New York City Defective Sidewalk Accident Lawyers
With miles and miles of sidewalks in the New York City area, it is common to see various defective conditions on sidewalks which can be dangerous for pedestrians. Throughout Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens, Manhattan, and Staten Island, you may see height differentials between sidewalk flags, broken expansion joints, holes, cracks, crevices, and similar defects.
Under the law in New York known as Administrative Code 7-210, an adjacent property owner is responsible for a defective sidewalk that abuts his or her property. This simply means that if the sidewalk defect is in front of the property or adjoins the property on the side, the property owner is responsible. Lawsuits against the property owner will be defended by the homeowner’s insurance carrier.
The reason for this law is to allow the City to investigate the incident and claim. Further, a lawsuit must be filed within one year and ninety (90) days from the date of the accident against the City. With private property owner lawsuits, the lawsuit may be filed within three years of the accident.
Types of Sidewalk Defects
- triangular holes or mislevelings at or near expansion joints between sidewalk flags
- height differentials including one sidewalk flag being higher than an adjacent flag
- Sidewalk Grates & Cellar Doors
- tree roots pushing up portions of the sidewalk or creating cracks
- transient conditions such as oil, garbage, construction debris, rocks, pebbles, puddles, and the like
- conditions that were caused and created by the landlord or business owner including
- Construction debris from a property
- Garbage, plastic bags, boxes, paper bags, plastic cartons, loose foods such as fruits, vegetables from a business that displays products and or foods outside their property and allows these items to become a hazard on the sidewalk
Types of Injuries Individuals Suffer after Sidewalk Accidents
- broken bones
- fractures to the elbow, wrist, hand due to trying to break the fall with your hands
- injuries to the face and head including stitches, lacerations, and scrapes due to striking your head during a fall when you are unable to brace yourself with your hands
- head injury including traumatic brain injury
- back injuries including herniated discs
- knee injuries including torn meniscus, torn ACL, need for arthroscopic surgery
If you or a loved one sustained a serious injury due to a trip and fall on a defective sidewalk, call the sidewalk accident lawyers at the F&A injury law firm for a consultation. We handle sidewalk accident litigation with no upfront charges or fees of any kind. We are available at (866) ATTY LAW or (212) 222-1111.