and water. Injuries are often severe: spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, multiple bone fractures, and internal injuries.
Poor Lighting Falls
Inadequate lighting makes it difficult to see hazards or judge distances. This is especially dangerous in stairwells, hallways, parking garages, entrances, and walkways. Poor lighting often combines with other hazards, such as wet floors invisible in dim light, steps not visible in shadows, or obstacles hidden in darkness. Common locations include apartment stairwells with burned-out bulbs landlords fail to replace, parking garages with insufficient fixtures, and poorly lit basement areas. Poor lighting constitutes negligence when property owners knew or should have known about inadequate lighting and failed to correct it.
Debris and Clutter Trip Accidents
Debris and clutter in walkways create trip hazards that property owners are legally required to remove promptly. Common examples include merchandise boxes in store aisles, construction materials in building hallways, electrical cords across walkways, bunched carpeting, and scattered debris in parking lots or on sidewalks. Injuries range from sprains and bruises to fractures, head injuries, and back trauma, depending on how the victim falls. Property owners and store managers are responsible for regular inspections and prompt hazard removal.
Common Causes of Slip and Fall Accidents in Brooklyn
Most slip and fall accidents in Brooklyn result from property owner negligence, not victim carelessness. Property owners, including landlords, business owners, and management companies, have a legal duty to maintain reasonably safe conditions and warn visitors about known hazards.
- Failure to Warn Visitors: Wet floors without caution cones, construction zones without barriers, and uneven surfaces without clear markers create preventable dangers.
- Deferred Maintenance: When property owners delay repairs to cut costs, small issues become serious hazards, especially common in Brooklyn’s older buildings.
- Poor Drainage and Water Management: Faulty drainage systems cause water to collect and freeze on walkways. Downspouts that discharge onto sidewalks create ice patches.
- Inadequate Outdoor Lighting: Insufficient lighting in parking lots, stairwells, and walkways makes it difficult to see hazards, especially at night.
- Obstructed Walkways: Merchandise, equipment, or debris left in walkways creates trip hazards that property managers must remove promptly.
- Unsafe Parking Lot Conditions: Potholes, uneven pavement, and deteriorating surfaces in parking lots cause trip and fall accidents when property owners neglect repairs.
Average Slip and Fall Settlement Amounts in Brooklyn
Slip and fall settlements in Brooklyn typically range from $15,000 to over $1 million, depending on injury severity and liability strength. Most cases settle between $50,000 and $250,000.
Settlement Ranges by Injury Severity
| Injury Type | Settlement Range |
|---|---|
| Minor (sprains, bruises) | $10,000 – $50,000 |
| Moderate (fractures, ligament tears) | $50,000 – $200,000 |
| Serious (herniated discs, surgery required) | $100,000 – $400,000 |
| Severe (TBI, spinal cord injury) | $250,000 – $2,000,000+ |
| Catastrophic (paralysis, permanent disability) | $500,000 – $5,000,000+ |
Key Factors Affecting Settlement Value
- Injury severity: Permanent disabilities and surgeries increase value significantly
- Medical expenses: Past and future treatment costs
- Lost wages: Income lost during recovery and reduced earning capacity
- Evidence strength: Photos, video footage, witness statements, maintenance records
- Property owner notice: Proof that the owner knew or should have known about the hazard
- Comparative fault: New York reduces your award by your percentage of blame
- Insurance coverage: Policy limits may cap your recovery
- Pain and suffering: Compensation for physical pain, emotional distress, and lost quality of life
Serious Injuries Caused by Slip and Fall Accidents
Slip and fall accidents can cause injuries ranging from minor to life-altering. Many require surgery, ongoing treatment, and months of rehabilitation. Insurance companies routinely dispute their severity. Our NYC personal injury lawyers use medical records, imaging, and expert evaluations to show their full impact.
Severe head trauma results in permanent cognitive impairment, memory loss, personality changes, and loss of motor function. Emergency surgery and long-term care are often necessary. Victims may face permanent disability affecting their ability to work and live independently.
Concussions
Mild to moderate head impacts can cause concussions with symptoms including headaches, dizziness, difficulty concentrating, and balance problems. Symptoms may appear hours or days later, which is why immediate medical evaluation is critical. Multiple concussions increase the risk of long-term brain damage.
Damage to the spinal cord can result in partial or complete paralysis below the injury site. These catastrophic injuries often require emergency surgery, intensive rehabilitation, and lifelong care. Victims may lose the ability to walk, control bodily functions, or live independently.
Falls cause herniated discs, fractured vertebrae, and nerve damage. Severe pain, numbness, tingling, and muscle weakness follow. Surgery and months of physical therapy are common. Chronic pain often persists after treatment.
Hip fractures are especially serious for older adults. Wrist and ankle fractures occur when trying to break a fall. Surgical repair with plates, pins, and screws is often necessary, followed by an extended recovery. Some injuries cause permanent disability and reduced mobility.
Soft Tissue Injuries
Muscle strains, contusions, and deep tissue damage don’t appear on X-rays but cause significant pain and limited mobility. MRI scans are needed for diagnosis. Physical therapy, anti-inflammatory medications, and rest are standard treatments. Chronic pain can persist for months or years.
Ligament and Tendon Tears
Torn ligaments and tendons in the knees, ankles, and wrists are common in falls. ACL tears, MCL tears, and Achilles tendon ruptures often require surgical repair followed by 6-12 months of rehabilitation. Insurance companies frequently dispute these injuries because they don’t show up on X-rays, making specialist documentation critical.
Shoulder Tears and Rotator Cuff Injuries
These injuries often happen when someone lands on an outstretched arm or falls directly onto the shoulder. Symptoms include severe pain, weakness, and inability to lift the arm. Most rotator cuff tears require surgical repair followed by several months of rehabilitation, and full recovery is not always possible.
Facial Injuries
Permanent facial scarring and disfigurement are common after face-first falls that cause broken noses, fractured cheekbones, eye socket fractures, and jaw damage. Reconstructive surgery is often necessary. The psychological impact can be as significant as the physical trauma.
Dental Damage
Knocked-out teeth, broken teeth, jaw fractures, and damaged dental work are frequent. Emergency dental care, extractions, implants, crowns, and bridgework are necessary. Treatment often continues for years and costs tens of thousands of dollars.
What to Do Immediately After a Slip and Fall Accident
Insurance companies begin building their defense within hours. Your actions during that same window determine what evidence survives and how strong your case will be. Taking the right steps early protects your legal rights and improves your chances of recovering full compensation.
What Compensation Can You Recover in a Brooklyn Slip and Fall Case?
New York law allows slip and fall victims to recover compensation when a property owner’s negligence causes injury. You can recover economic damages for financial losses and non-economic damages for personal suffering.
Economic Damages
- Medical Expenses and Future Treatment Costs: Past and future medical bills, including emergency treatment, hospitalization, surgery, physical therapy, medications, and medical equipment. Future costs include ongoing treatment, additional surgeries, and rehabilitation.
- Lost Wages and Loss of Earning Capacity: Income lost during recovery, including sick days, unpaid leave, and reduced hours. If permanent injuries prevent you from returning to your prior work, you can recover for reduced future earning capacity.
- Out-of-Pocket Expenses: Transportation to medical appointments, home modifications for disability, and household help for tasks you can no longer perform.
Non-Economic Damages
- Physical Pain and Emotional Distress: Chronic pain, reduced mobility, anxiety about your future, depression, and PTSD symptoms in severe cases.
- Loss of Quality of Life: Inability to play sports, pursue hobbies, or participate in activities you once loved. Injuries limit your independence and force permanent lifestyle changes.
New York does not cap non-economic damages, so juries determine fair compensation based on injury severity and impact on your life.
Punitive Damages
Punitive damages punish defendants for egregious conduct rather than compensate victims for losses. These damages are rare in slip and fall cases and are only awarded when the property owner’s actions were willful, wanton, or showed reckless disregard for safety. Examples include owners who knew about dangerous conditions, received multiple complaints, saw previous injuries, yet deliberately ignored the problem. Punitive damages come in addition to compensatory damages to deter similar conduct.
Who Can Be Held Liable for a Brooklyn Slip and Fall Accident?
Multiple parties may be responsible for your injuries, including those who owned, managed, or maintained the property where the fall occurred. Identifying all liable parties is crucial to recovering full compensation.
Property Owners and Landlords
Residential landlords, commercial property owners, and homeowners have a duty to maintain safe premises and are liable whether they created the hazard or failed to fix it.
Business Owners and Store Managers
Grocery stores, restaurants, and retail shops must conduct regular inspections, clean up spills promptly, and warn customers of temporary hazards.
Property Management Companies
When hired to maintain buildings, they assume liability for negligent maintenance, including snow removal, repairs, and building upkeep.
Maintenance and Cleaning Contractors
Snow removal contractors who inadequately clear sidewalks and cleaning companies that leave wet floors without warning signs can be held liable.
The City of New York and Government Entities
Municipal liability applies when poorly maintained public property causes falls. Claims against government entities have strict notice requirements and shorter deadlines.
Proving Negligence in Brooklyn Slip and Fall Cases
To hold a property owner liable for your slip and fall, we must prove four elements of negligence. Establishing all four is what separates a strong case from one that gets disputed or dismissed.
- Duty: The property owner owed you a legal duty of care to maintain safe premises and warn of known hazards.
- Breach: The property owner breached that duty by failing to maintain the property, failing to fix a known hazard, or failing to warn visitors.
- Causation: This breach directly caused your fall and your injuries.
- Damages: You suffered compensable losses, including medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering.
We prove negligence through accident scene investigation, witness interviews, surveillance footage, and building code violation records. Prior complaint histories and expert testimony from engineers and medical professionals establish the property owner’s knowledge and liability.
Time Limits for Filing Slip and Fall Claims in Brooklyn
New York imposes strict deadlines for filing slip and fall lawsuits. Missing these deadlines means losing your right to compensation forever, regardless of how strong your case is or how serious your injuries are.
Statute of Limitations: You have three years from the accident date to file a lawsuit against private property owners under NY CPLR § 214. If you don’t file within three years, your case is dismissed.
4-Hour Snow Removal Deadline: While you have three years to file your lawsuit, property owners have just 4 hours to clear snow and ice after precipitation stops under NYC Administrative Code § 16-123. If you fell more than 4 hours after the snow stopped, the property owner violated this statute and is liable for your injuries. We obtain National Weather Service precipitation records showing exactly when snow stopped and compare this to your fall time to prove the violation.
90-Day Notice of Claim Requirement: You must file a Notice of Claim with the New York City Comptroller’s Office within 90 days of your accident if you fell on a city sidewalk, in a public park, or on other city property under General Municipal Law § 50-e. Missing this deadline typically bars your claim.
After filing the Notice of Claim, you have one year and 90 days from the accident date to file the actual lawsuit under General Municipal Law § 50-i.
Comparative Negligence in New York: You can still recover compensation even if you were partially at fault. Under NY CPLR Article 14-A, your compensation is reduced by your percentage of fault, but not eliminated unless you were 100% at fault. If you were 20% at fault and your damages total $100,000, you recover $80,000. Insurance companies routinely inflate your fault percentage to reduce what they pay.
Don’t wait. Evidence disappears quickly, and deadlines are strict. Contact us now for your free case review.
Why Choose Frekhtman & Associates as Your Brooklyn Slip and Fall Lawyers
Choosing the right lawyer determines how much compensation you recover. Insurance companies know which firms settle fast and which ones fight. At Frekhtman & Associates, founder Arkady Frekhtman has built a reputation that insurers fear. We don’t back down, we don’t settle cheap, and we win in court when they refuse to pay fairly.
- Proven Results: Since 2000, our attorneys have recovered over $900M for injured New Yorkers. Results include a $69.25M motor vehicle verdict, $1.7M premises liability recovery, $1.2M slip and fall on ice settlement, and multiple six-figure settlements throughout Brooklyn, reflecting our focus on maximum compensation.
- Trial-Ready Preparation: From day one, every case receives full trial preparation. Insurance companies know we take cases to court when they refuse to offer fair value, which changes how they approach settlement negotiations.
- Brooklyn Court Experience: For over 25 years, our attorneys have litigated in the Brooklyn Supreme Court. We know the judges, defense attorneys, insurance adjusters, and jury pools in this borough, giving us a strategic advantage.
- We Don’t Settle for Less Than You Deserve: We never pressure you to accept inadequate offers. We hold out for the full value of your claim, put your best interests first, and stay with your case until it resolves fairly.
- Multilingual Support: Our team conducts consultations in English or Russian. We understand the cultural concerns and language barriers many immigrant families face when navigating the legal system.
- No Upfront Costs: We handle your case on a contingency fee basis; you pay nothing unless we win. We advance all litigation costs, including expert fees, court expenses, and investigation costs. If we don’t win, you owe nothing.
Serving Slip and Fall Victims Throughout Brooklyn, NY
Frekhtman & Associates represents slip and fall victims across every Brooklyn neighborhood and throughout New York. Our attorneys handle cases in every borough and understand the specific requirements of filing claims in each jurisdiction.
Brooklyn Neighborhoods We Serve:
- Williamsburg, Greenpoint, and Bushwick
- Downtown Brooklyn and Brooklyn Heights
- Flatbush, Crown Heights, and East Flatbush
- Bay Ridge, Bensonhurst, and Sunset Park
- Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brownsville, and East New York
- Coney Island, Brighton Beach, and Sheepshead Bay
- Park Slope, Prospect Heights, and Gowanus
We Also Serve:
- Manhattan (New York County)
- Queens (Queens County)
- The Bronx (Bronx County)
- Staten Island (Richmond County)
- Nassau County, Suffolk County, and Long Island
Visit Our Brooklyn Offices
Frekhtman & Associates
60 Bay 26th Street
Brooklyn, NY 11214
Speak to a Brooklyn Slip and Fall Lawyer Today
Evidence disappears quickly after slip and fall accidents, surveillance footage is erased, witnesses forget details, and property owners fix hazards. Insurance companies are already building their defense to minimize what they pay you. The sooner we begin investigating, the stronger your case.
Frekhtman & Associates takes over from the moment you call. Our lawyers handle the adjusters, the evidence, the experts, and the negotiations. We serve clients in English and Russian and are available around the clock.
There is absolutely no risk to call.
- $0 Upfront Costs
- 24/7 Availability
- Free Case Review
You focus on recovery. We handle everything else. Call (718) 331-7700 or contact us online for a free case review.
Contact For A Free Case Review
While it’s possible to handle a personal injury case on your own, having an experienced attorney by your side significantly increases the likelihood of a favorable outcome. According to studies, victims represented by a personal injury lawyer receive higher settlement amounts compared to those who handle their cases independently. For a free case evaluation: