We have all probably tripped and taken a nasty fall at some point. Although these incidents are often embarrassing, they might also be incredibly dangerous.
Slip and fall accidents can be severe, and accident victims often suffer painful injuries. Slip and fall accidents can happen almost anywhere. Many accidents happen in private locations, like a neighbor’s walkway or the stairwell in an apartment building. They can also happen in public areas like sidewalks, stores, or restaurants. Plaintiffs have only 3 years to file a personal injury lawsuit for their accident, barring special circumstances, so it is important to speak to a lawyer and act quickly. You can recover damages related to the money you spent on recovering and the painful experience of being injured. Important evidence might include photos from the accident, witness testimony, medical records, and more.
If you or someone you know slipped and fell and suffered serious harm, our Long Island slip and fall injury lawyers can help you get compensation from those responsible. For a free case review, call The Carrion Law Firm at (631) 910-7493.
Typical Causes of Slip and Fall Injuries on Long Island
What makes slip and fall accidents so dangerous is that they can happen almost anywhere. Many accidents happen in private areas while others are more public, but both are equally dangerous. Slip and fall accidents are premises liability issues, and the owners or managers of the property where the accident occurred may be held responsible for your injuries. Talk to our Long Island slip and fall injury attorneys about how your accident happened, and we can help you determine who should be held liable.
Many slip and fall injuries happen on slick walkways. For example, if your neighbor did not shovel their icy walkway before inviting you over for coffee, you might slip and fall on the path up to their front steps, becoming severely injured. Another possibility is a spill in a store or restaurant that was not cleaned up, and a customer slips and falls.
Stairs are another common location of slip and fall accidents. Uneven stairs that lack a railing or banister pose serious tripping hazards. Not only could someone fall and injure themselves on the stairs, but they might continue tumbling down the stairs, sustaining even more serious injuries.
Not all slip and fall injuries happen because of spills or slippery surfaces. Uneven floors present a significant risk and might lead to injuries. For example, loose floorboards or poor construction workmanship might lead to slip and fall accidents.
When to File a Lawsuit for Slip and Fall Injuries on Long Island
Time is of the essence when it comes to filing a lawsuit. Statutes of limitations impose deadlines on plaintiffs and prevent the filing of claims that are too old or remote to be tried in a court of law. In New York, the statute of limitations on personal injury cases, including those for slip and fall accidents, can be found under C.V.P. Law § 214(5). The statute imposes a 3-year deadline starting from the date of your slip and fall accident.
Although 3 years sounds like a long time to start your lawsuit, you do not have nearly as much time as you might think. Important things like evidence and witnesses do not stick around for long. The longer you wait to file your claim, the harder it might be to find evidence to support those claims in court.
If the deadline on your lawsuit is coming up fast, our Long Island slip and fall injury attorneys can help you figure out if you can toll the statute of limitations. Under very limited circumstances, plaintiffs can toll the statute and extend the deadline. For example, under C.V.P. Law § 208(a), a plaintiff who cannot file a lawsuit because they are too young or mentally incompetent can toll the statute and file their lawsuit up to 3 years after their disability ceases.
Damages Recoverable in Long Island Slip and Fall Injury Cases
The point of filing a personal lawsuit is to recover damages for your slip and fall injuries. The actual damages you can claim depend on the nature and extent of your injuries. Some damages are more difficult to calculate than others, and you can talk to our Long Island slip and fall injury attorneys about the potential value of your case.
Economic damages are tied to your monetary costs and losses after a slip and fall accident. Often, plaintiffs can claim their medical bills, including the costs of hospital visits, surgeries, medications, physical therapy, and other treatments. If you miss work because of your injuries, you can also claim the value of lost income as part of your economic damages. These damages are easier to determine because they usually come with a receipt, invoice, or some other record of payment.
Non-economic damages are more abstract and are not necessarily connected to an actual sum of money. For example, your physical pain, emotional suffering, humiliation, reputational damage, and other negative experiences can be claimed as part of your non-economic damages.
How to Gather Evidence in a Slip and Fall Injury Case on Long Island
Evidence is one of the most critical elements of your lawsuit. You need evidence to support your claims and prove that the defendant is responsible for your injuries. Without enough evidence, you are highly unlikely to win your case. Finding the right evidence is often difficult, but our Long Island slip and fall injury lawyers have experience gathering evidence and can assist you.
Immediately after your slip and fall accident, you should take as many photos of the scene as possible. Once you are taken to get medical attention, the owner of the property where you fell might clean up the scene and remove or repair the hazards that caused your fall. While these hazards should certainly be repaired, we need some record of them to prove your claims in court. Photos of the hazards help us prove that the area was dangerous.
If your accident happened in a more public setting, like a store or restaurant, security cameras might have been monitoring the scene. If these cameras recorded your accident, we need that footage for your case. Video evidence of your slip and fall accident is very compelling and can help push your case over the edge.
Many slip and fall accidents are not isolated, and one or several witnesses might have seen the accident unfold. We need witnesses who can testify about your accident and back up your claims. The more people who support your version of events in court, the better.
Call Our Long Island Slip and Fall Injury Lawyers for Help Today
A slip and fall accident is not just embarrassing; it is painful and might come with long-lasting injuries. Our Long Island slip and fall injury lawyers can help you hold property owners responsible for creating the dangerous conditions of your accident. For a free case review, call The Carrion Law Firm at (631) 910-7493.