Slip and Fall Attorney New York City — Premises Liability Lawyer Serving Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan & All Five Boroughs
Property owners in New York have a strict legal duty to keep their premises safe for visitors and pedestrians. When they neglect hazards and you get hurt, we hold them fully accountable.
Severe Injuries From Dangerous Conditions
A slip and fall can happen in seconds. The resulting injuries are rarely minor. Broken bones, traumatic brain injuries, herniated spinal discs, and torn knee ligaments are common outcomes.
Property owners and their insurance adjusters move rapidly following an accident. They frequently attempt to blame the victim for not paying attention or claim they had "no notice" of the dangerous hazard.
We have been litigating premises liability cases across New York City since 1994. Adam knows every single defense strategy property owners use because he spent years helping build them. Now he tears them apart on behalf of injured New Yorkers.
Commercial Property Falls
Businesses that invite the public onto their property — supermarkets, grocery stores, restaurants, retail shops, and office buildings — must maintain safe conditions. That means promptly cleaning up spills, repairing defective flooring, and warning visitors about known hazards.
When a supermarket ignores a spill or a building fails to salt an icy entryway, they are liable. We pursue compensation from the business operator, property management company, and building owner simultaneously.
Slip, Trip & Fall Claims We Handle
Every premises liability case requires targeted investigation to prove notice and owner culpability.
Wet Floors & Spills
Supermarket puddles, leaks, mopped floors without warning signs, and slippery restaurant grease.
Broken Sidewalks
Raised slabs, tree root upheaval, missing concrete, and pothole defects outside buildings.
Ice & Snow Accumulation
Untreated ice patches, uncleared walkways, and dangerous refreeze cycles from defective drainage.
Staircase & Handrail Defects
Broken or missing handrails, uneven step heights, damaged tread, and pitch-black stairwells.
Elevator & Escalator Accidents
Misleveling elevators, sudden drops, mechanical entrapment, and escalator jerk stops.
Landlord Negligence
Dark apartment building hallways, neglected lobby tiles, and unaddressed tenant repair notices.
City & Municipal Property
Subway stations, public parks, municipal plazas, and public school building hazards.
Parking Lot Hazards
Unlit commercial lots, wheel-stop trip hazards, deep potholes, and unplowed parking zones.
NYC Sidewalk Liability — Local Law 49
Under NYC Administrative Code § 7-210 (Local Law 49), adjacent commercial and multi-family property owners in New York City are strictly responsible for maintaining the public sidewalk directly in front of their building.
Cracked pavement, raised flags, and missing concrete are the property owner's legal responsibility in most cases — not the City of New York.
We identify the adjacent property owner, search the NYC Department of Transportation database for prior violation notices, and pull maintenance history immediately.
Suing the City of New York
If your fall happened on city-owned property, a public school, a park, or a municipal building, the rules are drastically different and the deadline is unforgiving.
Before suing New York City, a formal Notice of Claim must be served within 90 days of the accident. Miss that deadline by a single day, and your right to recover is permanently extinguished.
We file Notices of Claim immediately upon retention. If city property was involved, call us today.
Frequently Asked Questions
Clear guidance on premises liability lawsuits across the five boroughs.
You must establish that the owner created the hazard or had actual or constructive notice of it (meaning it existed long enough that they should have discovered and fixed it). We prove this through surveillance video timestamps, maintenance logs, inspection reports, and witness testimony.
You can still recover. New York's pure comparative fault rule reduces your compensation by your percentage of fault, but does not eliminate your claim. We fight to keep that percentage as close to zero as possible.
Three years from the accident date for private property owners. If a government entity owns or operates the property, a formal Notice of Claim must be served within 90 days. Do not delay.
That is the most common defense insurer adjusters raise. We counter it with surveillance footage proving how long the hazard sat unaddressed, employee cleaning records, and prior complaints on record.
Yes. The total absence of a yellow warning cone or wet floor sign is direct evidence of negligence, proving the owner failed their basic legal duty to warn visitors of a known dangerous condition.
Under NYC Local Law 49, adjacent commercial and residential building owners are liable for sidewalk maintenance in front of their building. If it is city property, the 90-day Notice of Claim applies. We determine exact ownership from day one.
Yes. Landlords are legally required to maintain common areas, stairwells, lobbies, and laundry rooms in a safe, code-compliant condition. Tenants have the exact same rights to a safe premises as any visitor.
Talk to Adam Before the Property Owner's Insurer Calls You
The property owner's insurance company will contact you quickly after a fall. They will sound helpful, but a recorded statement taken before you retain counsel can severely damage your recovery.
The consultation is 100% free. No upfront fees. Adam Shapiro is reachable directly from your first call.
Get Your Free Case Evaluation
No fee unless we win. Fill out this form for an immediate callback from Adam L. Shapiro.
Cases We Handle
As a full-service personal injury law firm, we represent clients across all major injury categories in New York:
Vehicle Accidents
Comprehensive representation for car, truck, and motorcycle collisions, bicycle and pedestrian injury claims, and rideshare accidents involving Uber and Lyft.
Workplace & Construction Injuries
Aggressive advocacy for workers' compensation claims, job site and construction accidents, and injuries caused by repetitive stress or unsafe working conditions.
Premises Liability
Relentless pursuit of justice for slip, trip, and fall injuries, hazardous staircases, broken sidewalks, defective buildings, and elevator or escalator accidents.
Catastrophic & Specialized Cases
Compassionate, determined representation for medical malpractice, wrongful death claims, animal attacks, and severe injuries including traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord damage, and burns.